The CDAP Guide captures the best practices identified during the program's creation and implementation. The overarching purpose of the CDAP reflects the impact it aims to make through the implementation of the program.
Ambassador Activity
Evaluation and Reporting
Reaffirming Commitment or
Offboarding
Performance Metrics and Targets
Impact Metrics focus on the number of ambassadors recruited and retained and the number of Albertans served through CDAP. Percentage of ambassadors retained in each community at the end of each fiscal calendar year (ie, regardless of start date). The number of people engaged reported by each ambassador (ie, in some cases, such as community events, estimates may be submitted).
The Association is committed to helping them succeed in their role as ambassadors for dementia in the community. Examples of the tools/tools for data collection by continuous improvement metrics can be found in Appendix B: Tools/Tools for Data Collection by Continuous Improvement Metrics. Although data collection should not and – in most cases – cannot begin until CDAP has been developed and implemented, the CDAP objective, objectives, performance measures, performance goals and data collection requirements, including tools/tools and frequency, should be at the forefront of the program will determine how the rest of the CDAP is developed.
Community Identification
The society aims to create awareness of its services, dementia and dementia inclusion throughout Alberta. As a result, it is most beneficial for the Society to reach Albertans in communities where there are higher than average numbers of seniors living in and around the community. The community is a center for senior services (eg, health, recreation and culture), attracting seniors from the local and surrounding areas.
The Society works hard to build relationships with health professionals of all types so they can get to know Albertans on their health journeys and make referrals to the Society for people with signs of dementia, people living with dementia and their partners. care. Communities that are centers for senior services are more likely to meet people who will benefit from the Society's services. The Association's recommended procedure for searching communities to determine whether they meet the community selection criteria involves four steps:
Step One
The community has an elderly population equal to or higher than the Alberta average (eg, 14% of the population in 2021).
Identify communities without a Society office or staff and/or two
Step Two
Step Three
Identify communities with a higher than average percentage of seniors
To research the percentage of seniors in Alberta, see the Government of Alberta population statistics and find the percentage of seniors.5 For example, the Government of Alberta Population Report identifies 14% of Alberta's population as 65+.6. To research the percentage of seniors in a community, visit Statistics Canada's most recent census profile for that community. Identify communities where 14% or more of the population is 65 years of age or older (ie Manning is a community with a higher than Alberta average proportion of seniors).
Step Four
Identify communities that are a hub for seniors services
Recruitment
Attract Potential Ambassadors
Provide a description of CDAP, including program benefits for Albertans (see Program Description on page 4). Offer to provide a copy of the Community Dementia Ambassador Role Description and Ambassador recruitment materials (see Appendix D: Sample Ambassador Recruitment Materials). Regardless of your comfort level seeking the support of local organizations and contacts, it may be helpful to use a CDAP lead generation tracking tool (see Appendix F: CDAP Lead Generation Tracking Tool), which allows you track the organizations and individuals you've researched, your communication status with them, and any successes or follow-ups requested.
By doing this research, you will be able to determine which marketing and community communication channels have the potential to maximize your potential to attract one or more Ambassadors to the community for the minimum amount of resources (eg, time, energy, cost). It is most important that your recruitment materials stand out, communicate the opportunity and include a call to action with your contact information (eg, are you interested in learning more about the Community Dementia Ambassador Program ?Call .Wanda then to provide extensive information about the role and the program Keeping records of how well an organization, outreach, or community marketing or outreach channel has served your volunteer recruitment efforts can be extremely helpful in case you return to the community for further attraction efforts at some point in the future.
Screen Potential Candidates
The requirement to comply with the Society's policies and procedures, including record keeping and confidentiality requirements. The requirement to report to the Society on a monthly basis and report activities, using a standardized template (see Objective 5: Ambassador activity for more information). Take a letter provided by the Society to their local police department to request and complete a Criminal Record Check or Police Information Check, including Vulnerable Sector Search, where the cost of the completed Criminal Record Check will be reimbursed by the Society becomes upon enrollment at the CDAP .
