DMU swimmers go the extra length to help give people with dementia vital support


Swimmers from De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) have raised hundreds of pounds to help pay for an expert to help people with Dementia in Leicestershire.

The university held a sponsored swim and raised £906 for Dementia UK by swimming hundreds of lengths of the pool in DMU’s Queen Elizabeth II Leisure Centre.

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Now the money has been given to the charity, which it will use to help fund an Admiral Nurse – a specially-trained dementia nurse – to go out into the local community and visit people with dementia in their own homes.

The swim was organised by Chris Knifton, a senior lecturer in dementia for DMU’s nursing and other Health and Life Science courses, himself one of only 200 Admiral Nurses in the country.

He said: “I was so happy with the amount of people who came forward to volunteer and swim: I want to thank them all.”

“This is something I’ve wanted to do for a couple of years and I never used to be able to swim so it was a good excuse to learn how.

“Admiral Nurses can make such a big difference so to be able to help fund one for the local community is really important.

“Having that contact at home is so vital because it can help take the stress of friends and relatives.”

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Sarah Chambers, community fundraising executive for Dementia UK said: “I would like to say thank you to Chris and all the students and staff at De Montfort University for taking on this challenge and raising an incredible amount for Dementia UK. 

“The support of an Admiral Nurse is a lifeline for families affected by dementia and we have been overwhelmed with the support we have received so far in Leicestershire which will help us to develop a new service in the county and will mean we can provide this vital, life-changing support to even more families who need it.” 

Posted on Monday 28 August 2017

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