(Dis)Connecting Through COVID-19: Experiences of Older Persons in the Context of a Volunteer–Client Relationship

Bruce, Paxton; Pesut, Barbara; Dunlop, Rowena; Puurveen, Gloria; Duggleby, Wendy

doi:10.1017/s0714980821000404

Cited by 6 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 47 publications

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“…This change was impactful for clients and volunteers, resulting in the loss of the face-to-face relational building that is so foundational to the effectiveness of the program. 47 Furthermore, it became even more difficult for organizations to recruit new clients. Seven of the 15 organizations were still within their 1-year intervention period, and two of those were just beginning the intervention period.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Scaling out a palliative compassionate community innovation: Nav-CARE

et al. 2022

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Background: There is an urgent need for community-based interventions that can be scaled up to meet the growing demand for palliative care. The purpose of this study was to scale out a volunteer navigation intervention called Nav-CARE by replicating the program in multiple contexts and evaluating feasibility, acceptability, sustainability, and impact. Methods: This was a scale-out implementation and mixed-method evaluation study. Nav-CARE was implemented in 12 hospice and 3 nonhospice community-based organizations spanning five provinces in Canada. Volunteers visited clients in the home approximately every 2 weeks for 1 year with some modifications required by the COVID-19 public health restrictions. Qualitative evaluation data were collected from key informants ( n = 26), clients/family caregivers ( n = 57), and volunteers ( n = 86) using semistructured interviews. Quantitative evaluation data included volunteer self-efficacy, satisfaction, and quality of life, and client engagement and quality of life. Findings: Successful implementation was influenced by organizational capacity, stable and engaged leadership, a targeted client population, and skillful messaging. Recruitment of clients was the most significant barrier to implementation. Clients reported statistically significant improvements in feeling they had someone to turn to, knowing the services available to help them in their community, being involved in things that were important to them, and having confidence in taking care of their illness. Improvements in clients’ quality of life were reported in the qualitative data, although no statistically significant gains were reported on the quality of life measure. Volunteers reported good self-efficacy and satisfaction in their role. Conclusion: The feasibility, acceptability, and sustainability of the program were largely dependent on strong intraorganizational leadership. Volunteers reported that their involvement in Nav-CARE enabled them to engage in ongoing learning and have a meaningful and relational role with clients. Clients and families described the positive impact of a volunteer on their engagement and quality of life.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Scaling out a palliative compassionate community innovation: Nav-CARE

et al. 2022

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Volunteers in Palliative Care

Candy,

Scott,

Low

et al. 2024

Textbook of Palliative Care

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Mobilising volunteer groups, communities and agencies during the pandemic: a rapid realist view of the evidence

Kneale,

Bangpan,

Hartley

et al. 2023

Humanit Soc Sci Commun

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The COVID-19 pandemic represented a rise in ‘people power’ globally, expressed through manifold acts of kindness, solidarity and mutualism as communities organised and came together where governments could or would not. In this study we were interested in the mechanisms through which communities and agencies extended existing practices and structures to respond to the pandemic or adopted new ways of organising. We undertook a rapid realist systematic review, following established steps and drawing on the Volunteer Process Model as our core theory. We worked with 59 studies to identify the mechanisms through which individuals, agencies and organisations, and communities mobilised and we identified six mechanisms. Gaining experience and developing role identity were key in mobilising volunteers to undertake activities and also resulted in positive outcomes for the volunteers themselves. Adaptability ensured that individuals, groups and local agencies and organisations were able to respond to the changing needs of beneficiary groups. Co-ordination helped communities, agencies and mutual aid groups to work together rather than in competition. Emotional support, support in the form of social and material recognition, and support through training were important in sustaining a volunteer workforce and protecting the wellbeing of the volunteer workforce. Altruism was a key motivator for stepping up during the pandemic and becoming a volunteer while greater trust was linked with the extent to which groups and communities were able to scale up efforts to respond to higher demands during the pandemic. While the COVID-19 pandemic represented a period of great social upheaval, it illuminated the ‘power of people’ working together. Our findings identify six key mechanisms that supported this mobilisation, which may be critical to activate in future health emergencies, but are also largely reflective of investments made before the pandemic to support the development of social capital and the development of volunteering infrastructure.

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(Dis)Connecting Through COVID-19: Experiences of Older Persons in the Context of a Volunteer–Client Relationship

Cited by 6 publications

References 47 publications

Scaling out a palliative compassionate community innovation: Nav-CARE

Scaling out a palliative compassionate community innovation: Nav-CARE

Volunteers in Palliative Care

Mobilising volunteer groups, communities and agencies during the pandemic: a rapid realist view of the evidence

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