Burnout in HIV/AIDS Volunteers: A Socio-Cultural Analysis among Latino Gay, Bisexual Men, and Transgender People

PubMed Central

Molina, Yamile; Dirkes, Jessica; Ramirez-Valles, Jesus

2017-01-01

Understanding factors associated with burnout among HIV/AIDS volunteers has long-ranging implications for community organizations and prevention. Using a cross-sectional sample of Latino gay/bisexual men and transgender people (N=309), we assess potential correlates of burnout identified by multiple theories, including factors associated with volunteering (experiences, motives) and contextual factors (stigma, sense of community). Reporting negative volunteering experiences was positively associated with burnout, while being motivated by personal HIV/AIDS experiences and having a greater sense of GLBT community was negatively related to burnout. The study highlights central challenges and opportunities to retain volunteers from marginalized communities. PMID:29422719

Holding on to what you have got: keeping hospice palliative care volunteers volunteering.

PubMed

Claxton-Oldfield, Stephen; Jones, Richard

2013-08-01

In all, 119 hospice palliative care volunteers from 3 community-based hospice programs completed the Volunteer Retention Questionnaire (VRQ), a 33-item survey designed for this study. The VRQ asks volunteers to rate the importance of each item to their decision to continue volunteering. The items that received the highest mean importance ratings included enjoying the work they do, feeling adequately prepared/trained to perform their role, and learning from their patients' experiences/listening to their patients' life stories. Being recognized (eg, pins for years of service or being profiled in the hospice newsletter), receiving phone calls/cards from their volunteer coordinator on special occasions, and being reimbursed for out-of-pocket expenses were among the items that received the lowest mean importance ratings. Suggestions for improving volunteer retention are provided.

Volunteers in Palliative Care - A Comparison of Seven European Countries: A Descriptive Study.

PubMed

Woitha, Kathrin; Hasselaar, Jeroen; van Beek, Karen; Radbruch, Lukas; Jaspers, Birgit; Engels, Yvonne; Vissers, Kris

2015-07-01

In Europe, volunteers have an important role in the delivery of palliative care. As part of the EU co-funded Europall project, 4 aspects of volunteering in palliative care were studied for 7 European countries (Belgium, England, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, and Spain). These included (1) involvement of volunteers in palliative care, (2) organization of palliative care volunteering, (3) legal regulations concerning volunteering, and (4) education and training of palliative care volunteering. A literature search combined with an interview study. Information from the scientific literature, and country-specific policy documents were obtained and completed, along with data of consecutive semi-structured interviews with experts in the field of palliative care in the participating countries. In all countries, volunteers appeared to be involved in palliative care, yet their involvement across health care settings differed per country. England, for example, has the highest number of volunteers whereas Spain has the lowest number. Volunteering is embedded in law and regulations in all participating countries except for England and the Netherlands. In all participating countries, training programs are available and volunteers are organized, both on a national and a regional level. This study provides a descriptive overview of volunteer work in palliative care in 7 European countries, with a focus on the organizational aspects. Further research should concentrate on the roles and responsibilities of volunteers in the care for the terminally ill in different European health systems. © 2014 World Institute of Pain.

Grassroots volunteers in context: rewarding and adverse experiences of local women working on HIV and AIDS in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania.

PubMed

Corbin, J Hope; Mittelmark, Maurice B; Lie, Gro T

2016-09-01

Many nongovernmental organizations in Africa rely on grassroots volunteers to provide critical health services. Considering context and the interplay of individual, organizational, and societal influences on the experience of volunteers, this paper addresses three questions: What do grassroots volunteers contribute? What organizational processes promote volunteer engagement? What are the positive and negative consequences of volunteering? Eighteen members and staff of the Tanzanian HIV and AIDS NGO, KIWAKKUKI, were selected from 6000+ women volunteers to be interviewed. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed for themes. Within KIWAKKUKI, volunteers contributed time and local knowledge, leading to an indigenous educational approach building on local norms and customs. Volunteers' engagement was motivated by the desire to support family members, reverse stigma, and work/socialize with other women. Benefits to volunteers included skills acquisition and community recognition; yet some volunteers also reported negative experiences including burnout, conferred stigma, and domestic violence. Positive organizational processes built on cultural practices such as collective decision-making and singing. The findings point to important considerations about context, including the synergistic effect training can have on local traditions of caring, complications of gender inequity, and how community health planning processes may need to be modified in extremely poor settings. This research also suggests good utility of the research framework (the Bergen Model of Collaborative Functioning) that was used to analyze volunteer engagement for service delivery in sub-Saharan contexts. © The Author(s) 2015.

Caring to learn, learning to care: Inmate Hospice Volunteers and the Delivery of Prison End-of-Life Care

PubMed Central

Cloyes, Kristin G.; Rosenkranz, Susan J.; Supiano, Katherine P.; Berry, Patricia H.; Routt, Meghan; Llanque, Sarah M.; Shannon-Dorcy, Kathleen

2017-01-01

The increasing numbers of aging and chronically ill prisoners incarcerated in Western nations is well documented, as is the growing need for prison-based palliative and end-of-life care. Less often discussed is specifically how end-of-life care can and should be provided, by whom, and with what resources. One strategy incorporates prisoner volunteers into end-of-life services within a peer care program. This article reports on one such program based on focused ethnographic study including in-depth interviews with inmate hospice volunteers, nursing staff, and corrections officers working in the hospice program. We describe how inmate volunteers learn hospice care through formal education and training, supervised practice, guidance from more experienced inmates, and support from correctional staff. We discuss how emergent values of mentorship and stewardship are seen by volunteers and staff as integral to prison hospice sustainability and discuss implications of this volunteer-centric model for response-ability for the end-of-life care of prisoners. PMID:28100141

Hospice Palliative Care Volunteers: A Review of Commonly Encountered Stressors, How They Cope With them, and Implications for Volunteer Training/Management.

PubMed

Claxton-Oldfield, Stephen

2016-03-01

Hospice palliative care volunteer work--being with dying persons and their often distraught family members--has the potential to take an emotional toll on volunteers. The aim of this review article is to examine the types of stressors hospice palliative care volunteers typically experience in their work and how they cope with them. The results of this literature review suggest that hospice palliative care volunteers do not generally perceive their volunteer work as highly stressful. Nonetheless, a number of potential stressors and challenges were identified in the literature, along with some strategies that volunteers commonly employ to cope with them. The implications for volunteers and volunteer training/management are discussed. © The Author(s) 2015.

Home-based care for people living with HIV/AIDS in Plateau State, Nigeria: findings from qualitative study.

PubMed

Agbonyitor, M

2009-01-01

As health-care services in Nigeria and other African countries are becoming overstrained with patients, home-based care has increasingly been touted as a possible solution. The faith-based organisation, Gospel Health and Development Services, provides a home-based care programme for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) residing in Plateau State, Nigeria. This paper assesses the challenges that PLWHA in the programme faced while maintaining their health and livelihoods. The frustrations that volunteers endured in performing their work are also described, as well as the benefits and weaknesses of the programme from the perspective of PLWHA and their volunteer caregivers. Focus groups and interviews were done with 30 PLWHA and 22 volunteers to learn about their experiences with the home-based care programme and possible areas for its improvement. From these discussions three major challenges facing PLWHA emerged: discrimination towards PLWHA; the lack of money, food, and transport to health-care centres; and the desire for closer antiretroviral drug access.

To be a trained and supported volunteer in palliative care - a phenomenological study.

PubMed

Söderhamn, Ulrika; Flateland, Sylvi; Fensli, Marthe; Skaar, Ragnhild

2017-03-14

It has been found that including volunteers in palliative care is a positive contribution to seriously ill patients. It is, however, recommended that the volunteers are trained and supported. The aim of this study was to describe a group of trained and supported volunteers' lived experiences as volunteers in palliative care within the community health care services. This study adopted a descriptive phenomenological approach featuring individual interviews with nine volunteers. The interviews were analysed using the descriptive phenomenological research method according to Giorgi. Being a volunteer in palliative care was both a positive and meaningful experience. It was a privilege being able to help those in need, which yielded positive returns. As a volunteer, it was important to be present for the ill persons and to follow them in their various physical and psychical states, which also implied that the volunteer had to face and deal with challenging situations. However, volunteers stated it was crucial to possess knowledge and life experience, as well as a clarified role, and they stressed the importance of being followed up by a mentor. The findings showed that trained and supported volunteers among seriously ill or dying people within the realm of community health care services play an independent and important role in the palliative care team. A coordinator in palliative care is especially suitable for training and supporting the volunteers.

Promoting volunteer capacity in hospice palliative care: a narrative review.

PubMed

Pesut, Barbara; Hooper, Brenda; Lehbauer, Suzanne; Dalhuisen, Miranda

2014-02-01

Hospice volunteers play an essential role in the primary care network for end of life. The purpose of this review was to examine the evidence on hospice volunteers published between 2002 and July 2012. An electronic search of PubMed, CINAHL and PsychINFO using controlled vocabulary, and a reference scan, yielded 54 studies focusing on hospice volunteers. Studies were primarily descriptive using quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods. Findings from studies were grouped thematically into descriptions of the work of hospice volunteers; recruitment, preparation and retention of hospice volunteers; and perspectives and outcomes of the volunteer role. A substantial body of evidence exists describing the roles, stresses and rewards of hospice volunteering. Less is known about how to adequately recruit, prepare and retain volunteers. A small but intriguing body of evidence exists around volunteers' contributions to family satisfaction and patient longevity. Although the evidence around hospice volunteers continues to grow, there is an urgent need for further research. Findings indicate that volunteers make important contributions to high quality end of life care. However, more focused research attention is required to better understand how to maximize this contribution while providing better support for volunteers.

Alleviating psychological distress of suicide survivors: evaluation of a volunteer care programme.

PubMed

Lu, Y-J; Chang, H-J; Tung, Y-Y; Hsu, M-C; Lin, M-F

2011-06-01

The crisis level in the worldwide suicide rate has revealed a severe suicide problem in Taiwan that is now well above the world average of 16 per 100,000 individuals. Many countries have relied on suicide care volunteers training programmes to conduct suicide prevention programmes. However, there is a dearth of research evaluating the effect of volunteers on psychological distress and the impact of volunteer experience level. An evaluation of the impact of experienced and novice volunteers in alleviating psychological distress of suicide survivors was conducted. A supervised programme trained 15 volunteers at Years 1 and 2. Year 1 volunteers completed 400 h of service with continuing education. Programme evaluation occurred after Year 2 volunteers had completed training. Eighty-two suicide survivors were recruited. With 60 suicide survivors completing 3 month of volunteer care, a significant group difference with time interaction in suicide survivors who exhibited moderate to severe distress between the veteran care and novice care groups was found. Compared with novice volunteers, veteran volunteers with at least 1 year of experience are more effective with suicide survivors reporting higher psychological distress. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing.

Care Aides' Relational Practices and Caring Contributions.

