McCusker Nurse Service
The McCusker Nurse Service is free of charge to carers of people living with dementia.
Celebrating 10 years of the McCusker Nurse Service
In June 2011, Amana Living partnered with the McCusker Charitable Foundation to launch the McCusker Nurse Service. The service consists of specialist dementia care nurses who provide Perth-based carers with education and support services free of charge. It helps carers to understand and navigate a dementia diagnosis while providing them with the tools and contacts they need to tackle the fatigue, stress and isolation associated with caring for a loved one with dementia.
Amana Living thanks the McCusker Charitable Foundation for their financial support of the service, and thanks the doctors, nurses, allied health professionals and other healthcare workers who have referred carers in need.
We look forward to continuing our work together to support people living with dementia, and the critically important role of their carers and family members.
To celebrate, we have collated some of our favourite memories, stories and testimonials.
Are you a carer, living with a friend, partner or family member with dementia?
We understand the stress you are under, and the confusion you can feel when you need support and don’t know where to turn.
McCusker Nurses are experienced, registered nurses, specialising in dementia, who can:
- offer you advice, support and reassurance;
- provide accurate information on resources available to you; and
- guide you to the dementia services most likely to help you.
This is a unique service in Australia, developed by Amana Living
and funded by the McCusker Charitable Foundation, Perpetual Trustees
and Amana Living Anglican Foundation.
The McCusker Nurse Service supports the carers of people living with dementia, to help them get the best out of life.
The McCusker Nurse is a dementia expert, who can help carers and families understand the condition and navigate the support options available to them at any stage in the illness. Your McCusker Nurse walks alongside you, to improve wellbeing and quality of life for both you and the person living with dementia.
By accessing suitable support, the person with dementia is often able to live in their own home for longer, with services delivered to them, only moving into residential care when the time is right.
The McCusker Nurse Service operates in specific areas in Perth’s north and south metropolitan regions.
How the service works
When you call the McCusker Nurse Service, your issue might be resolved over the phone. If your enquiry is more complex, the nurse will follow up with a consultation and may refer you to other suitable services.
The nurse may recommend respite care – either in a day club or overnight in a care centre. This can be an important part of the process, giving you time to recharge and enabling the person with dementia to enjoy tailored activities and connection with others.
Your McCusker Nurse is available to you for as long as you need support.
The McCusker Nurse Service was launched in 2011, and won two state
awards in 2012 – the prestigious Aged & Community Services WA
‘Excellence in Care’ Award for innovation, and the Edith Cowan
University award for early intervention and prevention at the Good Outcomes Awards, sponsored by the WA Mental Health Commission.
To
access the metropolitan McCusker Nurse Service, you must be living
within specific areas north and south of the Swan River in Perth.
You may contact the McCusker Nurse Service if:
- you are caring for a person living with dementia;
- your family member is living with dementia; or
- you are experiencing memory loss or have a diagnosis of dementia.
The McCusker Nurses can assist you via the phone, at your own home or by appointment at one of these locations:
Club Lefroy - 22 Lefroy Road, Bull Creek
Club Alexander Heights - 18 Linto Way, Alexander Heights
To find out more, call the nurse in your area, or ask your health professional to make a referral:
Please call (08) 9424 6396 or email mccuskernurse@amanaliving.com.au
Office hours: Monday to Friday, 9am - 5pm (excluding Public Holidays)