Admiral Nurse dementia helpline wins Helpline of the Year award

Dementia UK’s Admiral Nurse Dementia Helpline has been awarded Helpline of the Year at the 2019 Helplines Partnership Annual Conference and Awards.

Susan Drayton, clinical lead of the Admiral Nurse Dementia Helpline, who also won the Random Acts of Kindness award said the award is “testament to the wealth of expertise and compassion that Admiral Nurses provide to the thousands of families living with dementia”.

She added: “The health and social care system is still so fragmented and in an environment where public health programmes are dwindling, the Helpline is vital for families who feel they have nowhere else to turn to.”

Dementia UK’s Helpline was recognised and celebrated for its work in providing information, support and advice to improve the lives of families with dementia.

The Helplines Partnership Awards are in their sixth year and celebrate the achievements of helplines around the UK.

The Admiral Nurse Dementia Helpline is the only nurse-led helpline in the UK for anyone with any questions about dementia. People can ring up about anything from signs and symptoms of dementia to look out for, support in getting a diagnosis as well as advice in responding to changes in behaviour with someone with dementia. Demand for the helpline is high with the number of calls to the service increasing by 25 per cent to 45,584 over the past year.

From a recent carers’ experience survey, over 90 per cent of people said the helpline has enabled them to take better care of the person they look after, in addition to making important decisions about them. Ninety-six per cent of people said they were likely or extremely likely to recommend the helpline to others.

If you need advice or support on living with dementia contact Dementia UK’s Admiral Nurse Dementia Helpline on 0800 888 6678 or email helpline@dementiauk.org. The Helpline is staffed by experienced Admiral Nurses, who give vital support by telephone or email.

Dementia UK’s website can be found at https://www.dementiauk.org/