Open To Work
EMMA VAN DEN BOSSCHE
WHEELER HEIGHTS,NSW
Summary
Senior Dementia Specialist and Registered Nurse with 14+ years’ experience across aged care, community, and acute health systems. Recognised for translating evidence-based dementia practice into defensible, scalable care models that reduce behavioural distress, support hospital avoidance, and strengthen workforce capability in high-risk environments.
Expert in complex dementia (severe BPSD), trauma-informed and non-restrictive care, clinical governance, and multidisciplinary leadership. Brings a strong neuro-intensive care foundation to advanced behavioural consultancy, enabling confident escalation, risk management, and system-level improvement across diverse care settings.
Recognised as a senior clinical authority and emerging service leader, regularly consulted on high-risk cases and system-level decisions.
Overview
14
14
years of professional experience
3
3
Certifications
Work History
Dementia Consultant
Dementia Support Australia (HammondCare)
, Australia
06.2020 - Current
- Senior clinical specialist across DBMAS, Severe Behaviour Response Team (SBRT), and Childhood Dementia streams, managing over 500 complex, high-risk behavioural cases across aged care, community, and hospital settings throughout NSW, ACT, and nationally for childhood dementia
- Led advanced behavioural assessments and risk formulation for individuals with severe BPSD, delivering sustainable, trauma-informed, person-centred care strategies that reduce escalation, behavioural distress, and reliance on restrictive practices
- Directed stabilisation of high-risk situations through application of non-restrictive, evidence-based approaches, contributing to reduced escalation and improved consistency of behavioural care across teams and services (system-level impact)
- Strengthened hospital avoidance by identifying deterioration early and escalating clinical interventions for high-risk populations
- Partnered with aged care providers, families, GPs, and multidisciplinary teams, including psychogeriatricians, old age psychiatrists, geriatric services, and OPMH, to guide complex clinical decision-making, integrating behavioural and pharmacological approaches
- Strengthened stakeholder engagement and influence across care managers, facility managers, and senior leaders, aligning care approaches, managing risk, and improving service-level outcomes
- Enhanced workforce capability through coaching and guiding staff in reflective practice, modelling, clinical education, and structured case debriefing, fostering confidence and consistency in managing behavioural complexity
- Mentored five new Dementia Consultants, accelerating transition to independent practice and enabling early delivery of high-quality work aligned with and exceeding KPIs
- Led delivery of dementia education and behavioural support programs across aged care services, achieving strong outcomes including 74% 'Excellent' facilitator ratings, NPS of 82.6, and 100% recommendation rates
- Influenced quality improvement and practice change by advising aged care leaders on environmental strategies, workforce capability, change management, clinical governance, risk management, and staff wellbeing
- Collaborated with outreach hospital teams to support continuity of care across hospital, community, and residential settings
- Active member of specialist working groups including trauma-informed care, childhood dementia, and younger onset dementia, contributing to development and translation of best practice
- Recognised with the Mission in Action Award (2022) for outstanding contribution to person-centred dementia care and sustained impact on mentoring and workforce capability
- Consistently delivered high performance against KPIs within complex, high-demand service environments
Team Leader (Secondment)
Dementia Support Australia (HammondCare)
04.2025 - 10.2025
- Provided clinical and operational leadership, overseeing consultant practice, governance, and service delivery in a high-demand environment
- Directed clinical governance processes, including incident management, risk escalation, and complaints resolution
- Led, coached, and supervised Dementia Consultants, strengthening clinical reasoning and risk-based decision-making
- Oversaw case allocation and workload management to ensure optimal KPI performance
- Implemented quality assurance and documentation review processes to enhance audit readiness and maintain consistency
- Managed complex stakeholder relationships to facilitate collaboration among providers, families, and senior leadership
- Contributed to service strategy, reporting, and operational improvement initiatives
Recreation Consultant - Dementia & Engagement
RSL LifeCare
, Australia
05.2020 - 06.2020
- Designed dementia-responsive, sensory-based engagement programs, reducing agitation and improving well-being
Recruitment Consultant - Aged Care
Healthcare Professionals Group
, Australia
01.2020 - 04.2020
- Supported workforce continuity through clinically informed recruitment and stakeholder engagement
Clinical Educator - Paramedics
