Advanced Search

Journal Navigation

Journal Home

Subscriptions

Archive

Contact Us

Table of Contents

Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
Journal of Research in Nursing
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow References
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Right arrow Citing Articles via Scopus
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Norman, R.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Complore   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati   Add to Twitter  
What's this?

Observations of the experiences of people with dementia on general hospital wards

Rachel Norman, PhD, BN(Hons), RN

This paper is based on research that aimed to explore how people with dementia are cared for in general hospital wards in the United Kingdom (UK). The paper details findings from one phase of data collection, ward based observations. The observations elucidated the ways in which persons with dementia express and portray their ‘selves’, the interpretations made by nurses about the patients with dementia they cared for and the constructions of roles and care environments. The findings demonstrate how a variety of influences affect the way a person with dementia experiences a hospital admission. Nurses' positive or negative interpretations of a person with dementia can lead to the ‘constraint’ or ‘realisation’ of a person's portrayal of self. In an ageing global society, improving the care of older people is a priority. The findings illuminate the central importance of promoting two-way relationships in which the actions of people with dementia are recognised as portraying individuality and identity. The study highlights a need for practice development to enhance nursing care for medical and surgical patients with a coincidental diagnosis of dementia.

Key Words: acute hospital • dementia • constraint • interaction • observations • rvealisation

Journal of Research in Nursing, Vol. 11, No. 5, 453-465 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/1744987106065684
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati   Add to Twitter Twitter    What's this?