Care Volunteers Research Articles

Exploring the role of volunteers in social care for older adults

PurposeThis paper aims to report the findings of a study that explores the contribution volunteers make to social care for older adults, identifying lessons for the social care sector and policymakers.Design/methodology/approachAn exploratory multiple case study design was used to capture the perspectives and experiences of managers of services, volunteer co-ordinators, volunteers, paid care staff and older people. Seven diverse social care organisations took part in the study drawn from three locations in the South West of England.FindingsThis study identified three distinct models of volunteer contribution to social care services for older people. Although the contributions made by volunteers to services are valued, the study drew attention to some of the challenges related to their involvement.Research limitations/implicationsThe organisations taking part in this small-scale study were all based in the South West of England, and the findings are therefore not generalisable but contribute to the growing evidence base related to this important field.Practical implicationsThis study demonstrates the importance of the volunteer co-ordinator role and suggests that it is properly funded and resourced. It also confirms the importance of volunteers receiving appropriate training and support.Originality/valueGiven the increasing involvement of volunteers in the provision of social care, this paper provides lessons to ensure the role of volunteers in social care enhances rather than diminishes the quality of care provided.

In a Time of Need: A Grassroots Initiative in Response to PPE Shortage in the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Primary care is the first line of defence in healthcare, particularly during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. In the London-Middlesex region of Ontario, a critical shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) was identified among primary care physicians (PCPs). With the help of the London-Middlesex Primary Care Alliance, volunteer administrators, physicians and medical students coordinated the acquisition and redistribution of community-donated PPE to PCPs across London-Middlesex. Our scope evolved to include PPE reusability and stewardship and PCP wellness. Beginning on March 16, 2020, our initial four-week operation provided PPE to over 200 PCPs. We received 60 donations, including over 118,000 gloves, 13,700 masks, 700 wellness kits and reusable cloth masks and gowns. Each delivery included educational pamphlets, and our online PPE stewardship session was attended by over 30 physicians. In response to the PPE shortage in COVID-19, our efforts evolved into a complex adaptive system, supported by an organizational body with a pre-existing communication infrastructure, to great success. Our scope extended beyond simple PPE provision to PCPs. Furthermore, our initiative established a framework for a centralized response to PPE shortage in Ontario Health West.

A Pilot Study Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Training Module Designed to Improve Hospice Palliative Care Volunteers' Ability to Deal With Unusual End-of-Life Phenomena.

The need for training to help healthcare professionals and hospice palliative care volunteers deal with unusual experiences at or around the end of a person's life is an oft-repeated theme in the scientific literature. A pilot study was conducted to examine the effectiveness of a training module designed to improve volunteers' ability to recognize, understand, and respond to unusual end-of-life phenomena (EOLP) in their work with dying patients and their families. Twenty-four volunteers from two community-based hospice palliative care programs completed the 25-item Coping with Unusual End-of-Life Experiences Scale (CUEES) prior to and immediately after attending a lecture and PowerPoint training module. A series of paired samples t tests revealed significant pre- and post-training differences on 14 items, suggesting that volunteers felt more knowledgeable about EOLP, better prepared to deal with EOLP, and more comfortable talking about EOLP with others following the training. The need for additional data is discussed.

Covid-19 Pandemic and Mental Health Issues

In January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), a Public Health Emergency of international concern. WHO stated that there is a high risk of COVID-19 spreading to countries around the world. In March 2020, WHO declared COVID-19 as a global pandemic. From December 2019 till today (18 June 2020) the total cases have approached to 8,242,999 with the death of 445,535 and the incidence is increasing day by day. From the first case seen in Wuhan, China the virus has been rapidly spreading to most of the countries of Asia, Europe and America with almost all the world population affected directly by the disease or its consequences. The physical, social, economic, psychological, and mental wellbeing of the world population have been affected with this pandemic in its peak. To control this pandemic, most of the resources and manpower are dedicated to the patients with COVID-19 and the health care workers and volunteers who work in frontline. Governments have implemented lockdown modalities with a hope to reduce the burden of transmission in their countries, which has surpassed more than 2-3 months in most countries. The effect of pandemic, lockdown and social isolation approach have risen concern regarding their consequences to the mental health of the general population.

