Dementia UK is launching free face-to-face ‘Closer to Home’ clinics to provide life-changing support to families living with dementia in Gloucester.
The clinics will be held in the Gloucester branch of Leeds Building Society, bringing emotional and practical support closer to families with dementia through the charity’s specialist dementia nurses, known as Admiral Nurses. Dementia UK’s Closer to Home clinics will run on 31st January and 1st, 6th, 7th and 8th February 2024.
The face-to-face clinic will offer a safe, comfortable, and private space for families to discuss any aspect of dementia and receive the specialist support of Admiral Nurses. Between June 2021 and December 2023, over 4,000 families have been helped through Dementia UK’s ‘Closer to Home’ clinics, and the charity has partnered with Leeds Building Society to offer in-person support across the United Kingdom since 2022.
Nationwide research conducted by Dementia UK into the impact of dementia revealed that 42% of people in the South-West have been affected by dementia. Nearly half (45%) of people in the South-West are worried about how a diagnosis would affect their relationships with family and friends. Only 14% of people in the South-West have heard of Dementia UK’s specialist Admiral Nurses.
In April 2020, Dementia UK and Leeds Building Society announced a four-year partnership to raise £700,000 to help over 2,500 families with dementia across the UK. As part of this partnership, the innovative ‘Closer to Home’ project was also launched in June 2021, to improve access to dementia care and support.
The partnership’s initial target of £500,000 has now been exceeded. Thanks to this, Dementia UK has been able to develop and deliver virtual appointments with specialist dementia nurses for an even larger number of families and individuals.
Sarah Merrill, Admiral Nurse at Dementia UK, said: “We’re proud to bring our Closer to Home project to Gloucester to offer specialist face-to-face clinics in the area. We know the difficulties that families in Gloucester and the surrounding area often experience. We know that dementia doesn’t just affect the person with the diagnosis: families, friends, and carers are also impacted.
“Since launching in 2022, our Closer to Home clinics have made a difference to families across the UK, helping us to deliver specialist dementia support in person. It’s been brilliant to see the difference this makes and we are looking forward to supporting people in Gloucester in partnership with Leeds Building Society.
“Dementia is a huge and growing health crisis – someone in the UK develops dementia every three minutes. This means it’s more important than ever for us to reach families and offer one on one support from our dementia specialist Admiral Nurses. From worries about memory problems to understanding a dementia diagnosis and how the condition progresses, we will be providing practical and emotional advice on caring for someone who lives with this progressive condition, along with giving advice on financial and legal issues.”
Dementia UK’s Closer to Home clinics will take place in Gloucester on 31st January and 1st, 6th, 7th and 8th February 2024.
To book a confidential and in-person appointment with an Admiral Nurse, visit dementiauk.org/closer-to-home