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Association visitors are trained volunteers who act as the main contact for people living with MND, their families and carers. The role is a challenging but rewarding one. As an AV you will keep in regular contact with people with MND, their families and carers. This can be done either by phone, email or face-to-face visits, depending on what suits you and the person you are supporting. By offering confidential emotional support, accurate information and help to access the right services and equipment, you can enable people affected by MND to live their life more easily and make informed choices. For this role you need to be able to work as part of a team, liaise with Health & Social Care professionals and have the ability to develop and maintain supportive relationships. • MND is a fatal, rapidly progressive disease that affects the brain and spinal cord • It attacks the nerves that control movement so muscles refuse to work. Sensory nerves are not usually affected • It can leave people locked in a failing body, unable to move, talk and eventually breath • It kills a third of people within a year and more than half within two years of diagnosis • It has no cure. The MND Association was founded in 1979. Our mission is to improve care and support for people with MND, their families and carers. We also fund and promote research that leads to new understanding and treatments and brings us closer to a cure for MND.
You will: - understand the need for and be willing to participate in support and supervision meetings and development opportunities and use them appropriately. - have good listening and communication skills and the ability to liaise with colleagues. - be able to work as part of a team and within the boundaries of the role, - have the ability to develop networks, and liaise with health and social care professionals - be able to develop and maintain supportive relationships with people with MND and their carers whilst respecting different lifestyles and ways of managing problems in a non-judgmental way - be prepared to increase your knowledge of Motor Neurone Disease, its effects, and the impact it has on individuals, their families and carers - understand the need for confidentiality and carry out the role in accordance with the Associations policy. - be able to recognise situations where you are not able to meet an individuals needs and the need to signpost to an alternative more appropriate organisation, or when unsure about what action to take be prepared to seek support from an experienced Visitor or relevant member of staff.
By offering confidential emotional support, accurate information and help to access the right services and equipment, you can enable people affected by MND to live their life more easily and make informed choices.
- be able to commit a minimum of 2 - 4 hours per week to include supporting people with MND
