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Joanna Palmones improved her care of older people after adapting a continuing professional development article
I work as a staff nurse in a mental health unit for older people where the residents have different types of dementia. Although the article (Harrison 2001) focuses on meeting the mental health needs of people in physical care settings, I have adapted it to my practice.
I agree that nurses would rather focus on a person's physical health needs than their mental health needs; it is easier to treat a patient's symptoms than it is to deal with the depression, anxiety, fear and other emotions that a disease can bring about.
Research quoted in the article shows that a lack of knowledge about psychopathology...