Volunteer Airdrie

The Organization

Caregivers Alberta empowers Albertans who provide care to family and friends at home or in a community setting. We provide education, support caregivers’ wellbeing, and advocate for public policy.

Every day, Albertans face challenges associated with aging, illness, mental and emotional health, or disability. But navigating healthcare and social support can be complex. So, unpaid family and friend caregivers step in to fill the gaps. Unfortunately, in doing so, many caregivers become overwhelmed and feel like they must face everything alone.

In rural areas of the province where health and social support are typically limited, we see caregivers, and especially senior caregivers, struggle more and more. We believe that people over the age of 65 bring invaluable empathy and experience to our team and that seniors are the best people to advocate for other seniors.

The Role (https://www.caregiversalberta.ca/volunteer/senior-caregiver-ambassador/)

The Senior Caregiver Ambassador volunteer role is for older adults (55+) and seniors (65+) who want to help support caregivers in their community.

There are many ways to make a positive impact as an Ambassador. When you join the team, you will choose how to make that impact based on your skills, experience, and comfort level.

Here are some of the ways you can support senior caregivers as an Ambassador:

- share our brochures with caregivers or at local medical clinics and community facilities (libraries, seniors' residences, clubs, etc)

- help arrange presentations so our staff can share about the programs we have that support caregivers

- inform us when senior-focused or healthcare-focused events are happening in their community so that we can participate

- help at our information table at community events and conferences

- share your caregiving story for use on our communications channels (newsletter, website, or social media)

- advocate for solutions to the issues that affect caregivers

No specific education or knowledge is required; training is provided. If Ambassadors have a background in public advocacy or networking, we welcome those skills, but there are many activities one can do as an Ambassador that simply require a positive attitude and a desire to support the local community.

Benefits to Volunteer

Ambassador volunteers will benefit from:

- staying active in their communities

- networking and developing connections with other seniors and facilities in the community

- supporting their neighbours and friends who are caregivers

- opportunities to connect to other Ambassadors and the organization regularly

- opportunities to take part in events and lunch and learns

- use their skills in a way that supports other seniors

Time Required

The Senior Caregiver Ambassador role is flexible. Ambassadors choose their activities and time commitment to align with their personal lives and other priorities. Some Ambassadors have an hour or two to give each month, and some Ambassadors have more. We welcome any and all participation!

Training Provided

All volunteers will be given access to the general volunteer orientation. The orientation is a series of short videos and some reading which covers:

- the history and purpose of our organization

- a caregiver snapshot (who are Alberta's unpaid family and friend caregivers?)

- the free programs and services we provide for caregivers

All volunteers will also receive a volunteer handbook to keep.

All volunteers will be given access to the Senior Caregiver Ambassador training. The training is a series of short videos and some reading which covers:

- how to make connections in the community (at senior-focused facilities and local medical clinics, libraries, etc)

- how to make a connection with a senior caregiver who shares that they're struggling

- the impact of storytelling to create connection

In addition to the training, Ambassadors meet quarterly online over Zoom to participate in a short learning topic and get to know other Ambassadors in the province. Ambassadors will receive a "toolkit" that contains printed materials to share and distribute in their community.