The role of the district nurse in caring for patients with dementia.

District nurses require a vast array of skills to enable effective care delivery for patients living with a diagnosis of dementia in the community setting. Complex care needs provide challenges for the provision and delivery of district nursing services, which must be overcome to provide patientcentred care. Demographic and financial constraints hamper service delivery and the availability of services; however, district nurses are required to use their problem solving skills and tacit knowledge to deal with these challenges. The Northern Ireland Single Assessment Tool (NISAT) uses a person-centred framework to provide a holistic approach to care. The case study reflects a holistic and person centred approach to care for a person with dementia by a district nursing student.