A sharper focus.
A belief held by many professional healthcare workers is that older people have few views on the quality of care they receive and, to a large extent, are unable to comment on issues or make decisions for themselves ( Brooker and Dinshaw 1998 ). As the movement towards patient-centred care advances rapidly in clinical practice, nurses must become more responsive to older people's needs ( Wallace et al 1999 , McClymont 1999 ). But becoming responsive requires patients' and carers' involvement in decisions affecting their care ( Wallace et al 1999 ). Only a real understanding of their views will facilitate nurses in providing truly patient-centred care(Ainsworth and Killingworth 1995 ).
Nottinghamshire Healthcare (NHS) Trust, Ashfield Community Hospital, Kirkby-in-Ashfield.
A
A
Ward
(Dementia Care) Royal College of Nursing.
N J
NJ
Dewing