The Isle of Wight’s Admiral Nursing Team have helped a total of 281 people with dementia, 290 carers and multiple family members in their first year of providing vital support to local residents.
With a high number of older people living on the Isle of Wight it is not surprising that diagnosis of dementia is high. There are an estimated 2,494 people aged 65+ living with dementia on the Island with those diagnosed (1.4%) being the highest in England. Of these, 92% also have 1 or more chronic long-term condition and 46% have 10 or more.
Over the next 10 years the number of 65-79 year-olds will increase by 17%, while the over 85s will increase by 40%.
With this increasing trend of dementia on the Island, the Isle of Wight NHS Trust’s Admiral Nursing Team were selected as 1 of just 7 teams to take part in Dementia UK’s ‘Getting Evidence into Admiral Nursing Services’ (GEANS) programme in 2017. The programme was developed by Dementia UK to prove the effectiveness of the service and provide recommendations to improve support that families and carers of people with dementia (PWD) receive.
The team offer vital care and support to people living with dementia and their carers, including psychological support, expert advice and information to help families understand and cope with their thoughts, feelings and behaviour and to adapt to the changing situation of living with dementia. The range of techniques used better equips those affected, to cope on their own and maintain family relationships.
Admiral Nurse, Lindsay White said:
“In this report we celebrate the highlights of the year and are delighted that we have been able to greatly improve the quality of life for the families that are affected by dementia. Since our service began we have received many positive comments from the families that care for a relative with dementia. It is recognised that without our support many would have become more stressed and depressed, and it has meant that their loved ones have been able to stay at home longer.
“We look forward to using the evidence we have collected to develop our service in the coming year and address any gaps in the dementia pathway. We will continue to work closely with other professionals to maintain a quality service.”
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Kevin Bond, interim Director of Mental Health at Isle of Wight NHS Trust said:
“Admiral Nurses are a fantastic example of how we can work in partnership with others, in this case Dementia UK. They have expertise which staff across the organisation can also access and is a service fully recognising the importance of carers.
“A new draft ‘blueprint’ for improving mental health on the island has been published by the trust, CCG and Isle of Wight council and Islanders, particularly people who use the services and carers, are being asked for their views on the things that should be in the local mental health services and their overall shape. As we work to make all our services better we need to know from Island residents whether they share the vision for the future.”
Anne Marie Love, Service Evaluation Team Manager, at Dementia UK, said:
“Admiral Nurses work alongside people with dementia, their families and carers: giving the one-to-one support, expert guidance and practical solutions people need. The Getting Evidence into Admiral Nursing programme is an exciting initiative developed by Dementia UK to show the tangible benefits these services make to the lives of people caring for those with dementia. Thank you to the excellent Isle of Wight Admiral Nurse Service for being part of this inaugural project.”