Note: Criminal record checks may be offered free or at a reduced rate for non-profit volunteers in some communities, making the letter provided by the Society important.). Review and adhere to the Society's Manual for Volunteer Involvement (see Appendix G: Administrative Forms and Documentation). Track volunteer activities and any eligible expenses in a tracking sheet (see Appendix I: Community Dementia Ambassador monthly reporting tool) and report them to the Society each month (i.e. volunteering is an in-kind contribution to the Society).
TIPS
Offer Verified Candidates the Role
Onboarding, Training, and Continuous
Improvement
The planned opportunities for them to participate in the CDAP Community of Practice (for example, a monthly, bi-monthly or quarterly forum organized by the Society to connect ambassadors and support training and peer-to-peer learning and support) . The Society also provides its volunteers with ongoing learning opportunities during their volunteer tenure, including through a CDAP Community of Practice. To complement its foundational training and to help support ambassador success and engagement, the Society also offers ongoing learning opportunities, including through a CDAP Community of Practice.
This can be replicated in an asynchronous environment by asking students to complete independent, module-based training and submit learning exercises to the Society to demonstrate completion and their understanding of the content. Remember, your training is meant to help your ambassadors feel confident and comfortable in their role and representing the community. The aim is to build their basic understanding of the community and how to succeed in their ambassadorial role and not to become subject experts on the community, community services or dementia.
Ambassador Activity
Meet with them on a set schedule (eg monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly) to answer questions, brainstorm ideas on how to best meet accountability in their community and surrounding area, and give them feedback and suggestions on how to improving their experience as Ambassadors and that of the people they engage. Distributing and providing assistance with the use of an Ambassador Activity Tracking Tool (see Appendix I: Community Dementia Ambassador Monthly Reporting Tool) to keep track of Ambassador activities, including how many people they reach in the community and surrounding area, and eligible expenses, including how to submit them and receive reimbursement. Work with an ambassador to take advantage of brand and reputation-building opportunities available in the community (eg, meeting with a local mayor or member of the Legislative Assembly, submitting an article to the local newspaper during Alzheimer's awareness month in January, creating a public service announcement for a local radio station).
If this is necessary, it is recommended that another representative of the association participates in the audit, preferably a representative of the volunteer program or HR department, who witnesses the conversation. It is also important to document and keep a record of the conversation, including the participants, date and points of discussion. To evaluate the success of a new activity, you may need to contact the ambassador for more information about the activity, how it was identified, how it was implemented, and the results (eg, how many people participated, . participant demographics, participant sentiment).
Evaluation
If you're interested in more detailed or advanced reporting, there are plenty of ways to get creative with evaluation and reporting. Find unique and interesting ways to aggregate and display your data and information (for example, presenting a map of Alberta and using stars or numbers to indicate where you have ambassadors and how many, use graphs or charts to track changes in data points across periods to visually represent time). Ultimately, evaluation and reporting are your opportunities to demonstrate the progress, success, and value of your program to the many different audiences that may be interested in it.
It creates opportunities to show your ambassadors, colleagues, senior leaders and funders that CDAP matters and makes a difference in the lives of Albertans, in Alberta communities and to the work of the Society. Reflect on their work and the CDAP as a whole and identify ways to improve their individual performance. Identify opportunities to improve synergies within the Society, between ambassadors and between the activities taking place in communities.
Reaffirming Commitment
Offer to hear comments about how we could improve the Ambassador experience or program in the future. Guide them through a checklist to ensure they return all outstanding Society materials (eg CDAP Resource Kit). In the rare event that an Ambassador is released due to a violation of a Volunteer Agreement and/or a Confidentiality Agreement, including violation of rules and procedures or illegal activities (e.g., fraudulent expenses), it may be in the best interest of the Association to consult with an attorney before talk to the ambassador and release him.
A one-time ambassador may be inclined to return to a volunteer position in the future, become a donor to the association and its programs, or help recruit additional ambassadors. If the Ambassador leaves CDAP on positive terms, it can be a nice touch to send a personal and handwritten thank you card within two weeks of their last day at CDAP to acknowledge the time and contribution they have made to the community and their community. If an ambassador chooses to leave their role, ask them if they know of one or more people who might be interested in it.