Volunteer for the Dementia Helpline

• Are you a good listener?
• Can you give accurate information, and be honest when you don’t know the answer?
• Could you help callers to reach their own decisions?
• Would you like to work from home at evenings, overnight or at or weekends - or on weekdays from National Office in Edinburgh?

The 24 hour freephone Dementia Helpline takes over 4,500 calls a year from carers, relatives, friends, professionals, people with dementia and people worried they may have dementia. We rely on our team of trained volunteers to take almost all our calls, backed up by staff.

More information about the 24hr Dementia Helpline

We need volunteers from anywhere in Scotland who have a personal or professional interest in dementia. We provide training, support and supervision, and we pay expenses. In return we ask that volunteers offer at least a couple of shifts a month.

The Helpline operates 24 hours a day. On weekdays, calls are generally taken at National Office in Edinburgh, by volunteers who live locally and cover a morning or afternoon shift a week. These volunteers also follow up calls by researching information and sending out information packs. Outwith office hours, calls are switched through to volunteers’ home telephones anywhere in Scotland. The shifts cover mornings, afternoons, evenings and overnights, and start and finish times can be flexible.

All volunteers must attend the four day Helpline Basic Training Course before they start on the line. It is held over two weekends, twice a year. The course covers listening skills, taking calls, medical aspects of dementia, financial and legal issues, behaviour, getting help and much more. It is an enjoyable and participative course. Volunteers are also required to attend follow up training once they join the Helpline team.

If you would like to volunteer, fill in our online volunteer application form. We will call you to discuss your application and if you are successful, we will offer you a place on the next Helpline Basic Training Course.

For more information contact:
Helpline Manager or Helpline Assistant
Alzheimer Scotland
22 Drumsheugh Gardens
Edinburgh EH3 7RN
0131 243 1453
eharley@alzscot.org

The Dementia Helpline is a member of the Telephone Helplines Association

Job description for the 24hr Dementia Helpline

Other volunteering opportunities with Alzheimer Scotland

On-line volunteering form