PubMed

Andersen, Elizabeth A; Spiers, Jude

2016-11-01

HOW TO OBTAIN CONTACT HOURS BY READING THIS ARTICLE INSTRUCTIONS 1.2 contact hours will be awarded by Villanova University College of Nursing upon successful completion of this activity. A contact hour is a unit of measurement that denotes 60 minutes of an organized learning activity. This is a learner-based activity. Villanova University College of Nursing does not require submission of your answers to the quiz. A contact hour certificate will be awarded once you register, pay the registration fee, and complete the evaluation form online at http://goo.gl/gMfXaf. To obtain contact hours you must: 1. Read the article, "Care Aides' Relational Practices and Caring Contributions" found on pages 24-30, carefully noting any tables and other illustrative materials that are included to enhance your knowledge and understanding of the content. Be sure to keep track of the amount of time (number of minutes) you spend reading the article and completing the quiz. 2. Read and answer each question on the quiz. After completing all of the questions, compare your answers to those provided within this issue. If you have incorrect answers, return to the article for further study. 3. Go to the Villanova website listed above to register for contact hour credit. You will be asked to provide your name; contact information; and a VISA, MasterCard, or Discover card number for payment of the $20.00 fee. Once you complete the online evaluation, a certificate will be automatically generated. This activity is valid for continuing education credit until October 31, 2019. CONTACT HOURS This activity is co-provided by Villanova University College of Nursing and SLACK Incorporated. Villanova University College of Nursing is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation. ACTIVITY OBJECTIVES 1. Define the application of Swanson's Middle Range Theory of Caring in care aides' relational care practices for nursing home

Personality characteristics of hospice palliative care volunteers: the ''big five'' and empathy.

PubMed

Claxton-Oldfield, Stephen; Banzen, Yana

2010-09-01

The goal of this study was to examine the personality characteristics of hospice palliative care volunteers by measuring the so-called big five personality traits and 4 separate aspects of empathy. A total of 99 hospice palliative care volunteers completed the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) of Costa Jr and McCrae and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) of Davis. The vast majority (84%) of the volunteers were females. Compared to the norms for adult females on the NEO-FFI, female hospice palliative care volunteers scored significantly higher on the traits of agreeableness, extraversion, and openness and significantly lower on the trait of neuroticism. On the empathy measure, female hospice palliative care volunteers scored significantly higher on the empathic concern and perspective taking subscales compared to the female norms, and significantly lower on the personal distress and fantasy subscales. The results of this study may have implications for the recruitment and retention of hospice palliative care volunteers.

Preventing Volunteer Burn Out Through a Structured Support Network.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sosnowitz, Barbara G.; Appleby, George A.

Communities will need a significant infusion of resources in the future to care for persons with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). The AIDS epidemic has served to confuse the differences between professional and volunteer roles of caregiving and has complicated the original intent of service by each of these groups. Recognition on the…

Volunteers in Specialist Palliative Care: A Survey of Adult Services in the United Kingdom

PubMed Central

Burbeck, Rachel; Low, Joe; Sampson, Elizabeth L.; Bravery, Ruth; Hill, Matthew; Morris, Sara; Ockenden, Nick; Payne, Sheila

2014-01-01

Abstract Background: Worldwide, the demand for specialist palliative care is increasing but funding is limited. The role of volunteers is underresearched, although their contribution reduces costs significantly. Understanding what volunteers do is vital to ensure services develop appropriately to meet the challenges faced by providers of palliative care. Objective: The study's objective is to describe current involvement of volunteers with direct patient/family contact in U.K. specialist palliative care. Design: An online survey was sent to 290 U.K. adult hospices and specialist palliative care services involving volunteers covering service characteristics, involvement and numbers of volunteers, settings in which they are involved, extent of involvement in care services, specific activities undertaken in each setting, and use of professional skills. Results: The survey had a 67% response rate. Volunteers were most commonly involved in day care and bereavement services. They entirely ran some complementary therapy, beauty therapy/hairdressing, and pastoral/faith-based care services, and were involved in a wide range of activities, including sitting with dying patients. Conclusions: This comprehensive survey of volunteer activity in U.K. specialist palliative care provides an up-to-date picture of volunteer involvement in direct contact with patients and their families, such as providing emotional care, and the extent of their involvement in day and bereavement services. Further research could focus on exploring their involvement in bereavement care. PMID:24475743

[Volunteering in end-of-life care : Challenges, problems and perspectives].

PubMed

Schneider, Werner

2017-01-01

Volunteering in the hospice movement has had a profound impact on generating awareness of hospice work and palliative care in the context of supporting dying persons and their relatives as well as on integrating respective services in the existing health care system. This paper focuses on two specific questions: First, it asks how society is changing with respect to dealing with dying and death, and more precisely with dying persons, which is recognizable by the integration of hospice work and palliative care in the healthcare system and related to the relevance of volunteering in the sense of a citizens' movement. Second, this paper asks what the specific roles of volunteers are as well as the possibilities and limits of voluntary practice in end-of-life care and accompaniment. To answer these questions, the pivotal objectives of the hospice movement - the transformation of the social awareness regarding dying and death, as well as the reorganization of "institutions of dying" - will first be outlined by reference to the concept of "good dying", a specific hospice attitude together with hospice culture and palliative competence. In a second step, the relevance of volunteering and the specific role of volunteers in the actual practice of hospice work and palliative care will be outlined alongside current indicators and recognizable alteration tendencies, before concluding with a discussion of the perspectives of hospices as a citizens' movement.

Global walks teach teens to fight HIV/AIDS epidemic. Organization supported entirely by volunteers.

PubMed

Chittick, John

2002-09-01

AIDS Alert asked John Chittick, EdD, executive director of TeenAIDS-PeerCorps Inc., a nonprofit organization in Boston, to discuss the global walks he founded and an abstract he presented at the 14th International AIDS Conference in Barcelona, Spain. According to the abstract, global walks began in 1999 with Chittick spreading the word by foot about HIV/AIDS in 40 countries to teen volunteers, who, in turn, were expected to educate their peers about HIV prevention. Within two years, the global walk had reached 75,000 youth, who taught HIV prevention through such techniques as Stop Action Theater, street outreach 'AIDS Attacks,' and 'AIDS Comics,' which were drawn by teens. Also, there is a Teen Advice Column available in multiple languages on the Internet.

Volunteers trained in palliative care at the hospital: an original and dynamic resource.

PubMed

Delaloye, Sylvette; Escher, Monica; Luthy, Christophe; Piguet, Valérie; Dayer, Pierre; Cedraschi, Christine

2015-06-01

Volunteers trained in palliative care are increasingly present in acute care units in general hospitals. Nevertheless, there still are few available data on this topic, especially concerning the integration of volunteers outside the palliative structures. Our present study aimed to describe the experience of volunteers trained in palliative care in the context of a primary care hospital. In particular, the difficulties and the benefits of this specific position were evaluated according to volunteers' own perceptions and words. We employed a qualitative method. Various aspects of the volunteer's role were explored by means of semistructured questions, addressing their activity, their motivations, and their feelings. Participants were volunteers (n = 19) trained in palliative care and working at a university hospital. After giving written consent, they completed the semistructured questionnaire at home. Content analysis was used to identify the main categories of answers and the principal themes reported by the volunteers. The main difficulties were related to uncertainty of the context. As every situation is different, volunteers could not define their role once and for all. However, they derived great satisfaction from their activity. A supporting frame and a good balance between constraints and autonomy were facilitating factors. Besides, the complexity related to the context contributed to make the position valuable and challenging. Integrating a voluntary service in a primary care hospital is partly based on active participation of the volunteers in developing their position in a more adequate way. In return, this relative autonomy implies a rigorous and supportive attitude from the institution.

Volunteer provision of long-term care for older people in Thailand and Costa Rica.

PubMed

Lloyd-Sherlock, Peter; Pot, Anne Margriet; Sasat, Siriphan; Morales-Martinez, Fernando

2017-11-01

Demand for long-term care services for older people is increasing rapidly in low- and middle-income countries. Countries need to establish national long-term care systems that are sustainable and equitable. The Governments of Costa Rica and Thailand have implemented broadly comparable interventions to deploy volunteers in long-term home care. Both countries trained older volunteers from local communities to make home visits to impoverished and vulnerable older people and to facilitate access to health services and other social services. Costa Rica and Thailand are upper-middle-income countries with strong traditions of community-based health services that they are now extending into long-term care for older people. Between 2003 and 2013 Thailand's programme trained over 51 000 volunteers, reaching almost 800 000 older people. Between 2010 and 2016 Costa Rica established 50 community care networks, serving around 10 000 people and involving over 5000 volunteers. Despite some evidence of benefits to the physical and mental health of older people and greater uptake of other services, a large burden of unmet care needs and signs of a growth of unregulated private services still exist. There is scope for low- and middle-income countries to develop large-scale networks of community-based long-term care volunteers. The capacity of volunteers to enhance the quality of life of clients is affected by the local availability of care services. Volunteer care networks should be complemented by other initiatives, including training about health in later life for volunteers, and investment in community long-term care services.

Volunteer navigation partnerships: Piloting a compassionate community approach to early palliative care.

PubMed

Pesut, Barbara; Duggleby, Wendy; Warner, Grace; Fassbender, Konrad; Antifeau, Elisabeth; Hooper, Brenda; Greig, Madeleine; Sullivan, Kelli

2017-07-03

A compassionate community approach to palliative care provides important rationale for building community-based hospice volunteer capacity. In this project, we piloted one such capacity-building model in which volunteers and a nurse partnered to provide navigation support beginning in the early palliative phase for adults living in community. The goal was to improve quality of life by developing independence, engagement, and community connections. Volunteers received navigation training through a three-day workshop and then conducted in-home visits with clients living with advanced chronic illness over one year. A nurse navigator provided education and mentorship. Mixed method evaluation data was collected from clients, volunteer navigators, the nurse navigator, and other stakeholders. Seven volunteers were partnered with 18 clients. Over the one-year pilot, the volunteer navigators conducted visits in home or by phone every two to three weeks. Volunteers were skilled and resourceful in building connections and facilitating engagement. Although it took time to learn the navigator role, volunteers felt well-prepared and found the role satisfying and meaningful. Clients and family rated the service as highly important to their care because of how the volunteer helped to make the difficult experiences of aging and advanced chronic illness more livable. Significant benefits cited by clients were making good decisions for both now and in the future; having a surrogate social safety net; supporting engagement with life; and ultimately, transforming the experience of living with illness. Overall the program was perceived to be well-designed by stakeholders and meeting an important need in the community. Sustainability, however, was a concern expressed by both clients and volunteers. Volunteers providing supportive navigation services during the early phase of palliative care is a feasible way to foster a compassionate community approach to care for an aging population

Nutrition care of AIDS patients.

PubMed

Resler, S S

1988-07-01

Often the complications of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) have a negative impact on nutritional status. Weight loss and protein depletion are commonly seen among the AIDS population. Though the relationship between disease progression and nutritional status has not been established, maintaining good nutritional status may support response to treatment of opportunistic infections and improve patient strength and comfort. Increased nutrient needs, decreased nutrient intake, and impaired nutrient absorption contribute to malnutrition in AIDS patients. Causes of decreased nutrient intake and absorption may be poor appetite, oral and esophageal pain, mechanical problems with eating, and gastrointestinal complications (diarrhea and malabsorption). Causes of these impediments to maintaining nutritional status are discussed, and suggestions to overcome them are given. Dietitians working with AIDS patients need to understand how the complications of the disease might affect nutritional status so that strategies for nutrition treatment can be developed. Nutrition care of AIDS patients requires that dietitians and their support personnel provide supportive, nonjudgmental care. The patients should be included in decision making regarding their nutrition care. Caring for AIDS patients in the community and through home care agencies represents an area in need of the expertise of a dietetics professional.

Does Volunteering Experience Influence Advance Care Planning in Old Age?

