National guidance for working with people whose behaviour challenges in dementia care suggests that a psychosocial approach should be the first-line intervention. However, there is little guidance for nurses about how to assess and manage behaviour that challenges in people with dementia. Nurses across specialties who work with older people might be asked to contribute to an assessment or provide advice to care home staff or families.

This article presents one psychosocial model – the Newcastle Model – that provides a framework and process in which to understand behaviour that challenges in terms of needs which are unmet, and suggests a structure in which to develop effective interventions that keep people with dementia central to their care.