Public Paramedical Training Centre
Ghent, Belgium
04.2018 - 09.2019
- Delivered structured education in anatomy, pathology, aggression management, trauma-informed care, and basic life support to enhance paramedic competencies
- Designed and facilitated scenario-based training and reflective debriefing to improve clinical reasoning skills in high-pressure situations
- Developed capability in de-escalation, communication, and behavioural management in high-risk situations
Registered Nurse - Dementia Care
Public Aged Care Home (OCMW)
Ghent, Belgium
03.2018 - 09.2019
- Delivered comprehensive, person-centred nursing care for older adults with dementia and complex comorbidities
- Conducted clinical assessments to inform and enhance multidisciplinary care planning
- Supported safe management of behavioural and clinical risk through effective escalation strategies
- Guided care staff and families to improve consistency and quality of care delivery
- Applied trauma-informed and non-restrictive care approaches to reduce distress
- Maintained high-quality, audit-ready clinical documentation
Implementation & Project Manager - Clinical Informatics
Lynxcare Clinical Informatics
Brussels, Belgium
01.2017 - 03.2018
- Joined start-up founding team, contributing to development and implementation of sustainable digital health solutions
- Led end-to-end implementation, enhancing research capabilities, data utilisation, and workflow optimisation
- Bridged clinicians and IT teams, aligning requirements to facilitate adoption of digital solutions
- Translated clinical data into actionable insights for decision-making and process improvement
Registered Nurse - Neurological Intensive Care Unit
University Hospital
Ghent, Belgium
10.2012 - 09.2016
- Delivered high-acuity neurological intensive care, including intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring and advanced hemodynamic and respiratory support
- Performed rapid clinical assessment and escalation in critical situations
- Managed delirium and acute deterioration in high-risk patients, ensuring timely interventions and stabilization
- Maintained accurate, audit-ready clinical documentation to support patient care continuity and compliance
- Supported and mentored junior nurses, fostering skill development and resilience in a high-pressure clinical environment
Education
Postgraduate Certificate - Project Management
EMS, ESHAL Management School
Brussels, Belgium01-2018
Bachelor of Intensive Care & Emergency Care -
University College Ghent
Ghent, Belgium01-2014
Bachelor of Nursing -
Artevelde University College
Ghent, Belgium01-2012
Skills
Clinical and behavioural practice
- Behavioural assessment and strategies
- Aged Care Models
- Trauma-informed care
- Person-centred care
- Non-restrictive care
- Holistic care
- Escalation management
- Neuro-intensive care
- Mental Health
Leadership capability
- Clinical leadership
- Supervision and coaching
- Mentoring and reflective practice
- Debriefing and clinical education
- Stakeholder engagement
- Presentation skills
Governance and quality systems
- Clinical governance
- Incident management
- Quality improvement
- Practice change initiatives
- Audit-ready documentation
- Service redesign strategies
- Clinical informatics expertise
- Data-informed decision-making
Professional Development
- Dementia Accreditation, HammondCare, 2022
- Proteus Leadership Program, ongoing leadership development
- International Dementia Conference, 2022 & 2024
- Additional Training in Dementia, Mental health, Quality & Safety, Public Speaking and Clinical Education, details on request
Certification
Registered Nurse – Belgium / European Union (since 2012)
Awards and Recognition
- Mission in Action Award – HammondCare (2022) Awarded for outstanding contribution to person-centred dementia care and sustained impact on mentoring and workforce capability
- Humanitarian Nursing Recognition – Democratic Republic of Congo (2016) Featured in Belgian television documentary Flying Doctors: Virunga; recognised as one of the “16 Strong Women of 2016” by newspaper HLN
- Best Bachelor Thesis Award Artevelde University College (2012) + National nomination Best Bachelor Thesis Nursing (NVKVV, Belgium)
Timeline
Team Leader (Secondment)
Dementia Support Australia (HammondCare)
04.2025 - 10.2025
Dementia Consultant
Dementia Support Australia (HammondCare)
06.2020 - Current
Recreation Consultant - Dementia & Engagement
RSL LifeCare
05.2020 - 06.2020
Recruitment Consultant - Aged Care
Healthcare Professionals Group
01.2020 - 04.2020
Clinical Educator - Paramedics
Public Paramedical Training Centre
04.2018 - 09.2019
Registered Nurse - Dementia Care
Public Aged Care Home (OCMW)
03.2018 - 09.2019
Implementation & Project Manager - Clinical Informatics
Lynxcare Clinical Informatics
01.2017 - 03.2018
Registered Nurse - Neurological Intensive Care Unit
University Hospital
10.2012 - 09.2016
Postgraduate Certificate - Project Management
EMS, ESHAL Management School
Bachelor of Intensive Care & Emergency Care -
University College Ghent
Bachelor of Nursing -
Artevelde University College