Zena Aldridge

Zena is the NIHR Nursing and Midwifery Associate Director for Social Care and holds an NIHR Senior Clinical Practitioner Research Award. Her career in health and social care has spanned four decades, beginning in domiciliary care and continuing as a health care assistant before she undertook mental health nurse training in 2000. Zena completed a Master’s degree in Mental Health in 2013 and a PhD in Nursing Studies in 2022. Her PhD thesis was titled: “Relationships, morality and emotion: their impact and influence on nursing home staff decision-making when a resident with advanced dementia deteriorates.” Zena’s specialist interests include the care of older people, dementia care, palliative and end-of-life care, social care and quality improvement. Zena has published multiple journal articles and book chapters. Alongside her NIHR role, she is the Consultant Editor of RCN Nursing Older People and an Independent Dementia Nurse Consultant.