Dementia and Nursing Leadership

The assignment discusses the concerns raised by health practitioners regarding the levels of quality care given to patients with dementia. It highlights the importance of educating and bridging the skills gap in caring for people with dementia. The document also explores non-pharmacological interventions, such as behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), and the role of nursing leadership in managing these symptoms. Additionally, it discusses the scientific interest of nursing and its development as a distinct body of knowledge.

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NURSING LEADERSHIP
Introduction
Dementia is a global concern with the people suffering from the disease occupying a quarter
of global acute hospital beds. Care quality givers have been concerned on the levels of quality
care given to the patients of dementia. The concerns raised touch on educating and bridging
the skills gap in caring for people, training provisions and evidence of education (Kelly &
Quesnelle, n.d.).
Policy initiatives raised by health practitioners including medical doctors and nurses have
aimed at addressing the skills gap. There remains limited education evidence and concerns on
effective transfer of knowledge within the workplace setting to care for people affected by
dementia.
SCIENCE: way of orienting knowledge in a specific field that develops a methodology or
process to acquire new knowledge. Nursing science consists in observing, describing,
identifying, explaining and intervening in the various situations of the health / disease process
and the vital development of people, providing a rational basis for directing, ordering, giving
continuity and evaluating the result of their intervention.
Non-pharmacological interventions
There are various non-pharmacological interventions that have been forwarded to manage the
behavioral aspects of dementia. Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia are
varying. Although these symptoms vary individually, various psychopathological features
tend to occur in the same person simultaneously. The BPSD, is also called neuropsychiatric
symptoms and represents a heterogeneous group of non-cognitive behavior in people
suffering from dementia (Forman, 2011). Cognitive impairment is largely correlated to the

NURSING LEADERSHIP
cognitive symptoms. BPSD include anxiety, agitation, depression, delusions, appetite
changes, elation, and mild-irritability. For such patients, the best person to handle them is not
any other ordinary nurse or doctor but a well-trained medical practitioner in the field of
psychiatry. Although its course and development can vary a lot, sometimes the defiant
negativist disorder can lead to dissocial disorder, and antisocial personality disorder in
adulthood.
Signs and symptoms of defiant negativist disorder
According to the diagnostic manual of the American Psychiatric Association to diagnose the
defiant negative disorder, the following criteria must be met (Huber, 2018). A pattern of
anger / irritability, a defiant or vindictive attitude, frequent arguments that have occurred for
at least six months. In addition, four of the symptoms of the following categories must be
met, and appear with at least one person except one brother.
In comparison with other sciences, the scientific interest of nursing is therefore very recent
and focuses on the development of a body of knowledge with its own entity whose main
objective is to intervene on the human response in the health / disease and life development
process.
Currently, one of the fundamental lines for the advancement of the discipline is to explain
its specific practice (independent activities) according to the main objective and in order to
also delimit its space in relation to other disciplines with which it has a close relationship .

NURSING LEADERSHIP
The nurses began to investigate the activities they developed and concluded that they were
classified into two differentiated groups based on their autonomy, responsibility and
knowledge. These groups can be called:
* Interdependent activities: focused on collaborating with the doctor in solving pathological
problems, treating and / or controlling the disease and preventing or detecting complications:
• Autonomy: partial, delegated. Oriented toward disease-treatment(Forman, 2011).
detected early, the consequences are still unclear.
• Full responsibility.
• Knowledge: related sciences (pharmacology, medicine, psychology ...)
* Independent activities: related to human responses to a specific health / disease or
development situation that affect the well-being of the person(Forman, 2011):
• Autonomy: total. Oriented towards health and well-being.
• Full responsibility.
Knowledge: of the nursing science, for the development of the specific activities of the
profession(Forman, 2011).

NURSING LEADERSHIP
References
Dahlkemper, T. Nursing leadership, management, and professional practice for the
LPN/LVN.
Forman, H. (2011). Nursing leadership for patient-centered care. New York: Springer
Publishing Co.
Huber, D. (2018). Leadership & nursing care management. St. Louis, Missouri: Elsevier.
Jones, R. (2008). Nursing leadership and management. New Delhi: Jaypee.
Kelly, P., & Quesnelle, H. Nursing leadership and management.
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