Stand by me: a volunteer's reflection on working on an academic palliative care unit in Germany.

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  • Author(s): Böddeker A;Böddeker A; Smeding R; Voltz R
  • Source:
    Current opinion in supportive and palliative care [Curr Opin Support Palliat Care] 2010 Sep; Vol. 4 (3), pp. 174-7.
  • Publication Type:
    Journal Article
  • Language:
    English
  • Additional Information
    • Source:
      Publisher: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 101297402 Publication Model: Print Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1751-4266 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 17514258 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Curr Opin Support Palliat Care Subsets: MEDLINE
    • Publication Information:
      Original Publication: Emigsville, PA : Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
    • Subject Terms:
      Academic Medical Centers/*organization & administration ; Caregivers/*psychology ; Hospital Volunteers/*organization & administration ; Palliative Care/*organization & administration ; Patient Care Team/*organization & administration ; Quality of Life/*psychology; Ethics, Medical ; Germany ; Hospice Care/organization & administration ; Humans ; Male ; Narration ; Religion
    • Abstract:
      Purpose of Review: To relate personal experience and reflections on the tasks and role of a volunteer in an academic palliative care unit into the context of the English publications of 2009. We took a snapshot of the most recent publications as a way of placing the rather unique experiences of this German volunteer in an international context.
      Recent Findings: Five recent studies were found discussing the importance of volunteers in an interdisciplinary context, but mainly focusing on the volunteer's role in the community, interacting with terminally ill patients and their caregivers. Furthermore, aspects of ethical issues, reasons for starting and continuing to volunteer for hospice and the role of male volunteers were evaluated in these studies.
      Summary: The studies feature on the one hand the positive recognition of volunteers, for example, two studies revealed a significant interest by the respondents of having volunteers if they were dying. Also, these articles focused on family carers, who voted for the service of hospice/palliative care volunteers; on the other hand, efforts have to be made to improve the recruitment of volunteers especially if it comes to male support. A further study, reporting on ethical issues, indicates that little is known about these issues when it comes to a volunteer's interaction with a patient in difficult situations, how these are to be managed. These studies give us valuable clues on how and where to make continuous improvements.
    • Publication Date:
      Date Created: 20100709 Date Completed: 20110621 Latest Revision: 20100812
    • Publication Date:
      20240628
    • Accession Number:
      10.1097/SPC.0b013e32833c6ceb
    • Accession Number:
      20613535