PubMed

Shen, Huei-Wern; Khosla, Nidhi

2016-07-01

Advance care planning (ACP) increases the likelihood patients will receive end-of-life care that is congruent with their preferences and lowers stress among both patients and caregivers. Previous efforts to increase ACP have mainly focused on information provision in the very late stage of life. This study examines whether a relationship exists between volunteering and ACP, and whether this relationship is associated with social support. The sample comprises 877 individuals who were aged 55+ in 2008, and were deceased before 2010. The sample is derived from seven waves (1998-2010) of data from the Health and Retirement Study. Logistic regression results showed that overall ACP and durable power of attorney for health care (DPAHC) were both higher (OR = 1.61 and 1.71, respectively) for older adults with volunteering experience in the past 10 years than those without such experience. Available social support (relatives and friends living nearby) was not associated with the relationship between volunteering and ACP. Other factors related to ACP included poorer health, death being expected, death due to cancer, older age, and being a racial minority. Involving older people in volunteer work may help to increase ACP. Future research is encouraged to identify reasons for the association between volunteering and ACP.

Infection control in home-based care for people living with HIV/AIDS/TB in South Africa: an exploratory study.

PubMed

Akintola, Olagoke; Hangulu, Lydia

2014-01-01

The majority of HIV and AIDS patients in sub-Saharan African countries receive health care services at home. Yet research on infection control in home-based care settings is virtually non-existent. This study explored infection control practices in home-based care in a South African province with a high HIV/TB prevalence. We conducted interviews with 10 managers of home-based care organizations and 10 focus group discussions with 80 volunteer caregivers working in high HIV/TB prevalent communities in South Africa. Findings show that volunteers had insufficient training on infection control. Materials necessary for the maintenance of hygiene and protective equipment were in short supply and the protective equipment supplied was of poor quality. Home-based care patients lived in crowded and poor conditions, and family members were negatively disposed to the use of protective devices. Together, these factors put volunteers and family caregivers at risk of infection with HIV and TB. Health policy should address the training of volunteer caregivers and the regular supply of good quality materials to ensure effective infection control. It is also important to educate families on infection control. Finally, there is a need to integrate HIV and TB control at the community level.

Aids for Health and Home Extension Volunteers. Appropriate Technologies for Development. Reprint R-3.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peace Corps, Washington, DC. Information Collection and Exchange Div.

This book contains various aids for Peace Corps home extension volunteers. Section I, "Culture Resource Material," contains four articles by Paul Benjamin: (1) "Values in American Culture"; (2) "The Cultural Context of Health Education"; (3) "Problems of Introducing Public Health Programs in 'Underdeveloped…

Volunteering is Prospectively Associated with Health Care Use Among Older Adults

PubMed Central

Kim, Eric S.; Konrath, Sara H.

2015-01-01

Rationale Although observational and experimental studies have shown that volunteering is linked with better mental health, physical health, and health behaviors, no studies have examined whether volunteering is associated with patterns of health care use. Objective The purpose of this study was to prospectively examine whether volunteering was associated with a greater use of preventive health care services, but fewer doctor visits and nights spent in the hospital. Methods Participants (n=7,168) were drawn from the 2006 wave of the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative panel study of American adults over the age of 51, and tracked for one wave (2 years). Logistic regression and generalized linear models were used for analyses. Results. In analyses that adjusted for sociodemographic factors and baseline health, volunteers were 30% more likely to receive flu shots (OR=1.30, 95% CI=1.16–1.47), 47% more likely to receive cholesterol tests (OR=1.47, 95% CI=1.24–1.74); female volunteers were 53% more likely to receive mammograms/x-rays (OR=1.53, 95% CI=1.28–1.83) and 21% more likely to receive Pap smears (OR=1.21, 95% CI=1.03–1.41); male volunteers were 59% more likely to receive prostate exams (OR=1.59, 95% CI=1.29–1.95). In a model that adjusted for sociodemographic factors, volunteers spent 38% fewer nights in the hospital (RR=0.62, 95% CI=0.52–0.76), however volunteering was not associated with frequency of doctor visits (RR=0.94, 95% CI=0.87–1.02). The association between volunteering and number of nights spent in the hospital was minimally affected after adjusting for potential confounding (baseline health) and explanatory variables (health behaviors, social integration, stress, positive psychological factors, personality). Conclusion This is the first known study to examine the association between volunteering and health care use. If future studies replicate these findings, the results may be used to inform the development of new

Volunteering is prospectively associated with health care use among older adults.

PubMed

Kim, Eric S; Konrath, Sara H

2016-01-01

Although observational and experimental studies have shown that volunteering is linked with better mental health, physical health, and health behaviors, no studies have examined whether volunteering is associated with patterns of health care use. The purpose of this study was to prospectively examine whether volunteering was associated with a greater use of preventive health care services, but fewer doctor visits and nights spent in the hospital. Participants (n = 7168) were drawn from the 2006 wave of the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative panel study of American adults over the age of 51, and tracked for one wave (2 years). Logistic regression and generalized linear models were used for analyses. In analyses that adjusted for sociodemographic factors and baseline health, volunteers were 30% more likely to receive flu shots (OR = 1.30, 95% CI = 1.16-1.47), 47% more likely to receive cholesterol tests (OR = 1.47, 95% CI = 1.24-1.74); female volunteers were 53% more likely to receive mammograms/x-rays (OR = 1.53, 95% CI = 1.28-1.83) and 21% more likely to receive Pap smears (OR = 1.21, 95% CI = 1.03-1.41); male volunteers were 59% more likely to receive prostate exams (OR = 1.59, 95% CI = 1.29-1.95). In a model that adjusted for sociodemographic factors, volunteers spent 38% fewer nights in the hospital (RR = 0.62, 95% CI = 0.52-0.76), however volunteering was not associated with frequency of doctor visits (RR = 0.94, 95% CI = 0.87-1.02). The association between volunteering and number of nights spent in the hospital was minimally affected after adjusting for potential confounding (baseline health) and explanatory variables (health behaviors, social integration, stress, positive psychological factors, personality). This is the first known study to examine the association between volunteering and health care use. If future studies replicate these findings, the results may be used to inform the development of new

KSC volunteers help Meals on Wheels as part of Days of Caring '99

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

KSC volunteers at Miracle City Mall, Titusville, help unload containers for Meals on Wheels delivery as part of their '99 Days of Caring participation. The volunteers will also help deliver the meals. Coordinated by the KSC Community Relations Council, Days of Caring provides an opportunity for employees to volunteer their services in projects such as painting, planting flowers, reading to school children, and more. Organizations accepting volunteers include The Embers, Yellow Umbrella, Serene Harbor, Domestic Violence Program, the YMCA of Brevard County, and others.

Self-care and HIV/AIDS patients: nursing care systematization.

PubMed

Caetano, Joselany Afio; Pagliuca, Lorita Marlena Freitag

2006-01-01

This research aimed at systematizing nursing care to HIV/aids patients in view of Orem's Self-care Deficit Nursing Theory, using the convergent-care method and the Self-Care Nursing Process. Subjects were thirteen HIV/AIDS patients attended at a non-governmental organization in Fortaleza/CE, Brazil. We used interview techniques, physical examination, observation and information records, with a structured instrument, addressing requisites related to universal self-care, development and health alterations. Self-care deficits corresponded to nineteen nursing diagnoses, named according to NANDA's Taxonomy II, ten of which were based on the requisites for universal self-care, five on the requisites for self-care related to development and four on the requisites for self-care related to health deviations. In care planning, goals were established and the system and health methods were selected, prioritizing support-education actions in order to engage HIV/aids patients in self-care.

The lived experience of volunteering in a palliative care biography service.

PubMed

Beasley, Elizabeth; Brooker, Joanne; Warren, Narelle; Fletcher, Jane; Boyle, Christopher; Ventura, Adriana; Burney, Susan

2015-10-01

Many patients approaching death experience hopelessness, helplessness, and a depressed mood, and these factors can contribute to a difficult end-of-life (EoL) period. Biography services may assist patients in finding meaning and purpose at this time. The aim of our study was to investigate the lived experience of volunteers involved in a biography service in Melbourne, Australia, using a qualitative methodology. The participants were 10 volunteers who had participated in a biography service within a private palliative care service. Each volunteer was interviewed separately using a study-specific semistructured interview guide. The transcripts of these interviews were then subjected to thematic analysis. Analysis yielded the following themes: motivations for volunteering; dealing with death, dying, and existential issues; psychosocial benefits of volunteering; and benefits and challenges of working with patients and their families. Our results indicated that volunteering gave the volunteers a deeper appreciation of existential issues, and helped them to be more appreciative of their own lives and gain a deeper awareness of the struggles other people experience. They also suggested that volunteers felt that their involvement contributed to their own personal development, and was personally rewarding. Furthermore, the results highlighted that volunteers found that encounters with family members were sometimes challenging. While some were appreciative, others imposed time limits, became overly reliant on the volunteers, and were sometimes offended, hurt, and angered by what was included in the final biography. It is hoped that the findings of the current study will provide direction for improvements in the biography services that will benefit patients, family members, and volunteers. In particular, our findings highlight the need to provide ongoing support for volunteers to assist them in handling the challenges of volunteering in a palliative care setting.

Volunteering: beyond an act of charity.

PubMed

Dickson, Murray; Dickson, Geraldine Gerri

2005-12-01

Volunteering internationally appeals to health care professionals and students for a variety of reasons and serves a number of purposes. If international voluntarism is to be mutually advantageous, however, host countries, volunteers and project sponsors need to understand how best they can work together and what can be achieved by volunteers for the greatest benefit of all concerned. This paper is intended to contribute to the growing dialogue on international voluntarism and offers suggestions to strengthen its value, from the perspectives of health workers in a developing country and the authors" experiences over the past 30 years. The paper also identifies undesirable side effects and disabling interventions of international initiatives and examines the notions of aid and assistance. One strategy to prepare volunteers for upcoming international efforts as well as to address inequities at home is involvement with underserved populations in our own country.

The personal value of being a palliative care Community Volunteer Worker in Uganda: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Jack, Barbara A; Kirton, Jennifer A; Birakurataki, Jerith; Merriman, Anne

2012-07-01

Volunteers in palliative care play a key role, particularly in the hospice setting. The expansion of palliative care into developing countries has been accompanied by the emergence of volunteer workers, who are providing a main source of support and care for patients, many of whom never see a health professional. The aim of this study was to evaluate the motivation for becoming a volunteer and the personal impact of being a palliative care Community Volunteer Worker in Uganda. A qualitative methodology using semi-structured individual and group digitally recorded interviews was adopted for the study. Data were analysed for emerging themes using thematic analysis. Forty-three interviews were undertaken, 32 with Community Volunteer Workers and 11 with the Hospice clinical teams, using semi-structured digitally recorded individual, group and focus group interviews at the Hospice Africa sites in Uganda. The results identified the cultural wish to help people as a key motivator in becoming a volunteer. Additionally, the volunteers reported having a sense of pride in their volunteering role, and this role had a positive impact on their perceived status in their local community. This model of volunteering is clearly having an impact on the volunteers, both personally and also in terms of how they are treated in their communities. Further research to explore the long-term personal benefits of being a palliative care volunteer is recommended.

Individual and organizational predictors of health care aide job satisfaction in long term care.

PubMed

Chamberlain, Stephanie A; Hoben, Matthias; Squires, Janet E; Estabrooks, Carole A

2016-10-13

Unregulated health care aides provide the majority of direct health care to residents in long term care homes. Lower job satisfaction as reported by care aides is associated with increased turnover of staff. Turnover leads to inferior job performance and negatively impacts quality of care for residents. This study aimed to determine the individual and organizational variables associated with job satisfaction in care aides. We surveyed a sample of 1224 care aides from 30 long term care homes in three Western Canadian provinces. The care aides reported their job satisfaction and their perception of the work environment. We used a hierarchical, mixed-effects ordered logistic regression to model the relative odds of care aide job satisfaction for individual, care unit, and facility factors. Care aide exhaustion, professional efficacy, and cynicism were associated with job satisfaction. Factors in the organizational context that are associated with increased care aide job satisfaction include: leadership, culture, social capital, organizational slack-staff, organizational slack-space, and organizational slack-time. Our findings suggest that organizational factors account for a greater increase in care aide job satisfaction than do individual factors. These features of the work environment are modifiable and predict care aide job satisfaction. Efforts to improve care aide work environment and quality of care should focus on organizational context.