The \u2018goodness-of-fit\u2019 of fit models: creating a multidimensional survey for person-organisation and person-group fit in health care

BackgroundPerson-environment fit, which examines the individual’s perceptions of if, and in what way, he or she is compatible with aspects of the work context, offers a promising conceptual model for understanding employees and their interactions in health care environments. There are numerous potential ways an individual feels they “fit” with their environment. The construct was first noted almost thirty years ago, yet still remains elusive. Feelings of fit with one’s environment are typically measured by surveys, but current surveys encompass only a subset of the different components of fit, which may limit the conclusions drawn. Further, these surveys have rarely been conducted in a focused way in health care settings.MethodThis article describes the development of a multidimensional survey tool to measure fit in relation to the person’s work group (termed person-group (P-G) fit) and their organisation (person-organisation (P-O) fit). The participants were mental health care employees, volunteers, and university interns (n = 213 for P-O fit; n = 194 for P-G fit). Confirmatory Factor Analyses (CFAs) were conducted using LISREL.ResultsValid and reliable sub-scales were found.ConclusionThis advanced multidimensional survey tool can be used to measure P-O and P-G fit, and illuminates new information about the theoretical structure of the fit construct.

Experiences of integrating community volunteers as extensions of the primary care team to help support older adults at home: a qualitative study

BackgroundIncreasing the integration of community volunteers into primary health care delivery has the potential to improve person-focused, coordinated care, yet the use of volunteers in primary care is largely unexplored. Health Teams Advancing Patient Experience: Strengthening Quality (Health TAPESTRY) is a multi-component intervention involving trained community volunteers functioning as extensions of primary care teams, supporting care based on older adults’ health goals and needs. This study aimed to gain an understanding of volunteer experiences within the program and client and health care provider perspectives on the volunteer role.MethodsThis study used a qualitative descriptive approach embedded in a pragmatic randomized controlled trial. Participants included Health TAPESTRY volunteers, health care providers, volunteer coordinator, and program clients, all connected to two primary care practice sites in a large urban setting in Ontario, Canada. Data collection included semi-structured focus groups and interviews with all participants, and the completion of a measure of attitudes toward older adults and self-efficacy for volunteers. Qualitative data were inductively coded and analyzed using a constant comparative approach. Quantitative data were summarized using descriptive statistics.ResultsOverall, 30 volunteers and 64 other participants (clients, providers, volunteer coordinator) were included. Themes included: 1. Volunteer training: “An investment in volunteers”; 2. Intergenerational volunteer pairing: “The best of both worlds”; 3. Understanding the volunteer role and its scope: “Lay people involved in care”; 4. Volunteers as extensions of primary care teams: “Being the eyes where they live”; 5. The disconnect between volunteers and the clinical team: “Is something being done?”; 6. “Learning… all the time”: Impacts on volunteers; and 7. Clients’ acceptance of volunteers.ConclusionsThis study showed that it is possible to integrate community volunteers into the primary care setting, adding human connections to deepen the primary care team’s understanding of their patients. Program implementation suggestions that emerged included: using role play in training, making volunteer role boundaries and specifications clear, and making efforts to connect volunteers and the primary care team they are supporting. This exploration of stakeholder voices has the potential to help improve volunteer program uptake and acceptability, as well as volunteer recruitment, retention, and training.Trial registrationFor RCT: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02283723, November 5, 2014.

