Chester families living with dementia benefit from new specialist dementia nurse service

A new specialist dementia nurse and memory assessment support service launched in Chester and surrounding rural areas is in demand, with almost 50 families living with dementia receiving vital support.

The service, which aims to improve diagnosis rates and provide post-diagnostic support to families, is being provided by Dementia Resource Community in partnership with Dementia UK, the specialist dementia nurse charity.

Families in the community have been benefiting from the new Admiral Nurse service which offers expert guidance and practical solutions for those caring for a person with dementia.

Dementia is a huge and growing health crisis, with 944,000 people living with the condition in the UK – and this number is set to increase to 1.1m by 2030.

There is no cure for dementia, but there is care. Admiral Nurses are continually supported and developed by Dementia UK to provide life-changing support for families affected by all forms of dementia.

Admiral Nurses work in hospitals, GP practices and local community services to provide clinical, emotional and practical support that enables people to live more positively with dementia.

The service follows a successful pilot in Ellesmere Port and Neston which helped more than 700 families. The additional new service has been commissioned by Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Trust and supports their Community Mental Health Teams.

Bob Cochrane, Regional Account Manager at Dementia UK, said: “The last few years have placed increasing pressure on local services that support families with dementia. This has left many families unable to cope with no one to turn to for support.

“This is why we are so pleased to be rolling out further Admiral Nurse services in Cheshire to plug this gap and support local families who are urgently in need of this specialist support.” 

Admiral Nurse Kim Griffiths will be leading the service, which covers the Chester area as well as towns and villages on the outskirts of the city, including Farndon, Frodsham, Handbridge and Tattenhall.

Kim said: “Being an Admiral Nurse is a very emotionally rewarding job and I feel privileged to be able to help families affected by dementia across Chester who need our support. Many families are very tired and find it hard to take a break and they are so glad to get the support and advice we offer.”

Further Admiral Nurses and Memory Assessment Nurses are being appointed in Cheshire. Admiral Nurse Laura Whitehead recently joined the team to cover the Cheshire East area and she will be joined later this month by a colleague covering Winsford. Applications are also open for an Admiral Nurse to join the Crewe team.

Clinical Lead and Admiral Nurse Cathrina Moore founded Dementia Resource Community, a non-profit subsidiary of Chapel House Care in Puddington, Cheshire, to improve life for families living with the impact of a dementia diagnosis.

Cathrina said: “We are delighted to be working with Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Trust, local Community Mental Health Teams and Dementia UK to provide this vital service to people across Cheshire.

“There is a real need for this service, particularly because there is often a lot of misunderstanding in relation to the symptoms of neurological disease and the challenges of diagnosis caused by the Pandemic.

“To find out more about the new service, families need to see their GP and ask for a referral via the local Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) in their area.”

https://www.dementiaresourcecommunity.co.uk/

About Dementia UK  

Dementia UK is the dementia specialist nurse charity. The charity’s Admiral Nurses provide life-changing support for families affected by all forms of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. They work in hospitals, GP practices and local community and national services, including its Helpline and virtual clinics, to provide clinical, emotional and practical support which enables people to live more positively with dementia. 

If you need advice or support on living with dementia contact Dementia UK’s Admiral Nurse Dementia Helpline on 0800 888 6678 or email:

helpline@dementiauk.org.

The Helpline is staffed by experienced Admiral Nurses who give vital support by telephone or email. Alternatively, you can book a free video or phone appointment at a time that suits you to get expert dementia support from an Admiral Nurse. Find out more at dementiauk.org/closer-to-home.

For more information visit dementiauk.org, follow Dementia UK on Twitter: @DementiaUK, and on Facebook: facebook.com/DementiaUK/