Implementation of the abilities‐focused approach to morning care of people with dementia by nursing staff

Background.  The efficacy of the abilities-focused approach to morning care has been demonstrated in two studies. However, the extent to which nurses are aware of and actually implement abilities-focused interventions in day-to-day practice is not known. Aim.  The study aimed to determine the type and number of abilities-focused interventions delivered by nursing staff to residents with dementia during morning care. Methods.  A one-group repeated measure design was used. Seventy-nine nursing staff attended an educational session to instruct them in the application of abilities-focused interventions. Data on the type and number of interventions used by nurses were obtained before, after and 3-months following attendance at the session. Data were collected through participants' self-report and observation. Results.  Most nursing staff used abilities-focused interventions when providing morning care. Introduction to resident, orientation to resident and conversation with resident were three types of interventions most often applied over time. The number of interventions implemented increased after attendance at the education session and returned to baseline level at 3-month follow-up. Conclusions.  Future research is recommended to examine the long-term effects of alternative designs of educational sessions.