ADMIRABLE ADMIRAL

MC magazine’s Jo Henwood sees first hand the bond between dementia carers and their nurses.

A‘cheeky chap’ is how May Robb describes her late husband Dave. The couple met when May accidentally dialled a wrong number from work and Dave picked up. Married in 1990 they enjoyed holidaying together in their static caravan in Lincolnshire.

Dave was diagnosed with dementia when he was 72 and May became his carer.

“It was difficult,” she said. “Dave would get angry and he told me he wanted to die. He said he didn’t want to be a burden to me.”

Dave was under Halton’s Later Life and Memory Services (LLAMS) and it was through LLAMS that May was first introduced to Cheryl Ogier, an Admiral Nurse.

Admiral Nurses specialise in dementia care and balance the needs of the person living with dementia with the needs of the carer.

My job is to ease the burden of the carer and empower them to look after their loved one as best they can.