RL Cares and Dementia UK to offer specialist dementia support

Rugby League Cares has launched a dedicated dementia specialist Admiral Nurse service in collaboration with Dementia UK, for current and retired professional rugby league players and their families who are living with dementia.

In an important first for the sport, the monthly clinics will provide information, help and guidance for any professional player who has concerns about dementia, or family members who are caring for a current or former professional player living with the condition. 

In collaboration with Dementia UK, the specialist dementia nursing charity, the service is being funded by the RL Cares Brain Health Fund, which was created last year to deliver education and support programmes to the professional game. 

RL Cares and Dementia UK are offering free clinic appointments with a dedicated dementia specialist Admiral Nurse for Sport and Dementia, Joe Costello. Appointments can be held over the phone, online or face to face and are confidential. 

RL Cares Director of Wellbeing Steve McCormack said: “This new initiative will enable our current and former professional players - and their families - to get the very best support and advice from Dementia UK and Admiral Nurses. 

“From the very start of the fund we wanted to create a safe and confidential service for families to seek advice and support when they need it the most.  

“We are excited by the partnership and feel it will add a new dimension to the wellbeing provision that RL Cares provides to the sport’s most important stakeholders.” 

Admiral Nurses are specialist dementia nurses that are continually supported and developed by Dementia UK. They provide life-changing care for families affected by all forms of dementia. 

Joe Costello, Consultant Admiral Nurse for Contact Sport and Dementia at Dementia UK said: “We are pleased to be working with Rugby League Cares to deliver this invaluable service to rugby players and their families who are impacted by dementia.  

“Every three minutes, someone develops dementia in the UK - it is a huge and growing health crisis. Our Admiral Nurses are a lifeline to families across the country, as they understand the complex challenges that come with a diagnosis of dementia and ensure no family has to face a diagnosis alone.” 

As well as leading the clinics service, Joe Costello’s role involves taking referrals from Dementia UK’s Helpline and clinics, and like all the charity’s Consultant Admiral Nurses, he will also be working to offer training and guidance to the charity’s other Admiral Nurses on best practice in dementia care for people who have played sport and who are seeking or living with a diagnosis of dementia. 

Appointments with a Dementia UK Admiral Nurse are free and available on the first Wednesday of each month between 10am and 3pm, commencing Wednesday May 1. 

Face-to-face appointments take place at the Weetwood Hall Estate on Otley Road, Headingley, LS16 5PS 

If you are a former of current Rugby League professional player impacted by dementia, you can book a confidential appointment with the Admiral Nurse here

For more information about Admiral Nurses and the support available through Dementia UK, click here

To help us provide essential support on this important subject, please consider making a donation to the RL Cares Brain Health Fund by clicking here