Patient and befriender experiences of participating in a befriending programme for adults with psychosis: A qualitative study.

Burn, Erin; Chevalier, Agnes; Leverton, Monica; Priebe, Stefan

doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-15833/v1

Cited by 1 publication

(2 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…There was a clear distinction between people who appreciated the volunteers taking them to their appointment but who had family members that they would call on if they were going to a visit they considered “serious”, and people who had no family or close friends to rely on who would be incredibly grateful if a volunteer would accompany them into their medical visit. Similar issues have been reported in befriending studies in the mental health literature where volunteers report their befriending experience positively but express confusion about roles and express varying levels of comfort with different levels of commitment [ 31 ]. It was clear was that many volunteers are willing to do much more than merely drive someone from door-to-door.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 54%

“…We propose a tiered system driven by the needs and wants of the patients, with some volunteers providing a door-to-door ride service, while others provide some forms of care coordination, and a small number of volunteers accompanying older adults into physician visits. Studies examining the role of volunteer companions in the community setting show mixed results with positive effects of befriending in the mental health setting [ 31 ] but unclear benefits when used to target social isolation [ 22 , 34 ] or address healthcare utilization. Training for these volunteers is inconsistent and may contribute to the different effects observed in different studies.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Can volunteer medical visit companions support older adults in the United States?

2021

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Background Older adults are encouraged to use Medical Visit Companions (MVCs) for routine medical encounters; however, many vulnerable older adults attend alone or fail to attend. In the absence of available family or friends, community volunteers could potentially fill this gap. We aimed to understand the role and acceptability of volunteer MVCs accompanying older adults to medical visits and explore potential barriers and facilitators of increasing MVC availability and expanding roles beyond transportation. Methods Two moderators conducted 4 focus groups with 29 volunteers grouped by whether they provided (n = 15) or received (n = 14) rides to medical visits. All were members of Partners In Care (PIC), a community organization in Maryland, United States which offers a range of programs and services that support the independence of older adults including the provision of volunteer MVCs. Participants were asked to discuss why they were involved with PIC, and to describe their experiences with providing or receiving companionship during medical visits. Inductive thematic analysis was used to explore the views and experiences of participants, particularly around the roles played by MVCs and the feasibility of expanding these roles. Results All participants reported benefits from their role whether that was giving or receiving rides. Many accompanied participants reported missing medical appointments prior to joining PIC and being able to avail of the services of a MVC. Volunteer roles varied and ranged from transportation only, help with care coordination and in some cases accompanying the person into their medical visit. A subgroup of volunteers expressed a willingness to take on additional roles during the physician visit following additional training and isolated older adults welcomed the prospect of their assistance. Conclusion Our qualitative data indicate that non-family, volunteer MVCs are willing and able to assist older people going to a medical visit. With appropriate training and support, volunteer companions could do much to improve the healthcare experience for those who otherwise would attend alone or would not attend medical visits.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 54%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%