VISIBILITY OF DEMENTIA CARE NURSING
By raising awareness of the opportunities to expand nurses’ roles in dementia care, we can attract more nurses to this field and close the gap in accessible dementia care. The DPENTM program aims to promote and raise the profile of dementia care nursing in two key ways.
Queen Silvia Nursing Award
The Queen Silvia Nursing Award (QSNA) is internationally recognized as one of the highest honors bestowed on emerging nurses in the field of dementia care. The award, originating in Sweden, acknowledges awardees’ commitment to fostering compassionate and innovative nursing care for older adults, particularly those with dementia. The QSNA is far more than a monetary scholarship of $6,500. The winning scholar will collaborate with the DPENTM team and act as a spokesperson for the nursing profession, learning opportunities for nurses, and the critical need for high-quality dementia and older adult care in the US To be awarded the QSNA is to be given unparalleled recognition as a nursing student or nurse whose career will combine creativity, problem-solving, and innovation to benefit dementia and aging patients everywhere. Initially available to only Swedish candidates, the QSNA has expanded to other European countries, including Finland, Poland, Germany, and Lithuania. In 2020, the UW School of Nursing was honored to be the US’s first—and only—QSNA partner. The winner has an opportunity to travel to Sweden to participate in a grand ceremony.
Dementia Palliative Education Network Summit
The UW School of Nursing plans to convene the world’s leading dementia experts for a National Summit on Nursing Care for Dementia. The summit’s goal will be to disseminate best practices in preparing the healthcare workforce to be dementia-capable and featuring the important role of RN’s in providing competent and confident dementia care. Our UW-DPENTM Summit will feature top leaders in dementia training/education, clinical innovation, policy, and translation to practice. We will present evaluation data and pilot results of the UW Dementia Care Scholars program, LTC externship, and interprofessional education program and gather the stakeholders (e.g., clinical and community partners, people living with dementia and their care partners, funders, policymakers) who will be engaged in an interactive think-tank discussion that will generate a roadmap for national dissemination of best practices. The UW-DPENTM summit will feature and honor Dementia Care Scholars, LTC externship participants, and QSNA winners and offer a glimpse into their experiences and the important roles of RN’s in optimizing dementia care.