Opinion
Book reviews
Taking part counts INCREASED PARTICIPATION of members is vital to the success of the Royal College of Nursing, which is why congress is such a pivotal event in the organisation’s calendar. Two major changes at this month’s congress aim to highlight the importance of member participation: the annual general meeting will be held and the forum steering committee elections launched. As a front line clinician, my time as a steering committee member has enhanced my career, with opportunities to participate in local, regional and national work to improve care for older people and to prove my clinical knowledge, leadership and ability. These opportunities have included chairing conferences, writing for publication in professional journals, public speaking, contributing to strategic policy development, providing media interviews and networking with leaders in the specialty. The only limit is the time you have available. I encourage you all to use your forum membership to get more involved and consider standing for appointment to the steering committee. Visit the exhibition stand to meet forum representatives and to find out more. Also, do attend the older people’s forum event on frailty. It aims to help you understand frailty and how it might be experienced by older people, how nurses are leading the development of new services and ways of working, and how you could change your practice to improve the care offered to older, frail people. Speakers will include nurse consultants developing frailty services, pathways, tools and roles. RCN congress is due to take place at Liverpool’s Arena and Convention Centre from June 15-19. For further details and advance booking information go to www.rcn.org.uk/newsevents/congress/2014 Sue Edwards is a community mental health nurse and steering committee member of the RCN older people’s forum Visit tinyurl.com/olderpeopleforum
10 June 2014 | Volume 26 | Number 5
Dementia – Support for Family and Friends Dave Pulsford and Rachel Thompson Jessica Kingsley £13.99 | 240pp ISBN: 9781849052436 THE INTENDED audience for this book is friends, family members and carers of people with dementia, but I regard it as an essential and inexpensive purchase for any nurse or carer working in the field. The focus is on understanding dementia from the perspective of the person living with the condition. Each chapter covers an aspect of dementia, first describing possible difficulties followed by practical and step-by-step guidance on helping people to meet their needs. The chapters link together as a journey
from becoming acquainted with dementia to the end of life. Lack of illustrations and photographs does not detract from the book’s usefulness and its easy-read format and clear layout more than make up for this. I particularly like the section on communicating with the person with dementia, which explains possible ways of interpreting meaning and strategies to enhance meaningful communication. The inclusion of sections on the pros and cons of assistive technology and the issues surrounding driving are valuable and will be of particular interest to those involved in domiciliary care. There are frequent references to research and other publications to support the discussion. Whether a reference book in the care setting or a resource for those undertaking apprenticeships, this book represents a welcome addition to the dementia care library. Sue Paxton, independent trainer and consultant in health and social care
Letter Steps towards dementia-friendly communities applauded I agree with the need to provide dementia awareness training for healthcare professionals (Nursing Older People. 25, 8, 5). According to the World Health Organization, more than 35 million people worldwide have dementia, and with the ageing of the global population, this number will grow to more than 100 million by 2050. In the US, most hospital environments are not designed for cognitively impaired older people, and successful nursing interventions are often complex. Therefore, training and adequate support is needed to increase dementia awareness, as well as nursing research and dementia intervention studies. I admire the steps that the Alzheimer’s Society is taking in the UK to encourage communities to become more ‘dementia friendly’ and the attempts to break down the stigma associated with the disease. Also, and despite widespread scepticism, research has found that older adults with dementia can achieve positive functional outcomes and
Alamy
Forum focus
discharge destination after intense inpatient or outpatient rehabilitation. As nurses, we need better awareness and more dementia education and it needs to be standardised at degree and postgraduate levels, with an evidence-based approach that can be integrated in programmes. This approach is essential to deliver patient-centred care. I would also like to emphasise the great need for nursing research and how promoting a culture for dementia research can overcome the challenges that patients, their caregivers and researchers have faced in the past few years. Jennifer Tang, Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts, United States NURSING OLDER PEOPLE
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Book reviews