Profiles of family caregivers of patients at the end of life at home: a Q-methodological study into family caregiver\u2019 support needs

BackgroundFamily caregivers of patients at the end of life often experience care-related burden. To prevent caregiver burden and to enhance the capacity to provide care it is important to have insight in their support needs. The purpose of this study was to identify profiles of family caregivers who provide care to patients at the end of life at home.MethodsA Q-methodological study was conducted in which family caregivers ranked 40 statements on support needs and experiences with caregiving. Thereafter they explained their ranking in an interview. By-person factor analysis was used to analyse the rankings and qualitative data was used to support the choice of profiles. A set of 41 family caregivers with a variety on background characteristics who currently or recently provided care for someone at the end of life at home were included.ResultsFour distinct profiles were identified; profile (1) those who want appreciation and an assigned contact person; profile (2) was bipolar. The positive pole (2+) comprised those who have supportive relationships and the negative pole (2-) those who wish for supportive relationships; profile (3) those who want information and practical support, and profile (4) those who need time off. The profiles reflect different support needs and experiences with caregiving.ConclusionsFamily caregivers of patients at the end of life have varying support needs and one size does not fit all. The profiles are relevant for healthcare professionals and volunteers in palliative care as they provide an overview of the main support needs among family caregivers of patients near the end of life. This knowledge could help healthcare professionals giving support.

\u201cFrom good hearted community members we get volunteers\u201d \u2013 an exploratory study of palliative care volunteers across Africa

BackgroundVolunteers play a significant role in supporting hospice and palliative care in Africa, but little is known about the types of volunteers, their motivations and roles in service delivery.MethodsPalliative care experts from 30 African countries were invited to participate in an online survey, conducted in English and French, that consisted of 58 questions on: socio-demographics, the activities, motivation and coordination of volunteers, and an appraisal of recent developments in volunteering. The questionnaire was pre-tested in Uganda. Quantitative data was analysed descriptively with SPSS v22; answers on open-ended questions were analysed using content analysis.ResultsTwenty-five respondents from 21 countries replied to the questionnaire. The typical volunteer was reported to be a female aged between 30 and 50 years. Volunteer roles included, among others: direct patient assistance, providing psychosocial / spiritual support, and assisting patients’ families. Respondents considered altruism, civic engagement and personal gain (for a professional career) as volunteers’ most significant motivational drivers. One in two respondents noted that recruiting volunteers is easy, and cooperation with the communities was often mentioned as helpful. Trainings mostly occurred before the first assignment, with topics covering the palliative care concept, care, psychosocial support and team work. Half of respondents described recent overall volunteering developments as positive, while the other half described problems primarily with financing and motivation. Most volunteers received transportation allowances or bicycles; some received monetary compensation.ConclusionsThe findings show a wide range of volunteering in palliative care. We identified volunteers as typically 30–50 years old, non-professional females, motivated by altruism, a sense of civic engagement and personal gain. Palliative care services benefit from volunteers who take on high workloads and are close to the patients. The main challenges for volunteer programmes are funding and the long-term motivation of volunteers.

The Role of Hospice Palliative Care Volunteers With Respect to Conversations About Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD).

The Role of Hospice Palliative Care Volunteers With Respect to Conversations About Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD).

Perceptions on Connecting Respite Care Volunteers and Caregivers.

The most common requirement for informal caregivers is to experience a respite or temporary break from their caregiving routine. Some initiatives have been undertaken to provide respite care through volunteer providers. We report on a qualitative study carried out in Santiago, Chile, to learn about the willingness of potential volunteers to provide respite care for bedridden older persons, as well as their willingness to use information and communication technologies (ICT) to connect to caregivers in a low-income neighbourhood within their own geographic district. A trustworthy institution that mediates the volunteer–caregiver relationship is considered to be important by potential volunteers. Potential volunteers were found to be willing to use ICT to provide respite care, sharing basic information about themselves. However, they were also aware of the digital skill gap that may exist between them and the caregivers and were distrustful of unknown websites that could connect them to care recipients.

What it means to be a palliative care volunteer in eight European countries: a qualitative analysis of accounts of volunteering.

