GRaCE-AGE workshop for Admiral Nurses with Dementia UK

Specialist dementia nurses with Dementia UK were introduced to the GRaCE-AGE project and how it can help older adults living at home.

Admiral Nurses, working in the community and in care homes, hospitals and hospices on behalf of Dementia UK, are specialists in providing support to people with dementia and their families. They provide one-to-one support, expert guidance and practical solutions, based on their unique expertise in dealing with the condition.

GRaCE-AGE was presented to the Admiral Nurses in Birmingham on August 21st, giving them an introduction to the service and how it can be used to help in their role: providing older adults and their carers with a better understanding of their mental health, and the changes they can make to improve it. In particular, GRaCE-AGE can connect older adults with their care network, including Admiral Nurses, to help maintain support at a distance as well as face-to-face.

Integrating increasingly sophisticated Internet of Things devices, such as Beddit sleep sensors and remote health monitoring technologies such as those by BeWell Innovations, allows constant, long-term collection of data on a range of health and lifestyle parameters, entirely autonomously. GRaCE-AGE helps older people living at home to make this data available to their care network, so family and services like the Admiral Nurses have a fuller, more accurate and objective understanding of those they care for - while reducing the work required to build that understanding.

Innovations like the radar-based fall sensors being developed by the GRaCE-AGE team also allow for fully autonomous monitoring of hazardous situations: GRaCE-AGE is able to detect if a person falls, and immediately alert their care network. This allows carers to respond more quickly to time-sensitive situations, improving health outcomes and potentially saving lives.

The work of the Admiral Nurses is invaluable, providing a lifeline to older adults with dementia and their families. We hope GRaCE-AGE can support their vital work.

Visit the Dementia UK website for more information on the work of Admiral Nurses, and how to reach out to them.