This essential textbook on dementia care introduces the knowledge that nurses need, including the evidence base for practice and the guidance to transfer this newly acquired knowledge into everyday practice. Each of the 25 chapters are written by experts in the field of dementia care and are grounded in thoroughly researched, up-to-date evidence, have a direct bearing to nurse practice, and use case studies to give examples of application of the evidence to practice. It begins by introducing dementia as a diagnosis, a syndrome, and a set of diseases, signs and symptoms. It then deals with various principles that underpin dementia care, including person-centred care, behaviours that challenge, risk management, and understanding relationships affected by dementia. Finally, it assesses dementia care across a range of care settings, such as primary care, care homes, domiciliary care, acute hospital, and hospice services.

With contributions from experienced dementia practitioners and care researchers, this book examines the impact of culture and ethnicity on the experience of dementia and on the provision of support and services, both in general terms and in relation to specific minority ethnic communities. Drawing together evidence-based research and expert practitioners' experiences, this book highlights the ways that dementia care services will need to develop in order to ensure that provision is culturally appropriate for an increasingly diverse older population. The book examines cultural issues in terms of assessment and engagement with people with dementia, challenges for care homes, and issues for supporting families from diverse ethnic backgrounds in relation to planning end of life care and bereavement. First-hand accounts of living with dementia from a range of cultural and ethnic backgrounds give unique perspectives into different attitudes to dementia and dementia care. The contributors also examine recent policy and strategy on dementia care and the implications for working with culture and ethnicity. This comprehensive and timely book is essential reading for dementia care practitioners, researchers and policy makers.