This paper addresses the stories of volunteers in hospice and palliative care (HPC) from eight European countries. The aims of the paper are to explore the experiences of volunteers in HPC from their insider perspective, to understand why volunteers choose to work in this field and to understand what it means to them to be involved in palliative care in this way. Stories were collected by the European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC) Task Force for Volunteering contacts in each of the eight countries. The majority of stories (n=32) came from volunteers involved in different settings including adult patient's homes, hospices, hospitals and care homes. Twenty volunteers were female, six were male, and ten did not give their gender. Stories were translated into English, and a qualitative framework analysis was performed. Volunteers were asked two questions: 'What do you do as a volunteer?' 'What does volunteering mean to you?' Three themes were identified from the data: (i) What volunteers do (ii) How volunteers approach their work and (iii) What working in HPC means to volunteers. The analysis revealed that common approaches to addressing and describing HPC volunteering in terms of tasks and roles could be expanded. To volunteers, it is not about tasks, but about a part of their life, the impact upon which can be significant. The results of this paper, therefore, add to the understanding of volunteers, in the sense of giving attention, being with, and of compassion as a community resource to patients and families in difficult situations. Theories about presence and presencing might have value in further underpinning this contribution to palliative care. Understanding the extent and depth of the volunteers' experience will help to prevent the undervaluing of their contribution and increase the impact of their involvement.

‘Small project, big difference’: capacity building through a national volunteering fund: an evaluation of the Department of Health’s Health and Social Care Volunteering Fund

This article reports the findings of a mixed-methods evaluation study on the impact of a national fund to support volunteering as a mechanism to achieve health and social goals, within the Health and Social Care Volunteering Fund (HSCVF) programme, established by the formerly named Department of Health (now the Department of Health and Social Care). The article adds understanding of the mechanisms through which government organisations can build voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisational capacity to support volunteers. First, the programme increased capacity via resource mobilisation to enhance volunteer recruitment; second, it strengthened VCSE organisations through partnerships/linkages/networking; and finally, it supported learning and skills development. The HSCVF impacted on both volunteering projects and host organisations to produce a range of positive outcomes that were particularly marked in smaller organisations: ‘small project, big difference’. Successful community capacity building can result from programmes such as HSCVF, with this article contributing to the evidence base by detailing the processes through which this occurred.

“When I Iron My Son’s Shirt, I Feel My Maternal Role”: Making Women’s Invisible Work Visible

This article seeks to learn how women perceive invisible work and how it affects their lives. This article contributes to the integration of different manifestations of invisible work into a conceptual whole, especially in light of the fact that most research has confined itself to only one aspect such as care work, housework, or volunteering. Nine group interviews were conducted with Israeli mothers from differing ethnic, religious, class, and age groups. Analysis reveals that the distinctions between aspects of invisible work, such as housework and care work and between activities belonging to the private and public spheres are much more blurred in women’s lives than might be inferred from the academic literature. Furthermore, throughout the life course of women the meanings and expressions of invisible work evolve creating a continuous struggle. In describing their everyday activities, women challenge the socially constructed binary oppositions in the context of the neoliberal economy.

The experience with volunteer and collaborative work in mental health and psychosocial care during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Brazil is the country of the world with the second most COVID-19 cases and deaths, and the pandemic's impacts pose multiple challenges for mental health. This paper reports on experience with the emergency organization of the volunteer and collaborative Working Group (GT, in Portuguese) on mental health and psychosocial care aimed at producing rapid responses for health services in the context of COVID-19. The study involved the identification and systematization of current evidence in the scientific literature on mental health and psychosocial care in public health emergencies and pandemics, with the establishment of a network involving 117 researchers and 25 institutions, and the organization of themes for the elaboration of materials, referenced on the response phases in public health emergencies and pandemics. In less than 60 days, 18 technical documents were produced, ranging from services organization and management for different vulnerable groups. The materials became references in health institutions and services. A national course on mental health and psychosocial care in COVID-19 was also organized, with more than 60,000 people registered. The experience provides food for thought and a contribution for future experiences involving knowledge translation in the current pandemic and in future public health emergencies and pandemics, with the following: (1) combination of volunteer and collaborative work involving professionals with experience in the organization of services and care in past events; (2) reliance on institutional support and resources; (3) speed and credibility of work involving the establishment of networks of professionals and institutions; and (4) responses to the urgent needs with the capacity to shape paths for care in mental health and psychosocial care.

