People living with dementia and their carers can often feel that sharing a holiday with each other is something that can no longer be achieved. However, supported holidays allow carers and people with dementia to enjoy time away from home together by removing the barriers that can make taking a break difficult. Dementia Adventure offers assistance for both the carer and person with dementia – someone who has been trained in dementia support – as an extra pair of hands to help with as little or as much as required. With all the logistical arrangements taken care of and an itinerary that caters for everyone’s needs, both the carer and person living with dementia can concentrate on themselves and each other.
Dementia Adventure, a multi-award winning, innovative, social enterprise and charity based in Essex, is committed to helping people living with dementia to get outdoors, connect with nature, themselves and their communities and is therefore seeking more volunteers to join the organisation to help and support people not only during these holidays but to undertake other roles such as community ambassadors and fundraisers.
“Volunteers are already incredibly important to our work,” says Hayley Dickson, Volunteer Co-ordinator, “and so we welcome local individuals, from across the county, who are keen to volunteer their time and support us in a number of ways - whether it be to take a few days out of their lives to go away on holiday with a couple living with dementia, or help promote our work by giving talks, attending events or encouraging and supporting fundraisers and groups in their local area.
Volunteering is an excellent opportunity to gain experience and develop skills all whilst being part of a friendly and enthusiastic team. More importantly, we recognise the fantastic contribution our volunteers make and so will ensure that they are fully supported during their time with us. This includes attending a volunteers training course - made possible by the support of players of the People’s Postcode Lottery - over two days in late September at our offices near Chelmsford. The number of days training is dependent on the role the potential volunteer would like to undertake.”
Dementia Adventure aims to ensure that everyone who then goes on to volunteer with the organisation has increased understanding, awareness and confidence to actively engage more people living with dementia with nature and the outdoors to enable them to retain a sense of adventure in their lives. One volunteer has previously described the training as “Educational and inspiring” whilst another commented that “It was so valuable and brilliant. I want more people to know about it”.
There are currently a number of different volunteering positions available with the charity.
If you are interested in learning more about the volunteering opportunities Dementia Adventure has to offer please contact Hayley Dickson, Volunteer Co-ordinator at Dementia Adventure on 01245 327548 or email hayley@dementiaadventure.co.uk
ENDS
For further information, please contact: Joanne Lambert Smith at Dementia Adventure on 01245 237548 or email jo@dementiaadventure.co.uk
NOTES TO EDITORS
About Dementia Adventure
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T. 01245 237548
