A week in the life of…Ruth from the Admiral Nurse team

Supporting people living with dementia means caring for their families too. As Admiral Nurses, we give carers practical tips, emotional support, and dementia know-how. We want every family to feel stronger, more confident, and less alone on their caring journey.

Our team of three spans Wakefield and the Five Towns, so face-to-face meet-ups are rare. Each morning, we pop in to our WhatsApp group chat, share plans, flag issues, and support each other. These virtual catch-ups are our ritual—keeping us connected and reminding us we’re in this together, even on busy days.

This is what this week looked like for us:

Monday:

Monday mornings are for fresh referrals. We log each case in the system, and map out next steps. Some carers need a quick phone chat for urgent advice; others get appointment letters or invites to our monthly Wakefield Library support sessions. We do our best to contact people quickly, so they aren’t stuck waiting for support.

Every fortnight we run our young onset dementia walking group on Mondays too. This week’s plan to stroll around Nostell Priory almost became a café meet-up only, so we didn’t melt in the hot weather, but we managed a short walk before coffee and cake. Two new families joined and said they felt instantly welcome.

This week, Monday included some training time. Dementia UK provides Admiral Nurses with diverse training—from supporting children and young people to end-of-life care and presentation skills. Our Trust also funds courses, so each of us juggles these learning opportunities alongside casework, it feels busy, but every new skill is a win for the carers we support.

Tuesday:

Tuesdays are clinic day in Pontefract, with private slots so carers can speak freely without worrying about upsetting the person they care for. While Claudia or Kim run the clinic, the rest of us make home visits or catch up with people by phone. We also link with GPs, social workers, and other services to keep everyone in sync. This week, we even met a local care provider to spread the word about Admiral Nurse support.

Wednesday:

Wednesdays shift to a Wakefield clinic run by Ruth or Claudia. It’s another calm spot where carers discuss changes, symptom management, or simply offload. Midday, we skipped our normal weekly meeting for an away day at Fieldhead with Memory Service and Psychology teams. Four hours flew by as we planned the next few months. To keep us going, everyone chipped in to a “fuddle”—a buffet lunch that ended up more like a feast.

Thursday:

Thursday has plenty of home visits and phone check-ins. This week we also wrapped up our Positive Steps course at Recovery College. Over five weeks, we covered dementia basics, coping strategies, practical care, finances, and planning ahead. We shared stories, laughed, and people made new friends. Watching carers leave more hopeful and connected makes this course one of our favourite things to do.

Friday:

Friday today, and it brings reflection. We tick off remaining visits and calls, we carve out time for admin—updating case records and getting ready for the weekend. This week, in the afternoon, we have supervision. It’s our chance to discuss tricky cases, share worries, and lift each other up. These honest chats help us grow as nurses and leave us ready for another busy week.

Each day this week—on walks, in clinics, at people’s kitchen tables—we’ve spent time with families, doing what we can to help. We’ve been busy but carers are doing some of the toughest work out there, and it’s our privilege to stand alongside them.

Looking forward to starting it all again next week!