COVID-19 и мобилизация медицины на постсоветском пространстве

Those social changes that took place in the Spring and Summer of 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic were mainly related to information pressures, lockdowns, economic collapses, and, in most cases, to civil and governmental solidarity focusing on the idea to save human lives. The political elites of Russia, Georgia, Ukraine, and Armenia largely shared European and North American ideas and practices of combatting the pandemic, sometimes successfully using media power and quarantines to solve their political problems. Belarus followed a different path that eventually proved to be costly for its leadership. The second wave turned out to be heavier than the first one: as early as October, hospital beds were typically filled completely. Even in Georgia that managed to cope with the first wave of the epidemic by the early summer, morbidity and mortality set records in November. The article explores political elites, health care management systems, medical teams, and volunteer and community networks in post-Soviet countries reacted to and changed institutionally during the two waves of the pandemic.

A Study on the Motivations of Korean Hospice Volunteers.

Aim:Volunteers play a key role in hospice and palliative service. This study was performed to investigate the motivations of Korean hospice volunteers and to identify the predictors that affect their service period.Materials and Methods:The accomplished questionnaire sheets of 93 subjects were included in the analysis. Inventory of Motivations for Hospice Palliative Care Volunteerism to measure the motivations of the hospice volunteers was used. The collected data were subjected to a statistical analysis of the mean and standard deviation, a t-test, and multinomial logistic regression analysis.Results:The motivation score of the hospice volunteers in South Korea is 75.57 ± 10.97, and the top three in the motivation list were altruism, civic responsibility, and self-promotion. Among the subdomains, altruism, 1–4-year working experience (B = 0.79, standard error (SE) = 0.26, P = 0.002, Exp (B) =0.45), and more than 10-year working experience (B = 1.00, SE = 0.30, P = 0.001, Exp (B) =0.36) had statistically significant influences.Conclusions:The finding of this study can be used as basic information for the recruitment and management of hospice volunteers in South Korea.

The involvement of volunteers in palliative care and their collaboration with healthcare professionals: A cross-sectional volunteer survey across the Flemish healthcare system (Belgium).

Volunteers occupy a specific space in the delivery of palliative care (PC), addressing specific aspects of care and providing a link between professional healthcare providers and informal care. Engaging and empowering these volunteers can be an important strategy to deliver more integrated and comprehensive PC. Insights into current actual volunteer involvement and collaboration across different healthcare services providing generalist and specialist PC is lacking. This study aims to describe volunteers' involvement in the organisation of PC, collaboration with professionals and how they evaluate this. A cross-sectional postal survey of volunteers was conducted between June and November 2018 using a written questionnaire. A two-step disproportionately stratified cluster randomised sample of 2,273 registered volunteers was taken from different strata of healthcare organisations providing care for people with serious illnesses in the Flemish healthcare system (Belgium). Overall response was 35% (15%-60% for individual strata). About 67% of volunteers were often to always informed about the organisation of patient care and 48% felt the organisation often to always takes their opinion into account, while a minority report having decision rights (18%) or autonomy (24%). For some, their organisation failed to inform (17%), consult (27%), take into account their opinion (21%), give them decision rights (20%) or autonomy (16%) over certain aspects of patient care provision often enough. Overall, volunteer-professional collaboration was low, and mostly limited to information sharing. Dedicated PC volunteers collaborated extensively with nurses, often involving task coordination (46%). Ambiguity regarding tasks, agreements and/or rules (15%) and lack of information exchange (14%) were the most cited barriers to volunteer-professional collaboration. Many volunteers were open to stronger involvement in the organisation of care in PC services. Collaboration with professionals seemed lacking in width and depth. Particularly, nursing home volunteers indicated a desire and large potential for more involved and collaborative roles in PC provision.

