Nationwide opens dementia care clinics in more than 200 locations to help its customers with health and financial advice
Nationwide will offer dementia care clinics in more than 200 locations to help its customers.
The building society plans to help more than 100,000 people through a new partnership with the charity Dementia UK.
Specialists, the so-called ‘Admiral nurses’, provide advice on health and finances both in person at the branches and by telephone.
Dementia is a collective term for various conditions that cause a decline in brain function.
One in 11 people over 65 in the UK has the syndrome and it is expected to cost the UK economy £90 billion a year by 2040.
Nationwide to offer dementia nursing clinics in more than 200 locations to help its customers (stock image)
One in 11 people over 65 in the UK has the condition and it is expected to cost the UK economy £90 billion a year by 2040 (stock image)
Debbie Crosbie, the bank’s chief executive, said: ‘Nationwide is committed to helping people live their best lives for as long as possible. By working with Dementia UK to fund more Admiral Nurses and transform our sites into dementia clinics, we are helping to tackle the nation’s leading cause of death.’
According to Dr Hilda Hayo, chief nurse at Admiral and chief executive of Dementia UK, the number of people with the condition in the UK is expected to exceed one million in the next year.
She added that community involvement is ‘crucial’ as the charity aims to ensure no one has to deal with dementia alone.
Nationwide, which has more than 17 million customers, will also offer free appointments to family members and caregivers of people with dementia.
And the clinics are also open to people who are not Nationwide customers.
The news comes amid growing concerns over the closure of bank branches on high streets across the country.
Specialists – known as ‘Admiral nurses’ – will provide health and financial advice both in person at the locations and over the phone (stock image)
According to Which?, around 6,000 bank and mortgage banking branches have closed since 2015.
This is a problem for many seniors who have difficulty with online banking.
The financial regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), has introduced new rules to ensure communities have access to cash.
Under this protection, banks and building societies must determine whether local communities are denied access to money services, such as branches and ATMs.
If they find ‘significant gaps’, they must provide additional services.