Letter to the Editor

Article Outline

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To the Editor:

I am an associate-degree registered nurse working on my bachelor’s of science in nursing degree at the University of Louisville in Kentucky. I am responding to the article “Health Professionals Perspectives of Providing Care to People with Dementia in the Acute Setting: Toward Better Practice,” which was in the September/October 2006 (Vol. 25, No. 5) issue of Geriatric Nursing.

As we know and your article described, psychiatric illness in the geriatric population is a public health problem that can be intensified and worsened by acute health conditions, as well as by the acute care setting. Even if a patient enters the hospital awake, alert, and oriented, this can change as the result of multiple issues, such as the new environment, a disrupted routine, infection, hypoxia, or acute illness delirium, which can complicate a patient’s level of care and treatment. Recognizing and intervening on behalf of a patient with delirium or dementia can create significant challenges for nurses and staff members. As stated in your article, these situations need to be effectively managed with time and resources instead of simply “getting by,” which is sometimes accomplished using the least moral and ethical methods of restraint. These issues arise not from a conscious choice but result from a lack of knowledge and specialized education in geriatric nursing. Staff members often have full workloads that further augment this stressful situation.

In reading your article and reviewing the study, I was able to understand nurses’ experiences and situational difficulties related to caring for patients with dementia in the acute care setting. Thank you for having the courage to expose and identify the deficiencies and inadequacies related to care and treatment of elders with cognitive impairments that occur in the acute care sector, and in turn offering solutions and recommendations on the basis of nursing and health care professionals interacting with these patients on a daily basis.

Thank you,