Championing compassion: Nurse Educator champions person-centred dementia mate wareware care
Auckland Hospital nurse educator, Christine Orbase, is a firm advocate for the right kind of dementia training.
In 2023 she completed a six-month dementia training micro-credentials course through the University of Otago, and now, she’s just about to complete her Doctorate of Philosophy in Nursing, focussing on Person-Centred Dementia Care, through St Paul University in the Philippines.
Originally from the Philippines, Christine’s advanced dementia training helps her to support 40 residents living with dementia mate wareware.
She stresses that person-centred care training should be a pre-requisite of any and all dementia care training.
Cross-cultural learnings important on the job
Her keen interest in learning as much as she can about advanced dementia care stems from a desire to better understand and appreciate cross-cultural values and beliefs, something that can be very challenging for nursing staff. Read about Christine’s personal experience here.
She’s also keen to apply her learnings ‘on the job’, and to share her knowledge and skills with her nursing colleagues and peers.
“I’ve only worked in the dementia care space for two years, but I love the work,” she says. “It’s a truly fascinating and rewarding nursing specialisation, but it can be very challenging, and having appropriate training and professional support is vital.”
She says like many countries, New Zealand desperately needs a skilled dementia care workforce to cope with the demands of a rapidly aging population.
While estimates suggest some 83,000 New Zealanders are living with dementia mate wareware now, research predicts that number will jump sharply to nearly 170,000 in coming years.
More than day-to-day logistics
In her experience, dementia care is about far more than providing the day-to-day logistics of good nursing care.
“I’ve learned that our dementia mate wareware patients can sense your feelings, and they react accordingly,” she says.
“So, my focus, and based on my dementia training, is on trying to know, understand and empathise with my patients as special individuals, who have feelings, likes and dislikes of their own.
“In my view, it’s about providing very individualised and customised care that reflects the unique person for whom you’re caring, and which gives that person the best possible quality of life.
“And that’s why that kind of specialised training is so important – it opens your eyes as a nurse to a world that’s very different to yours, but which you need to understand to do your job well.”
For nurses and care partners seeking practical, person-centred upskilling, the DLC provides programmes and resources that complement formal study, helping teams embed compassionate, dignified care in daily practice. Visit here for more information.