Volunteers’ experiences building relationships with long-term care residents who have advanced dementia

Abstract

Healthcare volunteers make important contributions within healthcare settings, including long-term care. Although some studies conducted in long-term care have shown that volunteers contribute positively to the lives of people living with advanced dementia, others have raised questions about the potential for increasing volunteers’ involvement. The purpose of this study is to understand volunteers’ perspectives on their work and relationships with long-term care residents with advanced dementia. A total of 16 volunteers participated in semi-structured interviews about their experiences. Interview data were analyzed using an inductive approach to thematic analysis. In this analysis, a central concept, relationships in dementia care volunteering, enveloped four related themes: mutuality and empathy as the foundation for dementia care relationships with residents, family as the focus of volunteer relationships, relationships shaped by grief, and staff support for volunteer relationships. We conclude that in long-term care settings, volunteer roles and relationship networks are more robust than they are often imagined to be. We recommend that long-term care providers looking to engage volunteers consider training and supporting volunteers to cultivate relationships with residents, family, and staff; navigate experiences of loss; and be considered as members of dementia care teams.

Supporting the “hallway residents”: a qualitative descriptive study of staff perspectives on implementing the Namaste Care intervention in long-term care

“…Thus, Namaste Care can be seen as a medium and facilitator for these family roles and relationships to take place. By allowing engaged family carers to share key information about the resident’s habits and values with staff, Namaste Care can be an effective person-centered program by bridging resident needs with family involvement and staff empowerment—a relationship triad which serves as a powerful facilitator to quality resident care [ 39 ].…”

“…Regarding volunteer engagement, there was considerable mention of recruiting volunteers to assist with social programs like Namaste Care, with most staff supporting their involvement. This theme is particularly interesting as it builds on staff’s perceptions that with their high workloads, volunteers may be an invaluable resource to assist with the implementation of social engagement programs, which can include Namaste Care [ 39 ]. Although there were some doubts finding or having enough volunteers in such a role, the majority of participants found it appropriate and further recommended their help.…”

“…Nevertheless, many hopeful benefits from volunteer assistance in Namaste Care, such as reducing staff workload, retaining positive long-term volunteer impact, and saving costs that can be reinvested in other areas of the home, remain unclear [ 42 ]. Additionally, it may be valuable to broaden the research on volunteers in LTC to include other types of voluntary support, such as exploring how students from health and social disciplines can participate in Namaste Care as part of courses or projects with community service learning components [ 39 ].…”

A Survey of Towards the Utilization of Volunteers as a Preventive Measure for Cognitive Decline in the Elderly;

“…In the local community, Dementia Supporters actively organize Orange Cafes (places where anyone can easily come, such as elderly with dementia, their families, local residents and professionals), and their activities have already been recognized and established 19) . However, experienced volunteers pointed out the need for teamwork with nursing staff, as it was impossible to provide direct physical care to dementia patients 20) . Therefore, if information on the needs of patients with dementia can be obtained and shared through cooperation with volunteers, for example, dementia supporters, sharing information about needs can be positioned as an ability similar to "the ability to continue living with the elderly with dementia in cooperation with related person.…”

Addressing loneliness and social isolation through the involvement of primary and secondary informal caregivers in nursing homes: a scoping review

“…schoolchildren, members of associations, voluntary workers). Secondary caregivers play a robust role in expanding the circle of social contacts for residents [20][21][22] and opening the nursing home to the larger community. The inclusion of these groups in the nursing home is a complex process [23] involving informal caregivers' access to everyday activities and active engagement in decision-making and the care process.…”