The experiences and needs of residents and patients in nursing and care homes are very different at night, and this is particularly true for those with dementia. Yet nursing and care homes are not always inspected with the same rigour at night as they are during the day, and night staff do not always receive the same levels of training, resources and supervision as day staff.This book provides night staff, their managers and anyone else with an interest in care homes during the night with the information, knowledge and practical skills they need to deliver positive and appropriate care at night. The authors look at all of the issues that are particularly pertinent in caring for older people at night, including nutrition and hydration, continence, challenging behaviour, medication, night time checking, pain management and end of life care. They also look at the impact that working at night has on care staff, and offer practical suggestions to help them to safeguard their own health. The final chapter provides a set of night time care guidelines for inspectors that can also be used by managers to evaluate night time practices in their homes.This book is essential reading for night staff and their managers and employers, as well as inspectors of services, policy makers, and anyone else with an interest in the provision of care for older people.

Diana Kerr is Research Fellow at the Centre for Research on Families and Relationships, University of Edinburgh. Diana has worked for many years as practitioner, educator, trainer and researcher in the field of older age, dementia and learning disability and dementia. She has and continues to design and run courses on dementia and learning disability and dementia for voluntary, statutory and private providers, as well as carers. Heather Wilkinson is a co-director of the Centre for Research on Families and Relationships, University of Edinburgh, where she also directs a programme of work focusing on ageing and dementia. Heather is also the Director of Research and Knowledge Exchange for the School of Health in Social Science at the University of Edinburgh. She is involved in a number of different research projects and teaching with a dementia focus.

Acknowledgements. Introduction. 1. The Night-Time. 2. Night Staff: Their Work and Experiences. 3. Night Staff and their Health. 4. What is Dementia? What Night Staff Need to Know and Do. 5. Sleep, Ageing and Group Care. 6. Night-Time Checking. 7. Eating and Drinking Through the Night. 8. The Care Home Environment at Night. 9. Night-Time Activities. 10. Responding to the Pain Experiences of People at Night. 11. Medication and Night-Time Care. 12. End-of-Life and Palliative Care at Night. 13. Relatives and Night-Time Care. 14. Night-Time Care Prompts for Inspectors. Conclusion. References. Appendix. Index.