More than seven in 10 dementia clinic appointments booked by women – Nationwide

More than seven in 10 appointments for dementia clinics in Nationwide Building Society branches have been booked by women.

The gender disparity reflects women disproportionately bearing caregiving responsibilities, the society said.

Around 70% of appointments have been made by daughters, daughters-in-law, sisters, and wives – compared with 19% made by husbands, sons and sons-in-law, Nationwide said.

The remaining 11% were booked by people in other relationships.

People can book free clinic appointments in branches, and they are available for anyone affected by dementia, including family members and carers.

Nationwide has partnered with Dementia UK to offer specialist support across more than 200 branches, and said the clinics are also available to non-Nationwide customers, as well as its members.

More than 470 appointments have been booked so far, following a pilot in July.

Since the pilot’s launch, northern regions have seen the highest demand, Nationwide said. As more Nationwide dementia clinics are rolled out across the UK, it expects usage to increase.

Charlotte Kensett, director of social impact at Nationwide, said: “As more branches host clinics in the coming months, we will continue to monitor usage to understand the needs of the communities we serve.

“These clinics form part of our wider Nationwide Fairer Futures programme, which highlights the need for greater support in response to three of the biggest issues impacting society today – homelessness, families living in poverty and people living with dementia.”

Dr Hilda Hayo, chief admiral nurse and CEO at Dementia UK said: “It’s great to see people making use of our clinics in Nationwide branches, and we’re excited to bring specialist dementia care to even more high streets around the UK as part of the Fairer Futures partnership.

“We know that female relatives and friends often take on caring responsibilities for people living with dementia, and our team of dementia specialist Admiral nurses will be working hard to ensure that anyone caring for someone living with the condition can access specialist, tailored support in person when they need it.”