Alzheimer’s Association seeking skilled volunteers

The Alzheimer’s Association is seeking volunteers to work as support group facilitators and community educators.

Kelly Donahue, marketing and communications manager for the Cleveland Area Chapter, said the organization is seeking to expand their reach.

“Our strategic plan going forward from our home office is directing all of our chapters nationwide to have a greater focus on volunteer recruitment, engagement and longevity,” she explained.

Marilyn Hahn, volunteer engagement manager for the society, said this is imperative.

“The impact of the disease is not corresponding with the impact that we’re making and we feel the best way we’re going to increase our impact and our reach is by engaging more volunteers who are assisting us and providing our programs and services,” she said.

Hahn said the association is seeking people with specific skill sets to fill the roles.

“Our community educator is going to be someone who is comfortable with public speaking, somebody with maybe an education background, a trainer,” she said.

Hahn said the community educators are out in the field teaching programs designed by the association’s home office to inform the public about the disease.

“The program you receive here in Lorain is the same you will receive down in Columbus,” she said.

She said the educators are required to do a minimum of one program a month.

For the support group facilitator positions, the association is looking for people with a background in social work or healthcare that are good at facilitating.

“Being a facilitator requires certain skills,” Hahn said. “You’re really not contributing to the conversation, you’re guiding the conversation.”

Hahn added this position is open to people of all ages and would be a great opportunity for a social work or education student.

She said the support groups only meet once a month with the facilitators going through quarterly training.

“There’s an initial investment of time and learning being trained, but once you become comfortable and you’re out on your own it’s really a monthly commitment,” Hahn explained.

Gary Jaffe, 71, of Oberlin, has been a support group facilitator for the association since 2005. He said he was put in contact with them in his work as a case manager at the Nord Center.

“It’s an organization that is totally client-centered,” he said.

According to Jaffe, his group meets once a month for about an hour and a half.

“I see my role as bringing together the caregivers who come for support,” he said. “It’s their group. We’re facilitators rather than leaders.”

He said the important part of the support group is for these caregivers to speak with one another and to share their experiences.

“They’re the ones supporting each other,” Jaffe said. “We’re providing education when it’s necessary, we’re providing information about the resources that the Alzheimer’s Association has that can benefit them.”

According to Jaffe, the need for volunteers for the association is important because the wide impact the disease has in the community.

“Almost everybody knows somebody, or will know somebody, who has Alzheimer’s,” he said. “They may not know it, but somebody that you know right now is dealing with Alzheimer’s and at some point all of our lives are going to crisscross and we’re going to be in a position to be of help or not to the person struggling or their family.”

Interested parties are asked to contact Hahn at 216-342-5596 or mahahn@alz.org.

“Our strategic plan going forward from our home office is directing all of our chapters nationwide to have a greater focus on volunteer recruitment, engagement and longevity.”