Specialist dementia nurses, known as Admiral Nurses, will support families living with dementia in Northern Ireland
Nationwide and Dementia UK are bringing free face-to-face specialist dementia care to Northern Ireland during World Alzheimer’s Month in September.
The clinics will be hosted by Dementia UK’s Admiral Nurses in Nationwide branches across Lisburn, Ballymena and Portadown, offering life-changing support to families and individuals living with dementia in the area.
Support includes practical and emotional advice on all aspects of dementia – from worries about memory problems and understanding a diagnosis and how the condition can progress to help with financial and legal issues.
Appointments can be booked via Dementia UK’s website here.
Nationwide branches offer a safe, comfortable and private space for families to discuss any aspect of dementia, which aims to help 100,000 people affected by dementia.
As part of the partnership, Nationwide will host 200 pop-up clinics in branches around the UK, and the building society and fund 30 dementia specialist Admiral Nurse posts through Dementia UK.
The clinics form part of Nationwide’s new social impact programme, Fairer Futures, which addresses three of the UK’s biggest social issues through charity partnerships – dementia (Dementia UK), youth homelessness (Centrepoint) and family poverty (Action for Children).
Latest research1 from Nationwide found that:
One of the main asks of banks and building societies by dementia carers was for a dementia-friendly environment in branches (48%).
Over four in ten (43%) wanted help to better understand care costs and options.
Nearly six in ten (59%) of those caring for someone with dementia were concerned about the impact the disease would have on their finances.
50% of dementia carers are worried by the cost of residential care, with older people (55+) being the most concerned about this. 49% are worried about other costs, such as costs at home.
Sarah Priestley, Admiral Nurse at Dementia UK, said:
“We’re looking forward to bringing specialist face-to-face support for people affected by dementia to Northern Ireland. By partnering with Nationwide, we are able to provide a safe space in towns across the county to ensure our Admiral Nurses are able to reach as many people affected by the condition as possible.
“Dementia is a huge and growing health crisis – someone in the UK develops dementia every three minutes and the condition is the leading cause of death in England and Wales. It’s more important than ever that we reach families and individuals affected by dementia and offer one-on-one support from our dementia specialist Admiral Nurses.”
Debbie Crosbie, Chief Executive Officer of Nationwide, said:
“Nationwide wants to help people live their best life possible, for as long as possible. By working with Dementia UK to fund more Admiral Nurses and turning our branches into dementia clinics, we’re helping to tackle the country’s leading cause of death. As a mutual, we work for the good of society as well as our members. We believe this and Nationwide Fairer Futures will change hundreds of thousands of lives for the better.”
To book a confidential and in-person appointment with an Admiral Nurse, tap here!
The pop-up clinics previously visit Lisburn last week. Coming up the clinics will visit:
Ballymena, Wellington Street
24th, 25th and 26th September
Portadown, High Street
1st, 2nd and 3rd October