Veterans fund new dementia nurse for Erskine
Grant will boost charity skills
Armed forces veterans have paid for a new dementia nurse at a major charity.
The money for the post at Erskine came from the Scottish Veterans’ Fund.
This month it was awarded £30,000 from the cash pot over two years to employ the nurse who will work across its four care homes.
And the part-time post has been filled by Janice McAlister, who hails from NHS Ayrshire and Arran where she was the Alzheimer Scotland dementia nurse consultant.
Janice said: “I am thrilled to take up this new post at Erskine.
“In my first two weeks I have seen excellent care being provided.
“I look forward to us building from this strong foundation as we aim to continue strengthening our skills to enable us to become a centre of excellence in dementia care.”
Erskine director of care Derek Barron said he was delighted to use grant support from the Scottish Veterans’ Fund for the new post. He added: “Having Janice working across our four homes means we will continue to build our skills, knowledge and excellence in caring for our residents who are living with dementia.
“It is an exciting and important development for us following a similar approach to the dementia nurse consultant model that has been in place across NHS Scotland for the past five years.
“The funding from the Scottish Veterans’ Fund is an important step in us establishing this post.
“Erskine has been caring for veterans for a century and continuing to improve and develop our care is, and always will be, our utmost priority.”
Erskine residents, who are all veterans or spouses of veterans, average 83 years old and have greater and more complex needs than ever before, bosses said.
Of Erskine’s 339 beds, 134 are dedicated to dementia care.
Around 50 per cent of residents receiving nursing care also have some form of dementia.
The dementia nurse consultant will train the charity’s care staff in a bid to increase their knowledge, understanding, skills and confidence to care for residents living with dementia.