CLOSER TO HOME CLINICS AIM TO PROVIDE BETTER DEMENTIA CARE

I’M WRITING to highlight the support we are offering families in your community who are living with dementia.

Over one million people are expected to be living with the condition by 2025, yet we have a dementia system that it seems to me is increasingly unfit for purpose.

A lack of community support means families often travel miles to access support services to give them a break from their caring roles. There has also been a rise in hospital admissions for people with dementia due to lack of community support.

Sadly, all of this was commonplace even before the pandemic.

Now we are in a situation where support networks have closed down significantly, people with dementia have faced more pronounced symptoms due to isolation, and resulting mental health pressures on family carers has affected their ability to cope as well as access support closer to home.

As the Project Lead and Admiral Nurse at Dementia UK for the Closer to Home project, in partnership with Leeds Building Society, I am pleased that we can improve the support families across the UK have.

Our Closer to Home clinics provide access to dementia specialist nurses, at a time that suits families.

One of the areas where we will be focussing on raising awareness of the service and its impact is the north west.

Spanning over two years, the project aims to increase awareness of dementia specialist nurses, with a view to create more permanent services to give families with dementia the confidence and security they need.

For any families in the area, who would like to get in contact with a dementia specialist nurse, please book a clinic appointment through https:// www.dementiauk.org/get-support/closer-tohome/book-aclinic-appointment/

Helen Green Admiral Nurse at Dementia UK