Physical touch is integral to nursing practice yet there are gaps and inconsistencies in the literature informing care, particularly in relation to older people with dementia. Madeline Gleeson and Fiona Timmins examine the issues

In nursing, ‘touch may be the most important of all non-verbal behaviours’ (Nesbitt Blondis and Jackson 1982) but Tutton (1998) questions whether nurses actually reflect on their own use of touch and the potential that touch has to contribute to high quality care. Tutton (1998) suggests that touch in nursing is more often associated with procedures, and that this ‘powerful expression’ may be under-utilised.