The role of the community psychiatric nurse

Abstract

As a profession, community psychiatric nurses have a history of working with people with dementia and their families that stretches back to the mid-1950s. While the precise number of community psychiatric nurses working in the dementia field is currently unknown, they are seen as vital members of community mental health teams for older people and are involved in the spectrum of dilemmas and challenges posed by the experience of dementia. Their clinical work ranges from support and intervention with family carers through the memory clinic work, liaison with residential/nursing care homes, day-to-day support for people with dementia at all stages of the disease process, to meeting palliative care needs. It is an extensive range of service contacts and experiences that requires different intervention and decision-making processes in order to maximize the quality of life for all concerned. This contribution provides a brief overview of the role of the community psychiatric nurse specializing in dementia care and highlights some recent studies in the field that reinforce the co-ordinating and assessment role of the community psychiatric nurse, the prolonged engagement in the community with people with dementia and their families as a foundation for practice, and the education and training dimension of the role. The recent development of the Admiral nurse service as a specialist community nursing service primarily for carers of people with dementia is also explored.