38 CFR 17.194 - Aid for domiciliary care.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 38 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Aid for domiciliary care... Aid to States for Care of Veterans in State Homes § 17.194 Aid for domiciliary care. Aid may be paid to the designated State official for domiciliary care furnished in a recognized State home for any...

KSC volunteers help paint Baxley Manor as part of Days of Caring '99

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

KSC volunteers with Days of Caring '99 share tasks while getting ready to paint at Baxley Manor, an apartment building for senior citizens on Merritt Island. Coordinated by the KSC Community Relations Council, Days of Caring provides an opportunity for employees to volunteer their services in projects such as painting, planting flowers, reading to school children, and more. Organizations accepting volunteers include The Embers, Yellow Umbrella, Serene Harbor, Domestic Violence Program, the YMCA of Brevard County, and others.

KSC volunteers help paint Baxley Manor as part of Days of Caring '99

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

Volunteers for Days of Caring '99 set up the paint trays for painting at Baxley Manor, an apartment building for senior citizens on Merritt Island. Coordinated by the KSC Community Relations Council, Days of Caring provides an opportunity for employees to volunteer their services in projects such as painting, planting flowers, reading to school children, and more. Organizations accepting volunteers include The Embers, Yellow Umbrella, Serene Harbor, Domestic Violence Program, the YMCA of Brevard County, and others.

KSC volunteers help paint Baxley Manor as part of Days of Caring '99

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

KSC volunteers for Days of Caring '99 unfold protective materials before getting ready to paint at Baxley Manor, an apartment building for senior citizens on Merritt Island. Coordinated by the KSC Community Relations Council, Days of Caring provides an opportunity for employees to volunteer their services in projects such as painting, planting flowers, reading to school children, and more. Organizations accepting volunteers include The Embers, Yellow Umbrella, Serene Harbor, Domestic Violence Program, the YMCA of Brevard County, and others.

'A bridge to the hospice': the impact of a Community Volunteer Programme in Uganda.

PubMed

Jack, Barbara A; Kirton, J; Birakurataki, J; Merriman, A

2011-10-01

In Africa, the need for palliative care provision is escalating with an increasing number of people living with HIV/AIDS, coupled with rising cancer and AIDS-related cancer diagnoses. In Uganda there is a shortage of doctors, particularly in rural areas. To address this Hospice Africa Uganda developed a Community Volunteer Programme to train volunteers to help by providing support to patients in their own homes. The aim of this qualitative study was to evaluate the impact of the Community Volunteer Programme. Sixty-four interviews, with patients (21), community volunteer workers (CVWs) (32), and the hospice clinical teams (11) were conducted, using semi-structured digitally recorded individual, group and focus group interviews, at the Hospice Africa Uganda sites. The results reported the value of the Community Volunteer Programme, including the impact on patients and families, and how the CVWs acted as a 'bridge to the hospice' in identifying patients. Developing financial challenges that are emerging which could potentially impact on the programme were reported. The Community Volunteer Programme appears to be having a positive impact on patients, families and the hospice team, and is a model worthy of consideration by other developing countries to allow the expansion of palliative care.

KSC volunteers help paint Baxley Manor as part of Days of Caring '99

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

A volunteer for Days of Caring '99 prepares a light fixture before painting the walls in the hallway at Baxley Manor, an apartment building for senior citizens on Merritt Island. Coordinated by the KSC Community Relations Council, Days of Caring provides an opportunity for employees to volunteer their services in projects such as painting, planting flowers, reading to school children, and more. Organizations accepting volunteers include The Embers, Yellow Umbrella, Serene Harbor, Domestic Violence Program, the YMCA of Brevard County, and others.

Care and Respect for Elders in Emergencies program: a preliminary report of a volunteer approach to enhance care in the emergency department.

PubMed

Sanon, Martine; Baumlin, Kevin M; Kaplan, Shari Sirkin; Grudzen, Corita R

2014-02-01

Older adults who present to an emergency department (ED) generally have more-complex medical conditions with complicated care needs and are at high risk for preventable adverse outcomes during their ED visit. The Care and Respect for Elders with Emergencies (CARE) volunteer initiative is a geriatric-focused volunteer program developed to help prevent avoidable complications such as falls, delirium and use of restraints, and functional decline in vulnerable elders in the ED. The CARE program consists of bedside volunteer interventions ranging from conversation to various short activities designed to engage and reorient high-risk, older, unaccompanied individuals in the ED. This article describes the development and characteristics of the CARE program, the services provided, the experiences of the elderly patients and their volunteers, and the growth of the program over time. CARE volunteers provide elders with the additional attention needed in an often chaotic, unfamiliar environment by enhancing their care, improving satisfaction, and preventing potential decline. © 2014, Copyright the Authors Journal compilation © 2014, The American Geriatrics Society.

Volunteers Help Youth.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weinberg, Isolde Chapin

A discussion of ways in which both adult and young Americans are volunteering to aid in the positive development of young people is presented in this booklet. The wide variety of programs that are designed to use volunteers and the need for additional volunteers are described. These programs are discussed under the following topic headings: School…

The boundaries of care work: a comparative study of professionals and volunteers in Denmark and Australia.

PubMed

Overgaard, Charlotte

2015-07-01

This paper explores the manner in which two hospices--one located in Denmark and one in Australia--negotiate and determine the boundaries of volunteer workers vis-à-vis paid staff. A comparative case study approach was used to juxtapose organisations with similar activity fields located in different welfare state systems, i.e. a social democratic welfare state and a liberal welfare state. This study involved non-participant observation of volunteers at work and unstructured interviews with volunteers, staff and management in the hospices (n = 41). Data were collected between August 2012 and February 2013. Data were managed using NVivo and analysed thematically. A key finding is that volunteers in the Danish hospice were excluded from all direct care work due to the effective monopoly of the professional care providers, whereas the Australian volunteers participated in the provision of care to the extent that risk could be eliminated or mitigated to an acceptable level. The findings suggest two different models of the roles of volunteers in tension with professional care providers. Both models recognise that volunteers add to the level of care delivered by the organisations and allow for a discussion that moves away from the normative discussions of 'not taking somebody's job', while also recognising that volunteers must be more than just the 'nice extra' if they are to be of any real value to the organisation and to care receivers. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Morphine Glucuronidation and Elimination in Intensive Care Patients: A Comparison with Healthy Volunteers.

PubMed

Ahlers, Sabine J G M; Välitalo, Pyry A J; Peeters, Mariska Y M; Gulik, Laura van; van Dongen, Eric P A; Dahan, Albert; Tibboel, Dick; Knibbe, Catherijne A J

2015-11-01

Although morphine is used frequently to treat pain in the intensive care unit, its pharmacokinetics has not been adequately quantified in critically ill patients. We evaluated the glucuronidation and elimination clearance of morphine in intensive care patients compared with healthy volunteers based on the morphine and morphine-3-glucuronide (M3G) concentrations. A population pharmacokinetic model with covariate analysis was developed with the nonlinear mixed-effects modeling software (NONMEM 7.3). The analysis included 3012 morphine and M3G concentrations from 135 intensive care patients (117 cardiothoracic surgery patients and 18 critically ill patients), who received continuous morphine infusions adapted to individual pain levels, and 622 morphine and M3G concentrations from a previously published study of 20 healthy volunteers, who received an IV bolus of morphine followed by a 1-hour infusion. For morphine, a 3-compartment model best described the data, whereas for M3G, a 1-compartment model fits best. In intensive care patients with a normal creatinine concentration, a decrease of 76% was estimated in M3G clearance compared with healthy subjects, conditional on the M3G volume of distribution being the same in intensive care patients and healthy volunteers. Furthermore, serum creatinine concentration was identified as a covariate for both elimination clearance of M3G in intensive care patients and unchanged morphine clearance in all patients and healthy volunteers. Under the assumptions in the model, M3G elimination was significantly decreased in intensive care patients when compared with healthy volunteers, which resulted in substantially increased M3G concentrations. Increased M3G levels were even more pronounced in patients with increased serum creatinine levels. Model-based simulations show that, because of the reduction in morphine clearance in intensive care patients with renal failure, a 33% reduction in the maintenance dose would result in morphine

Cross-Sectional Survey of Physicians on Providing Volunteer Care for In-Flight Medical Events.

PubMed

Chatfield, Eric; Bond, William F; McCay, Bradley; Thibeault, Claude; Alves, Paulo M; Squillante, Marc; Timpe, Joshua; Cook, Courtney J; Bertino, Raymond E

2017-09-01

Airline carriers have equipment, procedures, and protocols in place to handle in-flight medical events (IFMEs). Community physicians may be asked for aid during IFMEs. Cross-Sectional Survey of Physicians on Providing Volunteer Care for In-Flight Medical Events surveyed self-assessed awareness and knowledge, perceived barriers, and suggestions for improving responses to IFMEs. We composed a survey regarding clinicians' self-assessed understanding of in-flight resources, procedures, flight environmental issues, and Good Samaritan protections. The survey was distributed primarily via electronic mail to medical staff list serves to a total of approximately 1300 physicians representing 2 health networks that serve urban, suburban, and rural areas in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Total number of responses was 418. Physician response rate was 29.2% (379/1300). In 3% (39/1300), the responder either failed to indicate their background or was another type of health care professional (e.g., dentist, medical student, physician assistant). Of the physicians, 37.5% (142/379) were primary care and 42% (177/418) of responders reported at least one experience of being asked to volunteer. When asked how well they understand the protocols with which medical events are handled, 64% (262/412) responded "not at all" and 23% (94/412) reported "a little" knowledge. Only 56% (223/397) answered that 75% or more of U.S. flights have ground medical support available. There were 73% (298/411) who believed airlines were required to have medical supplies, but 54% (222/410) reported no knowledge of supplies available. A total of 69% (279/403) believed or were sure that the U.S. has a Good Samaritan law that applies to IFMEs. Many physicians lack basic knowledge about IFMEs. Responders may assist more effectively if better informed about protocols and the availability of ground medical support. Education and timely information support are recommended.Chatfield E, Bond WF, McCay B

Experiences and Psychosocial Impact of West Africa Ebola Deployment on US Health Care Volunteers

PubMed Central

Gershon, Robyn; Dernehl, Liza A.; Nwankwo, Ezinne; Zhi, Qi; Qureshi, Kristine

2016-01-01

Background: This qualitative study was designed to assess health care volunteers’ experiences and psychosocial impacts associated with deployment to the West Africa Ebola epidemic. Methods: In 2015, using snowball sampling, 16 US health care volunteers who had recently returned from West Africa were recruited for this study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect information associated with each phase of deployment (pre, peri, and post). Results: Participants reported that they were motivated to volunteer because of a sense of responsibility and feelings of empathy and altruism. Immediately prior to deployment, most reported fear of contagion and death, as well as doubts regarding the adequacy of their training. Family members and close friends expressed high levels of concern regarding participants’ decisions to volunteer. During the deployment, participants were fearful of exposure and reported feeling emotionally and physically exhausted. They also reported feeling frustrated by extreme resource limitations, poor management of the mission, lack of clearly defined roles and responsibilities, and inability to provide high quality care. Upon return home, participants felt a sense of isolation, depression, stigmatization, interpersonal difficulties, and extreme stress. Conclusion: Preparedness of volunteers was suboptimal at each stage of deployment. All stakeholders, including volunteers, sponsoring organizations, government agencies, and professional organizations have a shared responsibility in ensuring that volunteers to medical missions are adequately prepared. This is especially critical for high risk deployments. Effective policies and practices need to be developed and implemented in order to protect the health and well-being of health care volunteers to the fullest extent possible. PMID:27803840

AIDS care: why and how should industry respond?

