The relationship between the attitudes and behaviours of nurses and the resulting care that they provide to older people is explored. It aims to raise nurses’ awareness and encourages them to reflect on their personal values and behaviours. The person-centred framework developed by McCormack and McCance (2010) is presented as one approach to improve care. The biographical approach (Clarke et al 2003) is also described as a means to enable nurses to see patients as people first and place them at the heart of health care.