A Bristol care professional has been appointed as an Admiral Nurse, a specialist in dementia care.

Jakki Whitehead, a specialist dementia nurse and service manager for people with dementia at Riversway Nursing Home in Bristol, achieved the distinguished title following an interview. She is currently the only Admiral Nurse in Bristol, and one of just 179 in the UK with only 19 based in care homes.

Admiral Nurses are recognised as a ‘beacon of excellence in the care sector, by providing unrivalled guidance, responsive solutions and innovative thinking.’ They are registered nurses prior to being appointed to the role; once in post they are helped to develop their skills even further with best practice days, training and support, with the aim of providing excellent dementia care.

Riversway will host the Admiral Nurse Service in partnership with Dementia UK to help people with dementia, their families and carers to cope with the dementia process.

Admiral Nurses provide a number of services from specialist practical advice; emotional and psychological support to helping to navigate the health and social care system.

Jakki was encouraged in her efforts by the management of the home to apply for this post and will be supported in the requirements of being a host service, which will entail further training and development.

Jakki, who has worked in mental health practice for 30 years said: “I knew that becoming an Admiral Nurse would help us to provide a relevant and responsive service and to be recognised in the community as a provider of excellence.

“Riversway Nursing Home and the Springhill Care Group pride themselves on being at the forefront of dementia care.

“The partnership with Dementia UK and the support and expertise that it provides will help to roll out specialist-level leadership in dementia care within Springhill; informing good practice, training and promoting good communication.”

Jakki is documenting her journey in a series of blogs - links below 

Click HERE to read Jakki's 1st  blog (May 2016) - My Journey to become an Admiral Nurse

Click HERE to read Jakki's 2nd blog (June 2016)- My Admiral Nursing Journey

Click HERE to read Jakki's 3rd blog (July 2016) - My Admiral Nursing Journey 

Click HERE to read Jakki's latest blog (August 2016 - My Admiral Nursing Journey

After a break of five years, fitness expert Sharon returned to Riversway for an energetic class.

Sharon, a popular visitor to Riversway all that time ago, is still full of energy and enjoying sharing her music and exercise ideas with our residents.

Welcome back Sharon.

To view more photos on our Facebook page click HERE  Don't forget to like our page & keep in touch 

A big ‘thank you’ goes out to everyone who attended the recent meeting of our residents and relatives group.

The group, established to allow us to hear directly from residents and relatives any good practice, complaints or suggestions, has been very popular and this meeting was no different.

It was a lovely positive and creative atmosphere, and refreshments were on hand for all to enjoy. To find out how to get involved in the group, just ask at reception.

Recently Riversway Nursing Home played host to two groups of medical students.

We were first joined by a group of ten students who brought coloured paper to encourage our residents to make a collage. Some crafted a picture of a dog they had when they were younger, some of an outing they’ve enjoyed recently.

After the activity, the students and activities team members spoke about the collages, and the students were given a tour of the home.

Then another group of students came to Riversway and sat with our residents in the garden, teaching them how to play drums using just wooden sticks and a plastic bin. The residents also used spoons to make sounds, and sang songs.

The visits were very useful and enjoyed by all who took part.

To view all our photographs from the recent visit on our Facebook page click HERE