When Jane Vernon first began volunteering with the charity Making Space, she was painfully shy. So much so, she needed her own support worker to accompany her to the sessions.
Jane, now 23, had been a student at Oldham College since leaving school at 16. As a student with learning disabilities, her tutors were keen to find a supported internship where Jane could gain confidence and learn skills to help with employment.
So, when Jane expressed an interest in working with older people, her college adviser contacted Annette Murray, dementia adviser at Oldham Dementia Service, operated by national adult health & social care charity Making Space.
“When the learning disability SEN team got in touch, they were looking for a role where Jane could expand her skills and help with her self-esteem,” says Annette. “We run several groups throughout Oldham for people with dementia, and have our own qualified support workers and experienced volunteers, so we were more than happy to help with the employment aspect of Jane’s internship.”
When Jane first started volunteering in the dementia support groups, she was severely lacking in confidence and struggled to make conversation with the group members and support workers.
“New people give me anxiety,” explains Jane. “It makes me feel very nervous when I’m with people I don’t know, and I don’t know what to say.”
But despite her initial nerves, Jane quickly became a valued member of the team.
“The transformation we’ve seen in Jane has been nothing short of amazing,” says Annette. “She engages really well with people living with dementia and has become more aware of their needs as time has gone on. She’s really gone out of her comfort zone to learn new things, and is now great at holding one-to-one conversations with people. The group members adore her.”
Jane says her natural affinity for working with older people comes from caring for her elderly grandmother.
“During lockdown I got really upset that I couldn’t see her, so my family came up with the idea that I should stay there for a couple of nights,” says Jane. “While I was there, she got really ill. She had a bad diabetes hypo episode and fainted because her blood sugars were really low, so I called the ambulance and made sure she was OK until it arrived.
“After that, we decided it would be better if I moved in to look after her properly and to be there in case it happened again.”
Earlier this year, Jane’s grandma became ill once again and sadly passed away.
“Before my grandma died, lots of people looked after her,” says Jane. “That’s why I want to work with older people, I want to be able to do what the people who looked after my grandma did.”
Jane has now made so much progress with Making Space, not only does she no longer need her own support worker – she has a paid role as a dementia care assistant.
“I work with the dementia group for eight hours a week,” she says. “I love talking to the people in the groups about what they did when they were younger, what they like and don’t like. It’s really interesting to me, and we all get on really well.”
Eventually, Jane would like to become a support worker in a care home. But for now, the team at Oldham Dementia Service are very happy to have her.
“Jane is an absolutely amazing, kind, thoughtful and considerate young lady,” says Annette. “She’s an asset to the team, and is absolutely thriving. It’s been very emotional for us to watch how much this young lady has grown.”
