We’re looking for warm, friendly, enthusiastic people to join our volunteering community. You don’t need any prior experience of working with people living with Dementia – we’ll give you all the training you need! All we ask is that you are kind, compassionate, sensible and patient, and want to make a real difference to the lives of people living with Dementia in Manchester. 

About us:

Together Dementia Support are here to help people to live positively with Dementia in Manchester and Trafford. There are an estimated 5,000 people in Manchester currently living with Dementia. We support people to live actively, socially and positively, with support for both people living with Dementia and their loved ones.

Since being established in 2014, TDS has supported over 1,000 people living with Dementia and their loved ones. We currently have over 280 members and 300 carers who we support week in, week out, 52 weeks a year.  Our dedicated team of Dementia Group Leaders and volunteers are the lifeblood of our service, working to improve physical and mental health and enable people to live positively with Dementia. 

For people living with Dementia, we offer a range of activities such as social groups, walking groups, arts & crafts, music and games groups, as well as one-to-one at home social activity support. For carers, we provide online and in person group support, one-to-one advice and guidance, training opportunities and a friendly ear to listen. 

About the role:

Together at Home is our 1:1 home visiting service for people living with dementia unable to attend groups - this could be due to mobility, personal care needs, or preference. We wanted a way for those people to still access the social interaction and engaging activities that take place at groups, in a way that works for them. Volunteers are matched with one of members and carry out weekly or fortnightly visits to that member’s home, to get to know them and build a friendship as well as to deliver stimulating and creative activities. This is a very personalised service, and each match will be different.

Here are some of the activities our current matches get up to:

• Short local walk and coffee in a nearby café

• Playing guitar together, listening to music and singing

• Different arts and craft activities

• Pamper sessions – nail polish, face masks, etc

We need reliable, confident and organised people that our members can depend on for a regular visit. It’s a great way to build a new relationship, learn about another person’s life and directly support somebody living in your local area with dementia.

Don’t worry – we won’t through you straight in the deep end. Once you’ve completed training, we’ll try our best to find you a good match. We’ll support you throughout the matching process – attending the first few visits with you until you are feeling happy and confident, and supporting you with planning and organising activities for sessions. We’ll be in regular contact, and often drop into visits to check how things are getting on.

Responsibilities of a Together at Home Volunteer include:

• Attending both our Induction Training, and our Together at Home Training Sessions

• Carrying out weekly or fortnightly visits at your member’s home

• Organising your own transport to and from your visits, and claiming back travel expenses regularly

• Planning and preparing fun, creative activities for each visit with support from the TDS team – games, craft activities, seated exercise, etc.

• Completing post-session feedback after every visit, and remain in good contact with the staff team to report any Health & Safety or Safeguarding concerns

• Because you’ll be volunteering on a 1:1 basis with a vulnerable adult, you will also have to undertake a DBS Check – TDS will organise and pay for this.