Volunteer

Description

Aphasia Ireland is currently looking for Volunteers across Ireland who can help us provide all round support for people with aphasia (ie communication difficulties typically occuring post stroke, brain injury etc). This opportunity would be most suitable for students who are interested in a career in speech and language therapy, social work, counselling, occupational therapy, or healthcare.
We are seeking volunteers who can assist in supporting individuals with aphasia to reach their communication goals, build their confidence and lead a normal, happy, and fulfilling life.

Due to Covid-19, our support groups and sessions are being run remotely and held over Zoom and Skype. Therefore, this is a virtual role for the foreseeable future.

Is training provided?: Yes

Please note that Garda Vetting is required for this position which will be processed with you after you apply.

Tasks that the volunteer(s) will be expected to undertake:

We welcome volunteers with ideas on how we could improve our services and further help people living with aphasia and their loved ones.

In this role, you would be largely lending a hand with our support groups, such as Friends of Aphasia and the Voices of Aphasia (conversation group). All SLT students will be supported and supervised by senior SLTs and senior members of the SLT team. However, we welcome volunteers who have other skills and experience that might be beneficial to our clients in a varied capacity as well.

Other responsibilities may include advocacy work, creating resources, research into developments in aphasia treatment and aphasia in general, and identifying community supports available. 

Skills required for this role:

• Good communication and teamwork  skills

• Strong IT skills
  The volunteer should be a confident user of video call technology, in particular Zoom and Skype.

• Ideally, studying towards a degree in one of the following:
  Speech and Language Therapy
  Psychology
  Social work
  Counselling
  Occupational therapy
  Other related healthcare professions

• Experience dealing with people with communication and language disorders (preferred but not required) 

Details of time commitment needed for role:
A maximum of 3 hours a week, our group conversation sessions typically run around 6-7pm for an hour, once a week.

Minimum time commitment per week:
1 hour p/week

Additional screening required for this role:
CVs, Interviews