Young Onset Dementia Adviser Vacancy
Role Summary
- £14.18 – £14.75 per hour
- 21-35 hours per week
- Home-based role
- South Oxfordshire and Oxford City
- Flexible working
- Full training and support provided
About the role
Young onset dementia presents unique challenges because people are often still working, supporting dependent children, managing financial commitments and adapting to changing family and relationship roles. YODAs provide specialist support that recognises these additional challenges and helps individuals and families adapt to life with dementia while maintaining independence, wellbeing and social connection.
YODAs build trusted, long-term relationships with individuals and families, supporting them to adjust to diagnosis, navigate services, plan for the future and maintain meaning, purpose and connection within their communities. They also provide practical and emotional support to unpaid carers and family members, helping them understand dementia, build resilience and access the support they need throughout the dementia journey.
By enabling families to access the right support at the right time, YODAs help people live as well as possible following a diagnosis, maintaining independence, reducing isolation and remaining active members of their communities for as long as possible.
YODAs are primarily home-based. As a self-motivated initiative taker, you’ll need to be largely self-managing and comfortable working independently as part of a supportive and collaborative team. In particular, you need to be comfortable working with clients and carers face-to-face via video conferencing, telephone and also visiting clients in their own homes. You will have the freedom to manage your own caseload, working within the service framework and under the guidance of the Team Manager and the Head of Service.
Location
Oxfordshire, South Vale and City – Based from home.
NB this role requires that have your own transport and are available to do home visits and attend groups and meetings in Oxfordshire on a regular basis. (travel expenses are reimbursed for travel within Oxfordshire)
Hours Remuneration and Benefits
- Salary £14.18 ph (£25,808 pa pro rata), increasing to £14.75 ph (£26,845pa pro rata) on completion of probation period
- 21-35 hours per week by mutal agreement
- 28 days holiday plus bank holidays, increasing to 33 days after 5 years’ service
- Flexible working arrangements
- Charity sick pay, increasing with length of service
- Pension scheme
- Health cash plan for staff member and up to 4 residing dependants under 24
- 24 hour Employee Assistance Program
- Free car parking at Head office
- Cycle to work scheme
I think the most important part of our role is to give information, advice and support in a person-centred way. And by that I mean it’s about valuing people living with dementia and their family carers. It’s about treating them as individuals. It’s about seeing things from their perspective and it’s about promoting a positive social environment.
Rose – Dementia Adviser for South Oxfordshire
Listen to 'a day in the life' of a Dementia Adviser
About you
Ideally we are looking for someone with experience and lots of skills. However, for the right person we can offer a training and development programme, with mentoring support from an experienced YODA, a structured induction, and a pathway to a level three qualification (as per the Regulated Qualifications Framework).
We are looking for someone able to see beyond the diagnosis, to show empathy and enable clients to navigate the pathways of dementia care and help them to live well with dementia.
We need someone who has experience of supporting people in a caring or cared for role, preferably caring for people living with dementia.
We are looking for someone with the ability to listen and understand a client’s needs, good problem-solving skills, and a positive attitude to learning.
You will need to be highly organised, able to communicate with a wide variety of people and able to show empathy and provide support to those facing challenging circumstances.
YODAs are asked to take on additional responsibilities to support service development, and we are also interested in hearing from candidates who have complimentary skills or experience in providing education and awareness sessions, fund raising, and in supporting social media and websites.
About us
Dementia Oxfordshire (DOX) is a service provided by Age UK Oxfordshire (AUKO). We provide specialist information, advice, education and support for people living with dementia, their families and carers across Oxfordshire. Working alongside NHS, local authority and voluntary sector partners, we help people live as well as possible with dementia while maintaining independence, wellbeing and connection within their communities.
We have three locality teams and a specialist Young Onset Dementia team. Including our back office support staff, there are 30 team members.
You will be joining a committed and tight-knit team who are proud of the service they provide, we are always looking for ways to improve it. We work hard to collaborate with other parts of the dementia support system in Oxfordshire and have strong links with GP practices and the memory clinics.
What we stand for: Enabling older people across the county to love later life
Age UK Oxfordshire is an independent local charity. We have over 160 dedicated staff and over 235 volunteers helping us to deliver services and activities for older people in Oxfordshire.
Our mission:
We work within communities to support older people to stay independent and live life to the full
Our vision:
We are working for a world where those we serve are loving life
Our values:
- Listening and amplifying people’s voices
- Empowering and enabling by working alongside people to identify solutions
- Compassion walking alongside people during challenging times
We encourage applications from all candidates to support a more diverse workforce. We are committed to challenging all forms of discrimination and celebrating and promoting diversity throughout our work.
See why our Dementia Advisers feel so passionate about their work
Interview details
Interviews, there will be aptitude tasks and a formal interview with the Head of Service and two other staff members.
All interviews are held virtually using Microsoft Teams, if you are unsure about using teams please ask our HR team to help you
There will be aptitude tasks to complete in advance of the interview
The final interview will follow a traditional interview approach where you will answer a series of questions from a 3 person panel. If you cannot be available on the interview dates please contact us before the closing date to discuss options.
How to apply
Dementia Oxfordshire is a service delivered by Age UK Oxfordshire and they coordinate the application process.
To apply click on the button below.
If you have any questions please email Sarah: sarahlawrence@ageukoxfordshire.org.uk
Informal Discussions: The Head of Service for Dementia Oxfordshire or a Dementia Adviser would be happy to chat with you about the role
Peter Johnson (Dementia Oxfordshire – Head of Service): peterjohnson@ageukoxfordshire.org.uk
- Emily Fenn (Young Onset Dementia Adviser)
emilyfenn@dementiaoxfordshire.org.uk
Deadlines and interviews as detailed below.
Closing date: 9am Monday 5th October 2026
Initial interview: Monday 12th October 2026
Final Interview: Monday 19th October 2026
If you cannot be available on these dates please contact Sarah in advance and we will explore alternatives.