£1.5m Dementia Nurse Appeal

The Duchess of Hamilton is spearheading our £1.5million appeal to place an Alzheimer Scotland Dementia Nurse in every health board in Scotland.

Lady Hamilton has called for improved dementia training for nurses and doctors, following her husband’s deeply upsetting experience of acute hospital treatment. The 15th Duke of Hamilton was diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2006, at the age of 66. He passed away in June 2010.

I have memories etched, of my Angus, sitting in the hospital bed, looking distraught at what had happened to him. No person should have to remember this and no ill person should have to endure such misery. If a nurse who was experienced in care of dementia could have talked with us, understood his needs, then his stay and our experience would have been so very much easier. That is why this appeal is so important.

- Duchess of Hamilton

Working with the NHS

Alzheimer Scotland Dementia Nurses work with NHS colleagues to increase staff understanding of dementia and improve standards of care. They aim to reduce the inappropriate prescribing of powerful antipsychotic drugs to modify behaviour.

They also seek to reduce the number of people with dementia who are compelled to go from hospital into residential care, instead of being able to go back to their pre-hospital homes (either on their own with social work/community support or being cared for by family/friends).

In an average 900 bed hospital, approximately 150 patients will have some form of dementia. The vast majority of NHS staff want to provide a better hospital experience for people with dementia, but are not equipped to do so; they need more information, increased support and better training to cope with the changing demographics of today’s hospital wards.

This appeal will help us to fund more specialist Dementia Nurses, who will work to promote best practice and influence the way that people with dementia experience the NHS for the better.

- Henry Simmons, Chief Executive, Alzheimer Scotland

Each post costs Alzheimer Scotland £50,000 per year to fund and this money comes entirely from fundraised income. There are currently four Dementia Nurses in post who are still funded by Alzheimer Scotland and one Dementia Nurse Post that is now funded by the local NHS health board.

This appeal aims to place Alzheimer Scotland Dementia Nurses in the remaining nine NHS health boards. Help us to make sure no one goes through dementia on their own.