PubMed

Smart, R

2000-01-01

This article reports the AIDS care response of industries to the rising AIDS epidemic in South Africa. It has been reported that during 1993-99 the rate of hospital bed occupancy doubled to over 8/1000 and that 50% of ill-health retirements in 1998 were due to AIDS. Important issues to be considered by industries are the medical separation due to ill health, poor health care services. The focus of HIV/AIDS care should be on the patient, family, care giver, community, and health services, and must be based on the principles of decentralization and integration of sustainable and cost-effective HIV/AIDS services. The development of a care package must be based on six dimensions; namely, appropriateness, acceptability, accessibility, effectiveness, efficiency, and equity. On the other hand, identification of indicators in relation to the components of the care package must include support groups and networks of people living with HIV; the provision of home-based care; responsiveness of the health system; the existence and application of clinical guidelines; and the effectiveness of referrals. Any organization with a commitment in providing care should establish a Care Task Team to develop a care strategy. It should focus on who can have access to the care, what the care consists of, and who will cover the cost. In addition, a review of the existing HIV/AIDS services must be done to identify shortfalls and highlight priority gaps.

Antecedents of Philanthropic Behavior of Health Care Volunteers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alias, Siti Noormi; Ismail, Maimunah

2015-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to propose a conceptual model of philanthropic behavior of volunteers in the health care sector. Design/methodology/approach: This study is based on an extensive review of past research on philanthropic behavior. To conduct the literature review, keywords such as philanthropy, philanthropic behavior, giving, donating,…

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of a First Aid Health Volunteers' Training Programme Using Kirkpatrick's Model: A Pilot Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vizeshfar, Fatemeh; Momennasab, Marzieh; Yektatalab, Shahrzad; Iman, Mohamad Taghi

2018-01-01

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a health volunteers' complementary training programme on first aid. Design: Quasi-experimental study. Setting: A comprehensive health centre in the southwest of Iran. Method: The study was conducted in the second half of 2015 with all 25 health volunteers in the Qamar Bani Hashem…

A survey of family members' satisfaction with the services provided by hospice palliative care volunteers.

PubMed

Claxton-Oldfield, Stephen; Gosselin, Natasha; Schmidt-Chamberlain, Kirsten; Claxton-Oldfield, Jane

2010-05-01

A total of 22 family members, whose deceased loved ones had used the services of a hospice palliative care volunteer, responded to a brief survey designed to assess the importance of the different kinds of support offered to them (family members) by the volunteer, their impressions of the volunteers' personal qualities/characteristics, their general experiences with the volunteer, and their overall satisfaction with the volunteer services. The kind of support that received the highest importance rating from family members was the opportunity to take a much-needed break from the demands of caring for their loved one, closely followed by emotional support, the volunteer spending time with them, and the volunteer providing them with information. Family members rated volunteers highly on a list of qualities/characteristics that exemplify individuals who are effective in this role. In all, 85% of the family members felt that their volunteer was well trained and 95% did not feel that their or their loved one's privacy had been invaded by having a volunteer. Overall, family members were very satisfied with the volunteer support they received. Some limitations of the study are discussed.

Long Term Care Aide/Homemaker. Resource Handbook.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Illerbrun, Marley

This handbook provides basic information for preparing individuals to work as long-term care aides and homemakers. It is written both for college students in long-term care aide/homemaker programs and for individuals already employed in these occupations. Health care agencies giving orientation training for new employees and inservice training for…

It's All About Communication: A Mixed-Methods Approach to Collaboration Between Volunteers and Staff in Pediatric Palliative Care.

PubMed

Meyer, Dorothee; Schmidt, Pia; Zernikow, Boris; Wager, Julia

2018-01-01

Multidisciplinary teamwork is considered central to pediatric palliative care. Although different studies state that volunteers play an essential role in palliative care, little is known about the collaboration between volunteers and staff. This study aims to explore and compare the perspectives of volunteers and staff regarding collaboration in a pediatric palliative care unit. A mixed-methods approach was chosen to appropriately reflect the complex aspects of collaboration. Both face-to-face interviews with staff who work together with volunteers and a group discussion with all volunteers were conducted. These were supplemented by 2 questionnaires designed for this study that examined participants' characteristics and their estimation of what information volunteers need before they meet a patient. Nine staff members and 7 volunteers participated in this study. Their ideas of collaboration could be grouped into 3 categories: (i) factual level of collaboration, (ii) relationship level of collaboration, and (iii) overall appraisal of collaboration (suggestions for improvement). Communication can be considered a key factor in successful collaboration between volunteers and staff. Because many patients in pediatric palliative care units are not able to communicate verbally, good information flow between volunteers and staff is crucial for ensuring quality patient care. Moreover, communication is the key to establishing a team philosophy by clarifying roles and building relationships between volunteers and staff.

Volunteering in the care of people with severe mental illness: a systematic review.

PubMed

Hallett, Claudia; Klug, Günter; Lauber, Christoph; Priebe, Stefan

2012-12-13

Much of the literature to date concerning public attitudes towards people with severe mental illness (SMI) has focused on negative stereotypes and discriminatory behaviour. However, there also exists a tradition of volunteering with these people, implying a more positive attitude. Groups with positive attitudes and behaviours towards people with SMI have received relatively little attention in research. They merit further attention, as evidence on characteristics and experiences of volunteers may help to promote volunteering. The present paper aims to systematically review the literature reporting characteristics, motivations, experiences, and benefits of volunteers in the care of people with SMI. In November 2010, a systematic electronic search was carried out in BNI, CINAHL, Embase, Medline, PsycINFO, Cochrane Registers and Web of Science databases, using a combination of 'volunteer', 'mental health' and 'outcome' search terms. A secondary hand search was performed in relevant psychiatric journals, grey literature and references. 14 papers met the inclusion criteria for the review, with data on a total of 540 volunteers. The results suggest that volunteers are a mostly female, but otherwise heterogeneous group. Motivations for volunteering are a combination of what they can 'give' to others and what they can 'get' for themselves. Overall volunteers report positive experiences. The main benefit to persons with a psychiatric illness is the gaining of a companion, who is non-stigmatizing and proactive in increasing their social-community involvement. The evidence base for volunteers in care of people with SMI is small and inconsistent. However there are potential implications for both current and future volunteering programmes from the data. As the data suggests that there is no 'typical' volunteer, volunteering programmes should recruit individuals from a variety of backgrounds. The act of volunteering can not only benefit people with SMI, but also the volunteers

Volunteering in the care of people with severe mental illness: a systematic review

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Much of the literature to date concerning public attitudes towards people with severe mental illness (SMI) has focused on negative stereotypes and discriminatory behaviour. However, there also exists a tradition of volunteering with these people, implying a more positive attitude. Groups with positive attitudes and behaviours towards people with SMI have received relatively little attention in research. They merit further attention, as evidence on characteristics and experiences of volunteers may help to promote volunteering. The present paper aims to systematically review the literature reporting characteristics, motivations, experiences, and benefits of volunteers in the care of people with SMI. Methods In November 2010, a systematic electronic search was carried out in BNI, CINAHL, Embase, Medline, PsycINFO, Cochrane Registers and Web of Science databases, using a combination of ‘volunteer’, ‘mental health’ and ‘outcome’ search terms. A secondary hand search was performed in relevant psychiatric journals, grey literature and references. Results 14 papers met the inclusion criteria for the review, with data on a total of 540 volunteers. The results suggest that volunteers are a mostly female, but otherwise heterogeneous group. Motivations for volunteering are a combination of what they can ‘give’ to others and what they can ‘get’ for themselves. Overall volunteers report positive experiences. The main benefit to persons with a psychiatric illness is the gaining of a companion, who is non-stigmatizing and proactive in increasing their social-community involvement. Conclusions The evidence base for volunteers in care of people with SMI is small and inconsistent. However there are potential implications for both current and future volunteering programmes from the data. As the data suggests that there is no ‘typical’ volunteer, volunteering programmes should recruit individuals from a variety of backgrounds. The act of volunteering

Spiritual care in the training of hospice volunteers in Germany.

PubMed

Gratz, Margit; Paal, Piret; Emmelmann, Moritz; Roser, Traugott

2016-10-01

Hospice volunteers often encounter questions related to spirituality. It is unknown whether spiritual care receives a corresponding level of attention in their training. Our survey investigated the current practice of spiritual care training in Germany. An online survey sent to 1,332 hospice homecare services for adults in Germany was conducted during the summer of 2012. We employed the SPSS 21 software package for statistical evaluation. All training programs included self-reflection on personal spirituality as obligatory. The definitions of spirituality used in programs differ considerably. The task of defining training objectives is randomly delegated to a supervisor, a trainer, or to the governing organization. More than half the institutions work in conjunction with an external trainer. These external trainers frequently have professional backgrounds in pastoral care/theology and/or in hospice/palliative care. While spiritual care receives great attention, the specific tasks it entails are rarely discussed. The response rate for our study was 25.0% (n = 332). A need exists to develop training concepts that outline distinct contents, methods, and objectives. A prospective curriculum would have to provide assistance in the development of training programs. Moreover, it would need to be adaptable to the various concepts of spiritual care employed by the respective institutions and their hospice volunteers.

Safety of union home care aides in Washington State.

PubMed

Schoenfisch, Ashley L; Lipscomb, Hester; Phillips, Leslie E

2017-09-01

A rate-based understanding of home care aides' adverse occupational outcomes related to their work location and care tasks is lacking. Within a 30-month, dynamic cohort of 43 394 home care aides in Washington State, injury rates were calculated by aides' demographic and work characteristics. Injury narratives and focus groups provided contextual detail. Injury rates were higher for home care aides categorized as female, white, 50 to <65 years old, less experienced, with a primary language of English, and working through an agency (versus individual providers). In addition to direct occupational hazards, variability in workload, income, and supervisory/social support is of concern. Policies should address the roles and training of home care aides, consumers, and managers/supervisors. Home care aides' improved access to often-existing resources to identify, manage, and eliminate occupational hazards is called for to prevent injuries and address concerns related to the vulnerability of this needed workforce. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A volunteer companion-observer intervention reduces falls on an acute aged care ward.

PubMed

Donoghue, Judith; Graham, Jenny; Mitten-Lewis, Suzanne; Murphy, Moira; Gibbs, Julie

2005-01-01

Falls are the most frequently reported adverse event in hospitalised patients and carry a risk of great harm for the frail elderly. This intervention aimed to prevent high-risk in-patients on an acute aged care ward from falling. Patients assessed at high falls risk were accommodated in a room staffed by volunteer companion-observers. The volunteers engaged them in conversation, played cards, opened meals and used the call bell to summon nurses if patients attempted to move from the bed or chair without assistance. Because of occupational health and safety considerations, the volunteers did not assist patients to ambulate. The falls rate in the acute aged care ward decreased by 44 percent (p < 0.000). No patients fell in the observation room when volunteers were present. Relatives of participating in-patients expressed appreciation of the volunteer role, in terms of increased safety and also companionship. Volunteers exercised initiative in determining their pattern of work and developing resources to support their role. Because volunteers are not present around the clock, other strategies are needed to prevent wandering, frequently confused older in-patients from falling during the night. In a context where frail elderly patients need constant supervision, using volunteers is a reasonable strategy. This intervention used an inexpensive, human resources-based approach to significantly reduce the incidence of falls in the population at highest risk of falling. The additional benefits to patients in terms of cognitive improvement bear further investigation.

