Granddaughter Runs Marathon To Thank Admiral Nurses

Hannah Masters, from Redbridge, has completed the Loch Ness Marathon in Scotland to thank our admiral nurses for the care they provide to her grandfather Cyril, 93, who has dementia.

Hannah, 25, raised money for Dementia UK, which offers specialist care and emotional support to families of patients with dementia. This includes funding admiral nurses, who offer tailored, life-changing support to those affected by the condition.

Cyril, from Iford, was admitted to Queen’s and King George hospitals several times between October 2023 and March last year, where he was diagnosed with mixed dementia, a combination of both vascular and Alzheimer’s types.

He has experienced a decline in his cognitive abilities due to his dementia, and our admiral nurses support him with A&E visits and outpatient appointments.

When he was in hospital, they advocated for him when he was confused or distressed and made sure his needs were understood, which reduced his anxiety. They also made sure that he was referred to the correct departments, which reduced delays.

Hannah said: “His condition varies and he can have good days and bad days. The admiral nurses see him as a person and understand his cognitive abilities. Without them, I don’t know how we would have coped. I want to give something back to those who made such a difference to my family.”

She said the Scottish Highlands scenery on her run was ‘beautiful’ and she had bright, sunny and clear weather for the race.

Hannah ran the marathon in 4 hours, 13 minutes and 31 seconds and she has already surpassed her £1,000 fundraising target with £1,328 raised for the charity.

According to Dementia UK, there are nearly 1million people in the UK living with dementia. It’s a growing health crisis and by 2040, this is expected to rise to 1.6million people.

Charity spokesperson Jenny Robinson said:
“We’re grateful to Hannah for taking on this impressive challenge in support of Dementia UK. Thanks to her efforts, more families than ever will be able to access the life-changing support offered by our dementia specialist admiral nurses.

“One in two of us will be affected by dementia in our lifetimes, but thanks to the support of people like Hannah who work hard to raise both funds and awareness, we can continue to offer support and advice to as many people as possible.”