Managing volunteers who support patients with dementia or cognitive impairment on acute hospital wards: the NURTURe model.

Volunteers are widely used to support patients with dementia or cognitive impairment on acute hospital wards. However, it appears that traditional volunteer management models do not fully address the challenges posed by managing volunteers in that setting. In a study of the use of volunteers in the care of people with dementia and cognitive impairment on acute hospital wards, interviews with a range of stakeholders revealed challenges regarding the environment, role and image of volunteers. Based on the study findings, an alternative model for managing volunteers on acute hospital wards was developed. This article describes the study and discusses the development of this alternative approach, the NURTURe model.

A nurse-led youth volunteering project to support older people on acute hospital wards.

Young people volunteering on acute hospital wards can provide extra support to older patients, for example with eating and drinking, with mobilising and with therapeutic activities. This extra support can reduce nurses' workload while providing older people with opportunities to interact and engage. For the young people involved, volunteering can improve their skills and confidence, as well as providing opportunities for career development. Nurses are well-placed for developing and managing volunteer services due to their leadership, clinical skills and experience. This article describes a volunteer project where young people aged 16 years and above support older people on acute hospital wards in an NHS trust in England. The project was designed and managed by a nurse using the NURTURe model, a framework for planning, developing and organising volunteer services to support older patients on acute hospital wards.

Blog your way to success.

1. Just write. My technique is simply to open a Word document and start writing: do not stop, do not pass go, do not collect £100. Just write. Turn off autocorrect if you have to. This will get your creative juices flowing without fear of making spelling mistakes or worrying about grammar and punctuation. This is a useful technique because it gives you a hard copy of the thoughts whirling around your head.

Student life - Powerful at every level.

Working with a group of nursing students one day, I discussed with them communication skills when caring for people with cognitive impairment, dementia and delirium.

Proud to stand shoulder to shoulder on the picket line with these heroes.

Last week saw the death of David Bowie coincide with the doctors' strike and protests against proposed cuts to nursing student bursaries.

Implementing change in older people's acute care.

Visiting times on wards providing care for older people (HCOP) wards were explorec as part of a master's in advanced nursing. Restricted visiting was not found to be evidence-based so strategies were used to explore alternative options. This small-scale project, which set out to benefit the care of older people on acute wards, used a systematic, inclusive approach to involve staff at all levels and demonstrates how evidence and theory can be translated into practice.

End of life care can be complex, but it is essential we get it right.

According to a recent survey on end of life care, around one in seven bereaved people felt their loved one did not have their nutrition or hydration needs met in the last two days of life (news July 15).

Alzheimer's society.

With a vast amount of content ranging from legal and financial information to details of activities in your local area, the Alzheimer's Society website is a valuable resource for patients and carers.

Benefits of higher learning.

Having been a nurse for 30 years, while studying for a degree through the Open University, I am now studying for an MSc and have my sights set firmly on a doctorate.