Taking part counts INCREASED PARTICIPATION of members is vital to the success of the Royal College of Nursing, which is why congress is such a pivotal event in the organisation’s calendar. Two major changes at this month’s congress aim to highlight the importance of member participation: the annual general meeting will be held and the forum steering committee elections launched. As a front line clinician, my time as a steering committee member has enhanced my career, with opportunities to participate in local, regional and national work to improve care for older people and to prove my clinical knowledge, leadership and ability. These opportunities have included chairing conferences, writing for publication in professional journals, public speaking, contributing to strategic policy development, providing media interviews and networking with leaders in the specialty. The only limit is the time you have available. I encourage you all to use your forum membership to get more involved and consider standing for appointment to the steering committee. Visit the exhibition stand to meet forum representatives and to find out more. Also, do attend the older people’s forum event on frailty. It aims to help you understand frailty and how it might be experienced by older people, how nurses are leading the development of new services and ways of working, and how you could change your practice to improve the care offered to older, frail people. Speakers will include nurse consultants developing frailty services, pathways, tools and roles. RCN congress is due to take place at Liverpool’s Arena and Convention Centre from June 15-19. For further details and advance booking information go to www.rcn.org.uk/newsevents/congress/2014 Sue Edwards is a community mental health nurse and steering committee member of the RCN older people’s forum Visit tinyurl.com/olderpeopleforum
10 June 2014 | Volume 26 | Number 5
Dementia – Support for Family and Friends Dave Pulsford and Rachel Thompson Jessica Kingsley £13.99 | 240pp ISBN: 9781849052436 THE INTENDED audience for this book is friends, family members and carers of people with dementia, but I regard it as an essential and inexpensive purchase for any nurse or carer working in the field. The focus is on understanding dementia from the perspective of the person living with the condition. Each chapter covers an aspect of dementia, first describing possible difficulties followed by practical and step-by-step guidance on helping people to meet their needs. The chapters link together as a journey
from becoming acquainted with dementia to the end of life. Lack of illustrations and photographs does not detract from the book’s usefulness and its easy-read format and clear layout more than make up for this. I particularly like the section on communicating with the person with dementia, which explains possible ways of interpreting meaning and strategies to enhance meaningful communication. The inclusion of sections on the pros and cons of assistive technology and the issues surrounding driving are valuable and will be of particular interest to those involved in domiciliary care. There are frequent references to research and other publications to support the discussion. Whether a reference book in the care setting or a resource for those undertaking apprenticeships, this book represents a welcome addition to the dementia care library. Sue Paxton, independent trainer and consultant in health and social care
Letter Steps towards dementia-friendly communities applauded I agree with the need to provide dementia awareness training for healthcare professionals (Nursing Older People. 25, 8, 5). According to the World Health Organization, more than 35 million people worldwide have dementia, and with the ageing of the global population, this number will grow to more than 100 million by 2050. In the US, most hospital environments are not designed for cognitively impaired older people, and successful nursing interventions are often complex. Therefore, training and adequate support is needed to increase dementia awareness, as well as nursing research and dementia intervention studies. I admire the steps that the Alzheimer’s Society is taking in the UK to encourage communities to become more ‘dementia friendly’ and the attempts to break down the stigma associated with the disease. Also, and despite widespread scepticism, research has found that older adults with dementia can achieve positive functional outcomes and
Alamy
Forum focus
discharge destination after intense inpatient or outpatient rehabilitation. As nurses, we need better awareness and more dementia education and it needs to be standardised at degree and postgraduate levels, with an evidence-based approach that can be integrated in programmes. This approach is essential to deliver patient-centred care. I would also like to emphasise the great need for nursing research and how promoting a culture for dementia research can overcome the challenges that patients, their caregivers and researchers have faced in the past few years. Jennifer Tang, Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts, United States NURSING OLDER PEOPLE
Downloaded from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 17, 2015. For personal use only. No other uses without permission. Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