Grandparenting Roles and Volunteer Activity

PubMed Central

Jendrek, Margaret Platt

2016-01-01

Objectives. We examine whether grandparenting roles are related to formal volunteering among older adults. Method. Logistic regression is used to examine the likelihood of volunteering based on grandchild care using data from the 2004 wave of the Health and Retirement Study (n = 13,785). Longitudinal analyses utilize treatment effects models to examine changes in volunteering for grandparents who begin nonresidential grandchild care between the 2004 and 2008 waves (n = 10,811). Results. Results show that grandparents raising coresidential grandchildren have lower odds of volunteering than grandparents providing no regular grandchild care. However, grandparents who provide nonresidential grandchild care are more likely to volunteer than grandparents not providing grandchild care and those raising a coresidential grandchild. Grandparents who provide nonresidential care for grandchildren engage in more volunteering before assuming grandchild care, and their volunteerism increases after becoming a caregiver for a grandchild. Discussion. Consistent with resource theory and the accumulation of roles, providing nonresidential grandchild care may draw grandparents into formal volunteer activity. The lower human capital resources evidenced by grandparents raising coresidential grandchildren may play a role in their lower likelihood of formal volunteering. PMID:24721748

Differences in psychiatric symptoms and barriers to mental health care between volunteer and career firefighters.

PubMed

Stanley, Ian H; Boffa, Joseph W; Hom, Melanie A; Kimbrel, Nathan A; Joiner, Thomas E

2017-01-01

Firefighters are at increased risk for mental health problems. However, little is known about differences in psychiatric symptoms between volunteer and career firefighters. This study aimed to (1) describe differences in psychiatric symptoms and barriers to mental health care between U.S. firefighters in volunteer-only and career-only departments; and (2) determine if greater self-reported structural barriers to mental health care (e.g., cost, availability of resources) explain the differences in psychiatric symptom levels. Overall, 525 current U.S. firefighters participated. Analyses of covariance and logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate group differences between volunteer (n=204) and career (n=321) firefighters, adjusting for demographic and occupational characteristics. Volunteer firefighters reported significantly elevated levels of depression, posttraumatic stress, and suicidal symptoms compared to career firefighters. Career firefighters reported relatively elevated levels of problematic alcohol use. Volunteer firefighters additionally reported greater structural barriers to mental health care (e.g., cost, availability of resources), and these barriers accounted for the differences in mental health variables between volunteer and career firefighters. Findings suggest that volunteer firefighters report elevated psychiatric symptoms compared to career firefighters and greater structural barriers to mental health treatment may explain this link. Increased efforts are needed to develop firefighter-specific interventions and bolster mental health service utilization. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

38 CFR 17.196 - Aid for hospital care.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... to States for Care of Veterans in State Homes § 17.196 Aid for hospital care. Aid may be paid to the designated State official for hospital care furnished in a recognized State home for any veteran if: (a) The... quarters of nursing home care patients or domiciliary members, and meet such other minimum standards as the...

45 CFR 1217.6 - Roles of volunteers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 4 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Roles of volunteers. 1217.6 Section 1217.6 Public... VISTA VOLUNTEER LEADER § 1217.6 Roles of volunteers. VISTA volunteer leaders may have the following roles: (a) Primary contact with VISTA volunteers on personal and administrative matters. (b) Aid in...

45 CFR 1217.6 - Roles of volunteers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 4 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Roles of volunteers. 1217.6 Section 1217.6 Public... VISTA VOLUNTEER LEADER § 1217.6 Roles of volunteers. VISTA volunteer leaders may have the following roles: (a) Primary contact with VISTA volunteers on personal and administrative matters. (b) Aid in...

45 CFR 1217.6 - Roles of volunteers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 4 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Roles of volunteers. 1217.6 Section 1217.6 Public... VISTA VOLUNTEER LEADER § 1217.6 Roles of volunteers. VISTA volunteer leaders may have the following roles: (a) Primary contact with VISTA volunteers on personal and administrative matters. (b) Aid in...

Continuing professional development for volunteers working in palliative care in a tertiary care cancer institute in India: a cross-sectional observational study of educational needs.

PubMed

Deodhar, Jayita Kedar; Muckaden, Mary Ann

2015-01-01

Training programs for volunteers prior to their working in palliative care are well-established in India. However, few studies report on continuing professional development programs for this group. To conduct a preliminary assessment of educational needs of volunteers working in palliative care for developing a structured formal continuing professional development program for this group. Cross-sectional observational study conducted in the Department of Palliative Medicine of a tertiary care cancer institute in India. Participant volunteers completed a questionnaire, noting previous training, years of experience, and a comprehensive list of topics for inclusion in this program, rated in order of importance according to them. Descriptive statistics for overall data and Chi-square tests for categorical variables for group comparisons were applied using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 18. Fourteen out of 17 volunteers completed the questionnaire, seven having 5-10-years experience in working in palliative care. A need for continuing professional development program was felt by all participants. Communication skills, more for children and elderly specific issues were given highest priority. Spiritual-existential aspects and self-care were rated lower in importance than psychological, physical, and social aspects in palliative care. More experienced volunteers (>5 years of experience) felt the need for self-care as a topic in the program than those with less (<5-years experience) (P < 0.05). Understanding palliative care volunteers' educational needs is essential for developing a structured formal continuing professional development program and should include self-care as a significant component.

Retired RNs: perceptions of volunteering.

PubMed

Cocca-Bates, Katherine C; Neal-Boylan, Leslie

2011-01-01

A qualitative study was done to explore the perceptions of volunteering among retired registered nurses (RNs) in Kansas. Participants were volunteers in formal nursing roles or were using their nursing knowledge and experience in non-nursing roles, such as church work. Regardless of the type of volunteer position, retired RNs reported that they use what they have learned as nurses when they volunteer. Volunteering benefits include enhanced self-worth, intellectual stimulation, reduced social isolation, and opportunities to help others. Increased paperwork, new technology, difficulty finding nursing-specific volunteer opportunities, resistance from health care organizations, and a lack of respect for what these nurses know are challenges and barriers to volunteering. Retired RNs have accumulated years of clinical nursing experience and can be helpful to employed nurses. Health care organizations should launch targeted efforts to recruit and utilize retired RN volunteers. Health care professionals who care for older adults should recommend volunteering as a healthful endeavor. Copyright © 2011 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

State Resource Guide for School Volunteer Coordinators.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

South Carolina State Dept. of Education, Columbia.

This resource guide for school volunteer coordinators aids them in developing and maintaining a school volunteer program. Topics addressed include (1) making maximum use of community volunteer resources; (2) building a network of resource people and interfacing school support groups; (3) setting up the school volunteer program; (4)…

Utilizing online tools to increase volunteer ombudsmen presence in long-term care.

PubMed

Shelley, Greg K; Castro, Carmen; Cron, Stanley G

2015-01-01

In this descriptive study, former and current volunteer ombudsmen (n = 65) completed an online survey and Chi-square analyses were used to determine group differences in order to examine the impact of internet-based communication on the recruitment and retention of volunteer long-term care ombudsmen. The results showed that the program's shift to internet-based recruitment and communication methods helped increase the number of volunteers by 50% and contributed to a positive shift in role perception and satisfaction. Consequently, the proliferation of internet and social media usage permits greater volunteer management opportunities than previously were available. These tools also allow for consistency of message, extended training opportunities, and recourse to resources at need which permit ombudsmen volunteers to identify more readily with the role of resident advocate and receive greater performance satisfaction as it relates to that role. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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

PubMed

Böddeker, Andrea; Smeding, Ruthmarijke; Voltz, Raymond

2010-09-01

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. 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. 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.

Structural barriers to South African volunteer home-based caregivers providing quality care: the need for a policy for caregivers not affiliated to primary healthcare clinics.

PubMed

Morton, David; Mayekiso, Thoko; Cunningham, Peter

2018-03-01

Community home-based care (CHBC) is a critical component of non-formal care in communities in Africa that have a high prevalence of HIV and tuberculosis (TB). Community carers consisting primarily of volunteers are critical role players in African healthcare systems and particularly in South Africa's strategy to fight HIV and AIDS. This paper explores the structural barriers volunteer caregivers need to overcome to provide quality CHBC. The researchers used two focus group discussions with key informants (each with four participants), and semi-structured interviews with six key informants to collect data relating to the meaning of quality CHBC. The data were coded using Tesch's data analysis technique. A major theme that emerged from the results was "Addressing structural challenges to improve the quality of CHBC". Subthemes underpinning this theme were: 1) lack of standardised training of volunteer caregivers; 2) the need for a scope of practice, parameters and legal boundaries; 3) lack of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of CHBC; and 4) the importance of mentoring and supervision in CHBC. CHBC policy should address the need for standardised training programmes for caregivers, so that they are equipped with multiple skills. Furthermore CHBC policy must emphasise mentoring as well as M&E to encourage quality care. Finally, the policy should provide a clear scope of practice for caregivers to regulate their competencies and boundaries.

A Volunteer Program to Connect Primary Care and the Home to Support the Health of Older Adults: A Community Case Study.

PubMed

Oliver, Doug; Dolovich, Lisa; Lamarche, Larkin; Gaber, Jessica; Avilla, Ernie; Bhamani, Mehreen; Price, David

2018-01-01

Primary care providers are critical in providing and optimizing health care to an aging population. This paper describes the volunteer component of a program (Health TAPESTRY) which aims to encourage the delivery of effective primary health care in novel and proactive ways. As part of the program, volunteers visited older adults in their homes and entered information regarding health risks, needs, and goals into an electronic application on a tablet computer. A total of 657 home visits were conducted by 98 volunteers, with 22.45% of volunteers completing at least 20 home visits over the course of the program. Information was summarized in a report and electronically sent to the health care team via clients' electronic medical records. The report was reviewed by the interprofessional team who then plan ongoing care. Volunteer recruitment, screening, training, retention, and roles are described. This paper highlights the potential role of a volunteer in a unique connection between primary care providers and older adult patients in their homes.

A Volunteer Program to Connect Primary Care and the Home to Support the Health of Older Adults: A Community Case Study

PubMed Central

Oliver, Doug; Dolovich, Lisa; Lamarche, Larkin; Gaber, Jessica; Avilla, Ernie; Bhamani, Mehreen; Price, David

2018-01-01

Primary care providers are critical in providing and optimizing health care to an aging population. This paper describes the volunteer component of a program (Health TAPESTRY) which aims to encourage the delivery of effective primary health care in novel and proactive ways. As part of the program, volunteers visited older adults in their homes and entered information regarding health risks, needs, and goals into an electronic application on a tablet computer. A total of 657 home visits were conducted by 98 volunteers, with 22.45% of volunteers completing at least 20 home visits over the course of the program. Information was summarized in a report and electronically sent to the health care team via clients’ electronic medical records. The report was reviewed by the interprofessional team who then plan ongoing care. Volunteer recruitment, screening, training, retention, and roles are described. This paper highlights the potential role of a volunteer in a unique connection between primary care providers and older adult patients in their homes. PMID:29536010

Profile of Home Care Aides, Nursing Home Aides, and Hospital Aides: Historical Changes and Data Recommendations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yamada, Yoshiko

2002-01-01

Purpose: To examine demographic characteristics and work conditions of home care aides, nursing home aides, and hospital aides in the late 1980s and late 1990s. Design and Methods: This study replicated a previous study which examined the Current Population Survey (CPS) March supplement from 1987 to 1989. The present study examined CPS data from…

Making fair decisions about financing care for persons with AIDS.

