Recognising the achievements of Kirklees Admiral Nurses one year on

During Dementia Awareness Week, running from the 3rd – 9th July, South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and its partners are celebrating the achievements made by the Admiral Nurses service.

Three Admiral Nurses were appointed to work in Kirklees last year, as a result of an exciting partnership between South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (the Trust), the national charity Dementia UK, Kirklees Council, and NHS Kirklees.

Admiral Nurses are registered community mental health nurses specialising in dementia care. They have been working within the Kirklees older people’s service, providing specialist and skilled support to carers and families of people living with dementia. They also provide support and information to other staff who provide care for people living with dementia. This education and development work focuses on improving dementia services for all stakeholders.

The Admiral Nurses service in Kirklees remains the only one of its kind in Yorkshire. To extend the availability of Admiral Nurses across the UK a national helpline has been set up. The helpline, 0845 257 9406, is manned exclusively by experienced Admiral Nurses and is available to anyone wanting further information about dementia and the support and care available.

Michelle McGowan, Admiral Nurse clinical lead said, "Our aim is to enable carers and individuals living with dementia to experience improved quality of life and wellbeing wherever possible by providing them with the support and advice they need to minimise the stress and burden they feel and ensure the services they receive from different organisations are co-ordinated."

Cllr Molly Walton, Kirklees Council, Cabinet Member for Adult Services said "Dementia is something that we put to the back of our mind as something that happens to older people. Although Dementia is most common in older people it can affect adults of any age. It is not a natural part of the ageing process and it is not inevitable that all elderly people will suffer from it. Less than 50 % of people with dementia in Kirklees have a diagnosis and are therefore not likely to be accessing the support they need. If you are worried about your memory or that of a loved one, contact your GP and get it checked out."

For more information visit www.dementiauk.org.uk