ABSTRACT
This chapter will explore the idea of the nurse as a facilitator of authentic consciousness. The themes of informed flexibility; sympathetic presence; negotiation; mutuality and transparency, identified in chapter 8 that have been used to articulate the ‘Principles for Action’ derived from the data will be presented as ‘Imperfect Duties’, i.e. maxims that guide action, but account for context, individual preference and values. It will be proposed in this chapter that these imperfect duties can form the basis of an approach to person-centred practice that enables the facilitation of an older person’s authentic consciousness. Using the developmental themes derived from the focus group interview with expert nurses, recommendations for changes to nursing practice with older people will be made, so that such an approach could be adopted in practice.