PubMed Central

Roper, W L; Winkenwerder, W

1988-01-01

An estimated 40 percent of the nation's 55,000 persons with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) have received care under the Medicaid Program, which is administered by the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) and funded jointly by the Federal Government and the States. In fiscal year 1988, Medicaid will spend between $700 and $750 million for AIDS care and treatment. Medicaid spending on AIDS is likely to reach $2.4 billion by fiscal year 1992, an estimate that does not include costs of treatment with zidovudine (AZT). Four policy principles are proposed for meeting this new cost burden in a way that is fair, responsive, efficient, and in harmony with our current joint public-private system of health care financing. The four guidelines are to (a) treat AIDS as any other serious disease, without the creation of a disease-specific entitlement program; (b) bring AIDS treatment financing into the mainstream of the health care financing system, making it a shared responsibility and promoting initiatives such as high-risk insurance pools: (c) give States the flexibility to meet local needs, including Medicaid home care and community-based care services waivers; (d) encourage health care professionals to meet their obligation to care for AIDS patients. PMID:3131823

Laughter therapy as an intervention to promote psychological well-being of volunteer community care workers working with HIV-affected families.

PubMed

Hatzipapas, Irene; Visser, Maretha J; Janse van Rensburg, Estie

2017-12-01

The study explores the experiences of volunteer community care workers working with HIV-affected families, participating in laughter therapy. Laughter therapy is being used as an intervention to positively influence individuals experiencing various forms of emotional distress. Community care workers play a vital role in the support of the HIV/AIDS-infected and -affected members in communities. The nature of this type of work and their limited training contributes to high levels of secondary trauma and emotional exhaustion. The purpose of the study was firstly, to explore the effects of working with orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) on the community care workers and secondly, to establish the impact that laughter therapy has to positively combat stresses of working within the care workers' environment. All the community care workers from a community-based organisation that provides care for HIV/AIDS-infected and -affected OVC and their families in the greater region of Soweto, South Africa, took part in daily laughter therapy sessions for one month. To assess the experiences of participants of laughter therapy, seven community care workers agreed to participate in a mixed method assessment. Interviews were conducted before and after the intervention using the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis as framework. As supportive data, a stress and anxiety and depression scale were added in the interview. Participants reported more positive emotions, positive coping, improved interpersonal relationships and improvement in their care work after exposure to laughter therapy. Quantitative results on stress, anxiety and depression for each participant confirmed observed changes. Laughter therapy as a self-care technique has potential as a low-cost intervention strategy to reduce stress and counteract negative emotions among people working in highly emotional environments.

A narrative literature review of the contribution of volunteers in end-of-life care services.

PubMed

Morris, Sara; Wilmot, Amanda; Hill, Matthew; Ockenden, Nick; Payne, Sheila

2013-05-01

Volunteers are integral to the history of hospices and continue to play a vital role. However, economic, policy and demographic challenges in the twenty-first century raise questions about how best to manage this essential resource. This narrative review explores the recent literature on end-of-life care volunteering and reflects upon the issues pertinent to current organisational challenges and opportunities. The parameters of the review were set deliberately wide in order to capture some of the nuances of contemporary volunteer practices. Articles reporting on research or evaluation of adult end-of-life care services (excluding prison services) that use volunteers and were published in English between 2000 and 2011 were included. Seven electronic databases, key journals and grey literature databases. Sixty-eight articles were included in the analysis. The articles were drawn from an international literature, while acknowledging that volunteer roles vary considerably by organisation and/or by country and over time. The majority of articles were small in scale and diverse in methodology, but the same topics repeatedly emerged from both the qualitative and quantitative data. The themes identified were individual volunteer factors (motivation, characteristics of volunteers, stress and coping, role boundaries and value) and organisational factors (recruiting for diversity, support and training and volunteers' place in the system). The tensions involved in negotiating the boundary spaces that volunteers inhabit, informality and regulation, diversity issues and the cultural specificity of community models, are suggested as topics that merit further research and could contribute to the continuing development of the volunteer workforce.

Expanding Continuous Quality Improvement Capacity in the Medical Intensive Care Unit: Prehealth Volunteers as a Solution.

PubMed

Priest, Kelsey C; Lobingier, Hannah; McCully, Nancy; Lombard, Jackie; Hansen, Mark; Uchiyama, Makoto; Hagg, Daniel S

2016-01-01

Health care delivery systems are challenged to support the increasing demands for improving patient safety, satisfaction, and outcomes. Limited resources and staffing are common barriers for making significant and sustained improvements. At Oregon Health & Science University, the medical intensive care unit (MICU) leadership team faced internal capacity limitations for conducting continuous quality improvement, specifically for the implementation and evaluation of the mobility portion of an evidence-based care bundle. The MICU team successfully addressed this capacity challenge using the person power of prehealth volunteers. In the first year of the project, 52 trained volunteers executed an evidence-based mobility intervention for 305 critically ill patients, conducting more than 200 000 exercise repetitions. The volunteers contributed to real-time evaluation of the project, with the collection of approximately 26 950 process measure data points. Prehealth volunteers are an untapped resource for effectively expanding internal continuous quality improvement capacity in the MICU and beyond.

The Language of Caring: Nurse's Aides' Use of Family Metaphors Conveys Affective Care

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berdes, Celia; Eckert, John M.

2007-01-01

Purpose: Using a conceptual framework from the field of care work and the theory of boundary work, we explore the use of family metaphors by nurse's aides to describe their affective care for nursing home residents. We focus on how nurse's aides can express affective care in spite of experiencing racial abuse. Methods: Using the technique of…

NASA Administrator Bolden Volunteers with the DC Cares Program

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-12-14

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden spent time volunteering with DC Cares at the Park View Recreation Center in Washington, DC for their Santa's Workshop program, Monday, Dec. 14, 2009. Mr. Bolden spoke with students about his experience as a former NASA astronaut and current NASA Administrator, encouraging them to study math and science and to stay in school. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

An Elective Seminar to Teach First-Year Students the Social and Medical Aspects of AIDS.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldman, Jonathon D.

1987-01-01

A seven-week seminar Northwestern University introduces medical students to a comprehensive approach to biological, psychological, and social aspects of AIDS. The course includes: a television movie and documentary film; roundtable discussions with AIDS patients, volunteers, and health care professionals; reading materials and lectures; and…

Ethical issues for hospice volunteers.

PubMed

Berry, Patricia; Planalp, Sally

Health care professionals usually receive professional education in ethics, but the half million hospice volunteers in the United States may receive only brief training that is limited to confidentiality and the volunteer role. The purpose of this study was to explore ethical issues hospice volunteers confront in their work. Interviews with 39 hospice volunteers were conducted, audio recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using qualitative methods. Prominent themes were dilemmas about gifts, patient care and family concerns, issues related to volunteer roles and boundaries, and issues surrounding suicide and hastening death. Suggestions for training include discussions of ethics after initial training once volunteers had confronted ethical issues, with special emphasis on strategies for negotiating their uneasy role positioned between health care professional and friend.

Medical volunteering: giving something back.

PubMed

Reynolds, Herbert Y

2006-01-01

A national health issue is how to provide medical care for the large number of people who are uninsured or do not qualify for medical coverage. Establishing free health clinics staffed by volunteer health professionals is one approach that is increasing, but this alone will not solve this societal problem. Many volunteer health care providers are needed, and more senior and retired physicians might be recruited. However, practicing general, not subspeciality, medicine in an unfamiliar surrounding with different patient demands may seem intimidating and anxiety producing. However, a conducive clinical environment and working with other volunteer health care staff may alleviate these feelings and make medical volunteering very enjoyable. The Mercy Health Clinic in Montgomery County, Maryland, has had this effect on us who volunteer there and care for its needy patients.

Developing a Palliative Care Competency Framework for Health Professionals and Volunteers: The Nova Scotian Experience.

PubMed

McCallum, Meg; Carver, Janet; Dupere, David; Ganong, Sharon; Henderson, J David; McKim, Ann; McNeil-Campbell, Lisa; Richardson, Holly; Simpson, Judy; Tschupruk, Cheryl; Jewers, Heather

2018-05-15

In 2014, Nova Scotia released a provincial palliative care strategy and implementation working groups were established. The Capacity Building and Practice Change Working Group, comprised of health professionals, public advisors, academics, educators, and a volunteer supervisor, was asked to select palliative care education programs for health professionals and volunteers. The first step in achieving this mandate was to establish competencies for health professionals and volunteers caring for patients with life-limiting illness and their families and those specializing in palliative care. In 2015, a literature search for palliative care competencies and an environmental scan of related education programs were conducted. The Irish Palliative Care Competence Framework serves as the foundation of the Nova Scotia Palliative Care Competency Framework. Additional disciplines and competencies were added and any competencies not specific to palliative care were removed. To highlight interprofessional practice, the framework illustrates shared and discipline-specific competencies. Stakeholders were asked to validate the framework and map the competencies to educational programs. Numerous rounds of review refined the framework. The framework includes competencies for 22 disciplines, 9 nursing specialties, and 4 physician specialties. The framework, released in 2017, and the selection and implementation of education programs were a significant undertaking. The framework will support the implementation of the Nova Scotia Integrated Palliative Care Strategy, enhance the interprofessional nature of palliative care, and guide the further implementation of education programs. Other jurisdictions have expressed considerable interest in the framework.

Volunteering for Clinical Trials Can Help Improve Health Care for Everyone | NIH MedlinePlus the Magazine

MedlinePlus

... page please turn Javascript on. Feature: Clinical Trials Volunteering for Clinical Trials Can Help Improve Health Care ... save lives." Photo: Fran Sandridge For Melanie Modlin, volunteering to take part in a clinical trial was ...

Home-Care Use and Expenditures Among Medicaid Beneficiaries with AIDS

PubMed Central

Sambamoorthi, Usha; Collins, Sara R.; Crystal, Stephen; Walkup, James

1999-01-01

This article compares the use and cost of home-care services among traditional Medicaid recipients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and among participants in a statewide Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)/AIDS-specific home and community-based Medicaid waiver program in New Jersey, using Medicaid claims and AIDS surveillance data. Waiver program participation appears to mitigate racial and risk group differences in the probability of home-care use. However, the program's successes are confined to its enrollees of which subgroups of the AIDS population are underrepresented. Our findings suggest the need to expand access to home-care programs to racial minorities and injection drug users (IDUs) with HIV/AIDS. PMID:11482120

VolunteerGet--a novel information system for engaging society in volunteering for emergency care.

PubMed

Varadarajan, Vivek; Ganz, Aura

2008-01-01

This work presents VolunteerGet, a novel information system for engaging society in volunteering for emergency situations. We will use the social networking and location services infrastructure as a means of 1) registering volunteers and other users, 2) spreading the word on volunteering opportunities and increasing the volunteer database, 3) matching the users and volunteers at time and location of need. Such a system has the potential to promote volunteering as a social phenomenon and eventually reduce suffering and mortality.

Oral health care in remote Kimberley Aboriginal communities: the characteristics and perceptions of dental volunteers.

PubMed

Patel, J; Hearn, L; Slack-Smith, L M

2015-09-01

Aboriginal Australians face significant disparities in oral health and this is particularly the case in remote communities where access to dental services can be difficult. Using volunteers to provide dental care in the remote Kimberley region of Western Australia is a novel approach. This study comprised an anonymous online survey of volunteers working with the Kimberley Dental Team (KDT). The survey had a response fraction of 66% and explored volunteer demographic characteristics, factors that motivated their involvement, perceptions of oral health among Aboriginal communities, and barriers and enablers to oral health in remote Aboriginal communities. Volunteers were more likely to be female, middle-aged and engaged in full-time employment. The two most common reasons reported for volunteering were to assist the community and visit the Kimberley region. Education and access to reliable, culturally appropriate care were perceived as enablers to good oral health for Aboriginal people in the Kimberley while limited access to services, poor nutrition and lack of government support were cited as barriers. Volunteers providing dental services to remote areas in Western Australia had a diverse demographic profile. However, they share similar motivating factors and views on the current barriers and enablers to good oral health in remote Aboriginal communities. © 2015 Australian Dental Association.

