Needs From: United Way of Ventura County

We are looking for community-minded individuals to be part of something BIG! Learn more about joining the planning committee for Walk to End Alzheimer's: the world’s largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support and research. Since 1989, the Alzheimer’s Association has mobilized millions of Americans in the Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walk. Now the Alzheimer’s Association is continuing to lead the way with the Walk to End Alzheimer’s. Held annually in more than 650 communities nationwide, this inspiring event call on participants of all ages and abilities to reclaim the future for millions. Together, we can end Alzheimer’s.

Be a part of this national event in your home community.

 

 

Early-Stage Social Engagement Leaders plan, implement and assure positive experiences for people living with memory loss and their care partners during social engagement activities and events. As leaders, volunteers provide hospitality, support and volunteer oversight at social engagement events. 

These volunteers consult with staff and early-stage advisors to schedule early-stage engagement activities, secure event logistics, assure group safety, and coordinate other volunteers. 

The Association is seeking compassionate and motivated volunteers to engage people living with dementia. We seek applicants who can create and maintain a safe environment where participants' thoughts and feelings are valued and group members treated with fairness, equity and respect. The Alzheimer's Association will call you for an interview and provide online and self-study materials to support your learning in this volunteer role. Your reward will be enhancing your knowledge of this cause, perfecting your public speaking techniques, and knowing that you serve your local community and the people you care about.

Our network of Community Educator volunteers are trained to deliver our core education programs. The Alzheimer's Association guides each volunteer through four modules of training, including online training, class observation, and co-teaching with an experienced volunteer or staff member. Once the volunteer is trained, they will be asked to teach classes for any community organization that requests a presentation during a time that the volunteer is available. 

Our Community Educator volunteers allow us to educate the public on the basics of Alzheimer's and other dementias. This raises awareness of the disease and how it affects members of our community. 

If you are a person with any teaching experience or an interest in spreading knowledge, please email Leila Thayer Malone (LMThayer@alz.org) or register online at volunteer.alz.org

 

Support Group Facilitators create a safe, open environment where people share their feelings, thoughts and experience in a combined effort to better cope with and manage the shared problems of dementia. The goal of support groups is to provide emotional, social and/or educational support to group members.

Facilitator lead monthly meetings for family caregivers, adult children, spouses, or people living with dementia in the community. The groups are established in collaboration with the Alzheimer's Association staff in neutral, accessible and safe locations.

The Association is seeking empathic, passionate and effective listeners with a demonstrated commitment to participants' needs to commit to a 1-year term delivering a monthly group in Spanish. We seek applicants who can create and maintain a safe environment and respect the group process allowing all members to share. The Alzheimer's Association will call you for an interview and provide online and self-study materials to support your learning in this volunteer role. Your reward will be enhancing your knowledge of this cause, perfecting your public speaking techniques, and knowing that you serve your local community and the people you care about.

Due to the emotional weight of this position, the Association recommends against applying if you are currently caring for someone with Alzheimer's or another dementia; have recently (within the last two years) lost someone to Alzheimer's or another dementia; or are recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's or another dementia. This is to protect the mental well-being of the volunteer as well as the Support Group participants. 

Early-Stage Social Engagement Leaders plan, implement and assure positive experiences for people living with memory loss and their care partners during social engagement activities and events. As leaders, volunteers provide hospitality, support and volunteer oversight at social engagement events. 

These volunteers consult with staff and early-stage advisors to schedule early-stage engagement activities, secure event logistics, assure group safety, and coordinate other volunteers. 

The Association is seeking compassionate and motivated volunteers to engage people living with dementia. We seek applicants who can create and maintain a safe environment where participants' thoughts and feelings are valued and group members treated with fairness, equity and respect. The Alzheimer's Association will call you for an interview and provide online and self-study materials to support your learning in this volunteer role. Your reward will be enhancing your knowledge of this cause, perfecting your public speaking techniques, and knowing that you serve your local community and the people you care about.

Dementia Friendly Ventura County (DFVC) is an initiative led by Ventura County Area Agency on Aging. The goals of DFVC are:

To create a county where persons with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are valued and respected, feel safe, and their caregivers are supported. To educate and inform all entities that serve the public about the unique needs of this population to better serve and support them. To promote community awareness of the condition and how individuals and businesses can make a positive difference.

VCAAA is one of four organizations in California to be certified by Dementia Friendly America®, an initiative borne out of the 2015 White House Conference on Aging to address the national and global epidemic of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

In order to educate businesses around the County, we need qualified, dedicated educators to become trained in both Alzheimer's Association and DFVC curriculum. If you are interested in becoming a DFVC educator, please respond to this need. 

Support Group Facilitators create a safe, open environment where people share their feelings, thoughts and experience in a combined effort to better cope with and manage the shared problems of dementia. The goal of support groups is to provide emotional, social and/or educational support to group members.

Facilitator lead monthly meetings for family caregivers, adult children, spouses, or people living with dementia in the community. The groups are established in collaboration with the Alzheimer's Association staff in neutral, accessible and safe locations.

The Association is seeking empathic, passionate and effective listeners with a demonstrated commitment to participants' needs to commit to a 1-year term delivering a monthly group. We seek applicants who can create and maintain a safe environment and respect the group process allowing all members to share. The Alzheimer's Association will call you for an interview and provide online and self-study materials to support your learning in this volunteer role. Your reward will be enhancing your knowledge of this cause, perfecting your public speaking techniques, and knowing that you serve your local community and the people you care about.

Due to the emotional weight of this position, the Association recommends against applying if you are currently caring for someone with Alzheimer's or another dementia; have recently (within the last two years) lost someone to Alzheimer's or another dementia; or are recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's or another dementia. This is to protect the mental well-being of the volunteer as well as the Support Group participants. 

The Longest Day is the day with the most light (June 20, Summer Solstice) and it's the day that we fight the darkness that is Alzheimer's disease. This is the Alzheimer's Association's Do It Yourself (DIY) styled fundraiser where people participate through and activity of their choice. People have raised money through bowling, by having dinner parties, hosting golf tournaments, having lemonade stands and everything in between - As long as there is a fundraising aspect to the event it counts. 

We are looking for people to join our committee and help us bring in as many participants as possible. The committee meets once a month (usually the first Thursday) for about an hour and a half and then any time required outside of that meeting will be you recruiting people for The Longest Day and attending the occasional event (~1 a quarter). If you are a mover and shaker who wants to help us reach as many people as possible please reach out to us, we'd love to talk!

Please contact Jeffery Glover (jkglover@alz.org | 805.617.0239)