Dementia Friendly Barnes - Project Co-ordinator

The Barnes Community Association is a charity run by its members on behalf of the residents of Barnes.  Its main objective is to promote the interests of the residents of Barnes by fostering a sense of community in the neighbourhood. Dementia is a serious health issue and its prevalence is increasing. Good practice is focused on helping people live well with dementia and on developing more dementia friendly communities. Richmond Council is actively supporting these principles, not least because of the numbers of elderly people in the borough, and therefore in Barnes.

Barnes has a significant number of elderly people who may need support to be able to use the local shops and services. For this reason the BCA and Richmond Council are launching a project to introduce Dementia Friendly Villages approach across Barnes.  We are looking for a highly motivated co-ordinator to lead this project.

Scope of the role:

To undertake a pilot project working with retailers and local businesses to assess how best to introduce a dementia friendly community. The intention is to measure demonstrable outcomes, and if successful, use as a beacon project for other areas of the borough and beyond.

Main purpose of role:

  • To work closely with local businesses to support them with strategies to make it easier for customers with dementia to use their services.
  • To liaise closely with all key stakeholders on progress with this project.
  • To assess and evaluate success of the project and present a paper on the project and recommendations for the future on completion.

Responsibilities of role:

Reporting to the Chair of the BCA and working closely with the Barnes Town Centre Manager the Dementia Friendly Village Project Co-ordinator will:

  • Understand what is available already in the local area and what is needed, liaising closely with FiSH, Richmond Alzheimer’s society, DAA, Richmond CCG, Richmond Council.
  • Review available resources and toolkits. Talk to families and people in early stages of dementia to co-design and understand what is required and agree priorities.
  • Identify a few key local retailers/businesses in Barnes e.g. bank, café, fish shop, butcher, greengrocer, pharmacy, newsagent, contact each business owner and promote the idea becoming a dementia friendly pioneer.
  • Co-ordinate the design and delivery of training for business owners and their staff
  • Identify measures of success and implement.   These may include pre and post self-assessment questionnaires, possible mystery shopping to test efficacy. Follow up pilot project after 6 months to evaluate.
  • Use community and local resources to publicise the initiative, to raise awareness and promote the participating businesses.
  • Write up results and assess potential for wider roll out. Share with key stakeholders (Council, BCA, FiSH, DAA, CCG, other funders).

Required skills:

The ideal candidate will:

  • Have an interest in and ideally experience of the impact of dementia on people’s lives.
  • Have strong interpersonal and communication skills.
  • Be able to work on your own, as well as with others.
  • Be self-motivated and able to act on your own initiative.
  • Have a conscientious approach to your work.
  • Have an easy, outgoing and approachable manner to deal with all the people you will come into contact with!

Contract, hours and pay:

The post is a short-term contract and is part-time.  It is based on 1 day (8 hours) a week for eight months and will pay £516 monthly in arrears.   The post holder will manage their own time and their own work load and will work from home.  There will be a review after the first month in post.

To apply for this post, please submit your CV with a supporting letter to Emma Robinson, Barnes Town Centre Manager at emma@barnes-ca.org.

The closing date for applications is Friday 23 December 2016.

Interviews will be held in January at a date to be arranged.

BCA Admin