Zurich pledges £100k for Dementia UK

Swindon-based insurance company Zurich's charitable arm has announced a further £100k in support for Dementia UK.

Zurich Community Trust's (ZCT), most recent pledge is part of a three-year partnership with grants now totalling £425k. The funding aims to help pay for the charity’s Admiral Nurse Dementia Helpline – a support service for those living with dementia and their families.

 

Dementia UK's support funds now stand at £448k. With Zurich's added £100k, the firm's total donation to the charity is now said to be sitting at £23.5k.

 

Steve Grimmett, Head of Zurich Community Trust said: “We’re only too happy to support such a vital charity at such a critical time.  We know from our work with Dementia UK that people living with dementia and their families are under immense pressure which means services such as this become invaluable.”  

When things get challenging or difficult for people with dementia and their families, Admiral Nurses work alongside them, giving them one-to-one support, guidance and solutions. They say they are helping families to live more positively with dementia in the present, and to face the challenges of tomorrow with more confidence and less fear. 

Dementia UK said demand for the Helpline soared in the 12 months that followed the UK’s first lockdown with over 31% more people accessing the service. Over the same period, over 27,000 users accessed Dementia UK’s support.

The charity said a backlog of cases means many more need help. 

Dr Hilda Hayo, CEO and Chief Admiral Nurse at Dementia UK said: “We have been a charity partner of Zurich Community Trust for three years and throughout this time, our relationship has grown from strength to strength.  Dementia UK is the only charity dedicated to caring for families affected by dementia through Admiral Nurses and we are hugely grateful for ZCT’s support, not least because of the additional pressures faced over the past 16 months and the record levels of calls we’ve been handling.”

Dementia UK estimates that nearly one in ten calls over the past 15 months were related to covid-19, with Admiral Nurses needing to spend 50% more time with callers due to the complex nature of enquiries and carers’ stress levels.  

The charity organisation says the main reasons for calls into the service included difficulties in getting a diagnosis for their loved one so they can access care; how to manage the behaviours of their loved ones when they are anxious or agitated and also carers needing emotional support to help them through the isolation and distress of lockdown.  

ZCT says it is offering a wider package of support to Dementia UK and other charities.  This includes access to training material and ZCT's Learning Hub with courses and webinars run by external experts. In addition, Zurich employees have delivered skills based training including a digital marketing surgery and an external PR workshop.  

Through Zurich UK’s Apprenticeship Levy, ZCT says it has enabled three Dementia UK staff to enrol on a Diploma in Fundraising, helping the charity to build more sustainable donor relationships to increase the work it does for families living with dementia.