Care for Patients with Alzheimer's Disease: A Guide for Nurses

Nearly 7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's disease. By 2050, this number is projected to rise to nearly 13 million (Alzheimer’s Association). Nurses are an inevitable and integral part of caring for people with Alzheimer’s disease, but it’s not always feasible to get them hands-on training in nursing school. So how do nurse educators prepare students and novice nurses for the complexities of working with these patients?

In this Novice Nurse Series, UbiSim is shedding light on the ways nurse educators can teach new nurses how to work with specific populations. 

Kramer’s reality shock theory 

Kramer's reality shock theory describes the transition from nursing education to professional practice, emphasizing the stress new nurses experience when they face the gap between theoretical knowledge and the realities of clinical practice. This "reality shock" can lead to feelings of frustration, inadequacy, and disillusionment, impacting job performance and retention. 

According to researchers, “New graduate nurses experience challenges when caring for patients with dementia in acute care. These challenges are exacerbated by their inexperience and first-time exposure to dementia care as a licensed nurse, leading to feelings of frustration, helplessness and guilt, resembling Kramer’s reality shock theory” (Hartung et al., 2021).

Nurse educators and preceptors are crucial in helping with novice nurses’ transition. 

Ways to teach novice nurses to care for Alzheimer’s patients

Teach them to practice person-centered care/interventions

Person-centered care is similar to patient-centered care but more holistic. Beyond taking into consideration the patient’s needs, values, and desires, it also includes family, context, preferences, etc (AACN). Teaching novice nurses to approach care in this way can lead to more compassion and better patient outcomes. Research suggests that person-centered interventions can be effective in decreasing behavioral and psychological symptoms and improving the cognitive functioning in dementia patients. For this reason, health care providers are encouraged to incorporate person-centered interventions in the care of the dementia patient.

Help them create care plans

If a nurse is new to caring for a patient with Alzheimer’s, they may not yet realize the value of routines and familiarity. Care plans that are designed around a suggested timeline of activities and are customized to include the patient's interests and likes/dislike, can help to combat some of the challenging behaviors seen with dementia patients.

Include how to work with families in training

Care extends beyond just the patients themselves—it’s also about supporting their families through the challenges that come with this condition. Therapeutic communication is a crucial learning piece for nurses to speak effectively with families. 

With dementia patients, families will need to be educated on community resources and support, the importance of self-care and respite care, how to manage the family member with challenging behaviors, best practices for delivering daily care, safety in the home, etc. Nurses need to develop a trusting relationship with the family so they can work together for the betterment of the patient.

Utilize virtual reality

Imagine your students can don a headset and be transported into a hospital room where a patient is experiencing agitation and refusing care due to Alzheimer's disease. Learners get to administer medications and provide therapeutic communication to assist the patient in this Fundamentals scenario. This is possible with UbiSim!

UbiSim has an Alzheimer’s disease scenario. The learning objectives for UbiSim's Alzheimer's scenario are:

• Identify and address environmental safety concerns
• Utilize verbal cues, nonverbal cues and therapeutic communication to provide support to the patient
• Demonstrate administration of medications in a safe and effective manner utilizing rights of medication administration
• Demonstrate use of the nursing process

Encourage them to maintain their own well-being

Self-care is crucial for all nurses at all levels who care for different kinds of patients, but it can be especially challenging to work with patients with Alzheimer’s disease. So, it’s crucial that novice nurses are encouraged to practice self-care and maintain their own well-being. 

It’s also important to prepare nurses for end-of-life care, as this is sometimes an inevitable part of caring for Alzheimer’s patients.

Final Thoughts

As Alzheimer’s disease continues to become more prevalent, the demand for healthcare professionals—including novice nurses—equipped with the skills and knowledge to deliver compassionate, effective care has never been higher.  As nurse educators and preceptors, your jobs are crucial to preparing new nurses to effectively care for Alzheimer’s patients.