What Is Special About Dementia Special Care?

Thirty years ago, I resigned my position as a staff nurse on an inpatient psychiatric unit and moved to another state to take a nursing leadership position in a long-term care facility designed for individuals living with dementia. Dementia-specific care was less common at that time, and when it did exist, it primarily consisted of a cohort of individuals living with dementia who were housed on a single unit. Staffing wasn’t necessarily consistent, and staff training was mostly on the job. Many of the residents exhibited behavioral symptoms, and there was often some type of mechanism (locked door, alert systems) to minimize the risks associated with wandering or to segregate these residents from the other members of the long-term care community.