Views of professionals and volunteers in palliative care on patient-centred care: a Q-methodology study in the Netherlands

BackgroundPatients with palliative care needs, require support with their physical needs, but also with their emotional, spiritual and social needs. Patient-Centred Care (PCC) may help organizations to support these patients according to their needs and so improve the quality of care. PCC has been shown to consist of eight dimensions, including for instance access to care and continuity of care, but these eight dimensions may not be equally important in all care settings and to all patients. Furthermore, the views of those involved in care provision may affect the choices they make concerning care and support to patients. Therefore, insight into how professionals and volunteers involved in palliative care delivery view PCC is important for understanding and improving the quality of care in the palliative sector.MethodsThis study was conducted in the palliative care setting (hospices and hospitals) in the Netherlands. Views on palliative care were investigated using the Q-methodology. Participants were asked to rank 35 statements that represented the eight dimensions of PCC in palliative care settings, and to explain their ranking during a follow-up interview. Ranking data were analysed using by-person factor analysis. Interview materials were used to help interpret the resulting factors.ResultsThe analysis revealed two distinct viewpoints on PCC in palliative care: ‘The patient in the driver seat’, particularly emphasizing the importance of patient autonomy during the last phase of life, and ‘The patient in the passenger seat’, focussed on the value of coordination between professionals, volunteers and patients.ConclusionsThe most distinguishing aspect between views on PCC in palliative care concerned control; a preference for the patient in the driver’s seat versus shared decision-making by a team consisting of patient, professionals and volunteers. Different types of care and support may be most adequate to satisfy the different needs and preferences of patients with either of these views.

361P - The role of volunteers in quality palliative care delivery

BackgroundHere in India almost 75% of cancer patient die a sad death of neglect due to lack of awareness about palliative care and low economic level. Surveys in India show that two third of cancer patient do not get proper care during the terminal phase of their life. Palliative care through volunteers can make a significant difference in this respect. To identify and try to solve, to the extent possible, the main difficulties in giving palliative care to the terminal cancer patients of the area. And evaluate the impact of volunteer’s direct care of palliative patients and their families. MethodsFeedback from patients and their relatives regarding the palliative care they receive from nursing home and from volunteers and compare the two. Also feedback from volunteers regarding their positive and negative experience while delivering palliative care service. Then evaluate the data to compare and improve the quality of service. ResultsWe carried out two studies. One study was undertaken in nursing home palliative care and another was in home setting by volunteers. Both studies were in adult palliative care services. Since January 2018, 416 cases were studied to enquire about their experience in both home based care and nursing home care. Both the studies fulfilled our quality appraisal criteria. One found that those families and patients who received home visits from volunteers were significantly more satisfied. The study highlighted the value of the role of volunteers in better satisfaction of patients and their families. ConclusionsFurther research is needed to evaluate the role of volunteers in palliative care and how it can be delivered appropriately and effectively. We also wish to compare our findings with similar studies elsewhere. Legal entity responsible for the studyThe author. FundingHas not received any funding. DisclosureThe author has declared no conflicts of interest.

Contexts between mental health of fledged people and compassion competence in the care

Abstract The aim of this doctoral thesis is to investigate the extent to which the competence compassion has a positive influence on the mental health of refugees. The research question was raised in a first step by means of a questionnaire by Mohr & Müller, ‘Depression tendencies in the non-clinical context’. Eighty asylum seekers were questioned in a total of seventeen lodgings. In addition, a survey was conducted with employees and volunteers in refugee care. This survey included 102 people who were assessed using the standardized BOSS1 Burnout Screening Scale. With the help of the Santa Clara Briefing Scale, the differences in the population between people who are not volunteering and those who volunteer in refugee care are being investigated through an online survey. There were 818 people attending. The evaluation of the data showed that the competency compassion lowers the depressive tendencies among the refugees and they have a more positive sense of integration and hope for a better life. The competency of compassion reduces burnout factors and people who have committed themselves voluntarily have significantly higher values in compassion competency. Thus compassion can be confirmed as a valuable competence in refugee care, not only among the refugees, but also among employees and volunteers. Key messages The present study has shown that empathy skills reduce depressive tendencies in people who have escaped. Associations of compassion and low burnout factors confirmed by the study showed that persons with high compassion skills have low burnout scores.