Admiral Nurses - Respect & Respite

Name of good practice	Admiral Nurses
Name of organisation	Dementia UK
Website	Dementiauk.org
Email Address
City, Country	UK
Sector	Charity

SHORT DESCRIPTION

Dementia UK provides specialist dementia support for families through their Admiral Nurse service. A website gives clear information about dementai, the Admiral nirses, how they can help and also how an Admioral nirse can be found to work with the person living with dementia and their family and friends.

Admiral Nurses work alongside people with dementia, and their families: giving them one-to-one support, expert guidance and practical solutions. The unique dementia expertise and experience an Admiral Nurse brings is a lifeline – it helps families to live more positively with dementia in the present, and to face the challenges of tomorrow with more confidence and less fear.

Most Admiral Nurses work in a variety of settings, from working in the community, to care homes, hospitals and hospices. The physical, psychological, practical and emotional impact of caring for a family member with dementia is well documented, but there still isn’t enough support for carers across the UK. Admiral Nurses can be a lifeline for a family affected by dementia.

WHY HAS IT BEEN SELECTED AS A BEST PRACTICE?

Living with dementia can sometimes be a hard and lonely experience. Admiral Nurses work together with families to provide the one-to-one support, expert guidance and practical solutions they need to live more positively with dementia each and every day. Most Admiral Nurses work in the community for the NHS, and others work in care homes, hospitals and hospices.

Admiral Nurses are continually trained, developed and supported by Dementia UK. Dementia UK puts together a programme of training and development so that the nurses can be at the forefront of the latest education and research in dementia care. They can then be sure that families that have their support have someone truly expert and caring by their side.

While other organisations have dementia advisers who offer valuable guidance to people with the condition and their families, Admiral Nurses go beyond advice, offering comprehensive, specialist support and expertise for families living with the complexities of dementia.

Admiral Nurses are all qualified nurses with a professional specialism in dementia. Their extensive clinical knowledge and experience means they can support families and people with dementia through the most complex of situations, such as offering advice on medication, on changing or worsening symptoms and on therapeutic interventions
Admiral Nurses can help co-ordinate a person’s care, due to their understanding of the health and social care systems. They can advocate for families who might not know the best questions to ask, or who to ask them of, and can help families prepare for complicated processes such as continuing healthcare assessments or finding suitable long term care
Admiral Nurses focus on the family as a whole, including making sure carers have the support and skills they need. They equip carers with stress management techniques and coping strategies, and can help them to make contact with local respite services. They also provide specialist carer education and training.

Increasing the number of Admiral Nurses across the UK is their biggest priority, as it can be helpful to all people living with dementia and their carers.

They also run a helpline, 7 days a week. Who is the Dementia Helpline for?

The people who most often contact us are families caring for someone with dementia, whether that be Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, or another type of dementia. But the Helpline is also available to people with a diagnosis of dementia, those worried about their memory or the memory of a loved one, and professionals working in dementia care; anyone who needs one-to-one support and practical solutions.

RESOURCES

All
Spain
United Kingdom

Dementia Friendly Communities

Cognitive Stimulation Therapy

Alzheimer, a shared disease

SENDIAN