Dementia UK, the specialist dementia nursing charity, has launched a new Admiral Nurse Clinic to specifically support families affected by dementia from Black, African and Caribbean communities.
One in two of us will be affected by dementia in our lifetime – either by caring for someone with the condition, developing it ourselves, or both. It’s a huge and growing health crisis yet many people living with the condition continue to face barriers to specialist care and support.
Dementia rates are 20% higher among Black adults compared to the UK average1, yet families from Black, African and Caribbean communities often face challenges when accessing dementia care due to a variety of reasons including language barriers, stigma around the condition and a lack of culturally sensitive support and advice.
Dementia UK is the only charity dedicated to helping families face dementia through their specialist dementia nurses called Admiral Nurses, who provide life-changing support and guidance for families affected by all forms of dementia.
Black, African and Caribbean families who are impacted by dementia can now book a free video call or telephone appointment with a specialised Admiral Nurse for expert, confidential and culturally sensitive dementia support and advice. The clinics run every Tuesday and Thursday and appointments can be booked via Dementia UK’s website [dementiauk.org/bacc]here.
Dr Hilda Hayo, CEO, at Dementia UK said: “We are thrilled to launch a brand-new Admiral Nurse Clinic to support families from Black, African and Caribbean communities.
“Families from underrepresented communities often experience delays when seeking a diagnosis of dementia and face barriers when accessing information and guidance on living with the condition.
“At Dementia UK, we are committed to ensuring all families with dementia have equitable access to the care they need through specialised Admiral Nurses.”
Admiral Nurses Mutsai Hove Bird and Safia Seini are leading the service. Mutsai has been an Admiral Nurse for 10 years, most recently working on Dementia UK’s national Helpline and Clinics service, where she supported families across the UK. Safia has worked in the field of dementia since 2019 and in her previous role, was a Diverse Communities Admiral Nurse, where she provided specialist advice and support to families from underrepresented communities.
Mutsai Hove Bird, Admiral Nurse, said: “Working alongside my colleague Safia, I am humbled by the opportunity to provide specialist dementia advice, support and guidance to people from Black, African and Caribbean communities who are living with dementia, their family members and carers.
“There are many unique challenges that people affected by dementia from Black, African and Caribbean communities might face, including the various perceptions of what the condition is.
“I look forward to offering families in these communities a trusted space to access person-centred, culturally sensitive dementia advice and support.”
To find about more about the Black, African and Caribbean Admiral Nurse Clinic and to book an appointment visit: dementiauk.org/bacc
