Young Onset Dementia Adviser Vacancy
About the role
The Young Onset Dementia Adviser role provides information, advice, signposting and support for people with young onset dementia and their families in Oxfordshire. The intention is to enable people to have the information, skills, resources, confidence, and opportunities to connect with others that they need in order to adapt to living with young onset dementia. The support relationship may be long-term, with the greatest benefits gained by starting immediately after diagnosis and may continue beyond bereavement for family members. There is a need for face to face, email, phone, digital and group support.
The Young Onset Dementia Advisers are a small and dedicated team intent on making a significant and long-lasting difference to people living with young onset dementia and their families. The change we create with and for people with young onset dementia and their families challenges inequality, isolation, and ignorance by facilitating improvements in access to information to age-appropriate support and opportunities to connect with each other.
Location
North Oxfordshire (preferably Banbury area) – Based from home.
Hours Remuneration and Benefits
- Salary £13.11 ph (£23,860 pa pro rata), increasing to £13.64 ph (£24,824 pa pro rata) on completion of probation period
- 21-35 hours per week. We can offer full time or part time posts to be mutually agreed
- 5 weeks holiday plus bank holidays, increasing to 6 weeks after 5 years’ service
- Flexible working arrangements
- Charity sick pay, increasing with length of service
- Pension scheme
- Health cash plan for staff member and up to 4 residing dependants under 24
- 24 hour Employee Assistance Program
- Free car parking at Head office
- Cycle to work scheme
I think the most important part of our role is to give information, advice and support in a person-centred way. And by that I mean it’s about valuing people living with dementia and their family carers. It’s about treating them as individuals. It’s about seeing things from their perspective and it’s about promoting a positive social environment.
Rose – Dementia Adviser for South Oxfordshire
Listen to 'a day in the life' of a Dementia Adviser
About you
Ideally we are looking for someone with experience and lots of skills. However, for the right person we can offer a training and development programme, with mentoring support from an experienced YODA, a structured induction, and a pathway to a level three qualification (as per the Regulated Qualifications Framework).
We are looking for someone able to see beyond the diagnosis, to show empathy and enable clients to navigate the pathways of dementia care and help them to live well with dementia.
We need someone who has experience of supporting people in a caring or cared for role, preferably caring for people living with dementia.
We are looking for someone with the ability to listen and understand a client’s needs, good problem-solving skills, and a positive attitude to learning.
You will need to be highly organised, able to communicate with a wide variety of people and able to show empathy and provide support to those facing challenging circumstances.
YODAs are asked to take on additional responsibilities to support service development, and we are also interested in hearing from candidates who have complimentary skills or experience in providing education and awareness sessions, fund raising, and in supporting social media and websites.
About us
Dementia Oxfordshire is a service provided by Age UK Oxfordshire and is jointly funded by the County Council and NHS. We have three locality teams and a specialist Young Onset Dementia team. Including our back office support staff, we have a total of 30 team members. Our caseload increases year on year and we have recently received some additional funding that is allowing us to expand our team.
You will be joining a committed and tight-knit team who are proud of the service they provide, and always looking for ways to improve it. We work hard to collaborate with other parts of the dementia support system in Oxfordshire and have strong links with GP practices and the memory clinics.
What we stand for: Enabling older people across the county to love later life
Age UK Oxfordshire is an independent local charity. We have over 160 dedicated staff and over 235 volunteers helping us to deliver services and activities for older people in Oxfordshire.
Our mission:
We work within communities to support older people to stay independent and live life to the full
Our vision:
We are working for a world where those we serve are loving life
Our values:
- Caring
- Listening and amplifying people’s voices
- Enabling and empowering by working alongside people to identify solutions
- Passionate for better
- Collaborative
We encourage applications from all candidates to support a more diverse workforce. We are committed to challenging all forms of discrimination and celebrating and promoting diversity throughout our work.
See why our Dementia Advisers feel so passionate about their work
Interview details
Interviews, there will be aptitude tasks and a formal interview with the Head of Service and two other staff members.
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All interviews are held virtually using Microsoft Teams, if you are unsure about using teams please ask our HR team to help you
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There will be aptitude tasks to complete in advance of the interview
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The final interview will follow a traditional interview approach where you will answer a series of questions from a 3 person panel. If you cannot be available on the interview dates please contact us before the closing date to discuss options.
How to apply
Dementia Oxfordshire is a service delivered by Age UK Oxfordshire and they coordinate the application process.
To apply click on the button below.
If you have any questions please email Sarah: sarahlawrence@ageukoxfordshire.org.uk
Informal Discussions: The Head of Service for Dementia Oxfordshire or a Dementia Adviser would be happy to chat with you about the role
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Peter Johnson (Dementia Oxfordshire – Head of Service): peterjohnson@ageukoxfordshire.org.uk
- Fran Mada (Dementia Oxfordshire – Admiral Nurse)
franmada@dementiaoxfordshire.org.uk
Deadlines and interviews as detailed below.
Closing date: 9am Monday 9th September 2024
Initial interview: Tuesday 17th September 2024
Final Interview: Tuesday 24th September 2024
If you cannot be available on these dates please contact Sarah in advance and we will explore alternatives.