Reflections: Volunteering at Home.

PubMed

Hu, Amanda

2016-08-01

Many young people look forward to volunteering abroad and overlook the ample volunteer opportunities at home. There are several advantages to volunteering at home: you help people in your own community; you can make a long-term commitment; and you have continuity of care for your patients. There are >1200 free clinics in the United States whose main goal is to provide care to the indigent population. These free clinics are always looking for volunteers with specialized medical training. This article reviews the medically related and unrelated volunteer opportunities available in the United States. Volunteering at home is a worthwhile experience, and I encourage the otolaryngology community to explore these opportunities. © American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery Foundation 2016.

Laughter therapy as an intervention to promote psychological well-being of volunteer community care workers working with HIV-affected families

PubMed Central

Hatzipapas, Irene; Visser, Maretha J.; Janse van Rensburg, Estie

2017-01-01

Abstract The study explores the experiences of volunteer community care workers working with HIV-affected families, participating in laughter therapy. Laughter therapy is being used as an intervention to positively influence individuals experiencing various forms of emotional distress. Community care workers play a vital role in the support of the HIV/AIDS-infected and -affected members in communities. The nature of this type of work and their limited training contributes to high levels of secondary trauma and emotional exhaustion. The purpose of the study was firstly, to explore the effects of working with orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) on the community care workers and secondly, to establish the impact that laughter therapy has to positively combat stresses of working within the care workers’ environment. All the community care workers from a community-based organisation that provides care for HIV/AIDS-infected and -affected OVC and their families in the greater region of Soweto, South Africa, took part in daily laughter therapy sessions for one month. To assess the experiences of participants of laughter therapy, seven community care workers agreed to participate in a mixed method assessment. Interviews were conducted before and after the intervention using the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis as framework. As supportive data, a stress and anxiety and depression scale were added in the interview. Participants reported more positive emotions, positive coping, improved interpersonal relationships and improvement in their care work after exposure to laughter therapy. Quantitative results on stress, anxiety and depression for each participant confirmed observed changes. Laughter therapy as a self-care technique has potential as a low-cost intervention strategy to reduce stress and counteract negative emotions among people working in highly emotional environments. PMID:29169302

Lessons Learned Preparing Volunteer Midwives for Service in Haiti: After the Earthquake.

PubMed

Floyd, Barbara O'Malley

2013-01-01

Midwives for Haiti is an organization that focuses on the education and training of skilled birth attendants in Haiti, a country with a high rate of maternal and infant mortality and where only 26% of births are attended by skilled health workers. Following the 2010 earthquake, Midwives for Haiti received requests to expand services and numerous professional midwives answered the call to volunteer. This author was one of those volunteers. The purpose of the study was: 1) to develop a description of the program's strengths and its deficits in order to determine if there was a need to improve the preparation of volunteers prior to service and 2) to make recommendations aimed at strengthening the volunteers' contributions to the education of Haiti and auxiliary midwives. Three distinct but closely related questionnaires were developed to survey Haitian students, staff midwives, and volunteers who served with Midwives for Haiti. Questions were designed to elicit information about how well the volunteers were prepared for their experience, the effectiveness of translation services, and suggestions for improving the preparation of volunteers and strengthening the education program. Analysis of the surveys of volunteers, staff, midwives, and the Haitian students generated several common themes. The 3 groups agreed that the volunteers made an effective contribution to the program of education and that the volunteer midwives need more preparation prior to serving in Haiti. The 3 groups also agreed on the need for better translators and recommended more structure to the education program. The results of this study are significant to international health care organizations that use volunteer health care professionals to provide services. The results support a growing body of knowledge that international health aid organizations may use to strengthen the preparation, support, and effectiveness of volunteer health providers.

Volunteering to Care for People with Severe Mental Illness: A Qualitative Study of the Significance of Professional and Private Life Experience.

PubMed

Ørtenblad, Lisbeth; Væggemose, Ulla; Gissel, Lene; Nissen, Nina Konstantin

2018-02-06

Challenges in recruiting volunteers encountered by psychiatric services are barely elucidated despite a general societal increase in volunteering. The aim of the study was to explore the significance of professional and private life experiences in willingness to volunteer to care for people with severe mental illness. Focus group interviews with volunteers in the Community Family Programme was conducted, followed by thematic analysis. All interviewees had professional and/or private experience of SMI, which had a major influence on their initial willingness to volunteer. Volunteering was an opportunity to pass on their experiences and to care for SMI people in ways that were not possible in their professions. The interviewees did not distinguish between the influences of professional and/or private life experiences on their willingness to volunteer. The study demonstrates the importance of professional and/or private life experiences in initial considerations about volunteering for mental health care. The consequences for recruitment practices are discussed.

Patients or volunteers? The impact of motivation for trial participation on the efficacy of patient decision Aids: a secondary analysis of a Cochrane systematic review.

PubMed

Brown, James G; Joyce, Kerry E; Stacey, Dawn; Thomson, Richard G

2015-05-01

Efficacy of patient decision aids (PtDAs) may be influenced by trial participants' identity either as patients seeking to benefit personally from involvement or as volunteers supporting the research effort. To determine if study characteristics indicative of participants' trial identity might influence PtDA efficacy. We undertook exploratory subgroup meta-analysis of the 2011 Cochrane review of PtDAs, including trials that compared PtDA with usual care for treatment decisions. We extracted data on whether participants initiated the care pathway, setting, practitioner interactions, and 6 outcome variables (knowledge, risk perception, decisional conflict, feeling informed, feeling clear about values, and participation). The main subgroup analysis categorized trials as "volunteerism" or "patienthood" on the basis of whether participants initiated the care pathway. A supplementary subgroup analysis categorized trials on the basis of whether any volunteerism factors were present (participants had not initiated the care pathway, had attended a research setting, or had a face-to-face interaction with a researcher). Twenty-nine trials were included. Compared with volunteerism trials, pooled effect sizes were higher in patienthood trials (where participants initiated the care pathway) for knowledge, decisional conflict, feeling informed, feeling clear, and participation. The subgroup difference was statistically significant for knowledge only (P = 0.03). When trials were compared on the basis of whether volunteerism factors were present, knowledge was significantly greater in patienthood trials (P < 0.001), but there was otherwise no consistent pattern of differences in effects across outcomes. There is a tendency toward greater PtDA efficacy in trials in which participants initiate the pathway of care. Knowledge acquisition appears to be greater in trials where participants are predominantly patients rather than volunteers. © The Author(s) 2015.

Don't volunteer for trouble.

PubMed

Gale, J

1997-01-01

Gone are the days when volunteer activity was limited to delivering flowers and mail to inpatient rooms. Today's volunteers extend the capacity of health care organizations to provide compassionate and caring service by staffing immunization programs, conducting health screening activities and more. With increased reliance on volunteers and increased responsibility placed on volunteers, it is important that they are protected from any personal liability that may be incurred while working on behalf of your organization. It is equally important that the organization is protected from liability incurred by the acts or omissions of its volunteers.

Project VUE: Volunteers Upholding Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thurber, John C.

This document reports on a project aimed at developing, implementing, and evaluating a plan for using volunteer classroom aides in the Palm Beach County (Florida) schools as a means for meeting various financial, human, and community needs. The desirability of a comprehensive volunteer plan was presented in a 10-point summary by an ad hoc…

Social Effects of Health Care Reform: Medicaid Expansion under the Affordable Care Act and changes in Volunteering

PubMed Central

Sohn, Heeju; Timmermans, Stefan

2017-01-01

Do public health policy interventions result in pro-social behaviors? The Affordable Care Act (ACA)’s Medicaid expansions were responsible for the largest gains in public insurance coverage since its inception in 1965. These gains were concentrated in states that opted to expand Medicaid eligibility and provide a unique opportunity to study not just medical but also social consequences of increased public health coverage. This article examines the association between Medicaid and volunteer work. Volunteerism is implicated in individuals’ health and well-being yet it is highly correlated with a person’s existing socioeconomic resources. Medicaid expansions improved financial security and a sense of health—two factors that predict volunteer work—for a socioeconomic group that has had low levels of volunteerism. Difference-in-difference analyses of the Volunteer Supplement of the Current Population Survey (2010–2015) find increased reports of formal volunteering for organizations as well as informal helping behaviors between neighbors for low-income non-elderly adults who would have likely benefited from expansions. Furthermore, increased volunteer work associated with Medicaid was greater among minority groups and narrowed existing ethnic differences in volunteerism in states that expanded Medicaid eligibility. PMID:29142907

Medical students as hospice volunteers: reflections on an early experiential training program in end-of-life care education.

PubMed

Mott, Melissa L; Gorawara-Bhat, Rita; Marschke, Michael; Levine, Stacie

2014-06-01

Despite an increase in the content of palliative medicine curricula in medical schools, students are rarely exposed to end-of-life (EOL) care through real-patient experiences during their preclinical education. To evaluate the utility and impact of exposure to EOL care for first year medical students (MS-1s) through a hospice volunteer experience. Patients and Families First (PFF), a hospice volunteer training program in EOL care, was piloted on three cohorts of MS-1s as an elective. Fifty-five students received 3 hours of volunteer training, and were then required to conduct at least two consecutive hospice visits on assigned patients to obtain course credit. Students' reflective essays on their experiences were analyzed using qualitative methodology and salient themes were extracted by two investigators independently and then collaboratively. The following five themes were identified from students' reflective essays: perceptions regarding hospice patients; reactions regarding self; normalcy of EOL care at home; impact of witnessing death and dying; and suggestions for improving EOL care education for medical students. Hospice volunteering during preclinical years may provide valuable experiential training for MS-1s in caring for seriously ill patients and their families by fostering personal reflection and empathic skills, thereby providing a foundation for future patient encounters during clinical training.

The impacts of using community health volunteers to coach medication safety behaviors among rural elders with chronic illnesses.

PubMed

Wang, Chi-Jane; Fetzer, Susan J; Yang, Yi-Ching; Wang, Jing-Jy

2013-01-01

It is a challenge for rural health professionals to promote medication safety among older adults taking multiple medications. A volunteer coaching program to promote medication safety among rural elders with chronic illnesses was designed and evaluated. A community-based interventional study randomly assigned 62 rural elders with at least two chronic illnesses to routine care plus volunteer coaching or routine care alone. The volunteer coaching group received a medication safety program, including a coach and reminders by well-trained volunteers, as well as three home visits and five telephone calls over a two-month period. All the subjects received routine medication safety instructions for their chronic illnesses. The program was evaluated using pre- and post-tests of knowledge, attitude and behaviors with regard to medication safety. Results show the volunteer coaching group improved their knowledge of medication safety, but there was no change in attitude after the two-month study period. Moreover, the group demonstrated three improved medication safety behaviors compared to the routine care group. The volunteer coaching program and instructions with pictorial aids can provide a reference for community health professionals who wish to improve the medication safety of chronically ill elders. Copyright © 2013 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

School Nutrition and Food Service Techniques for Children with Exceptional Needs: Guidelines for Food Service Personnel, Teachers, Aides, Volunteers, and Parents.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gunther, Margaret L.; Troftgruben, Judith A.

Designed to help school food service personnel, teachers, aides, and volunteers extend the benefits of the school meal program to handicapped children, this manual discusses eating problems resulting from such conditions as cerebral palsy, mental retardation, blindness, orthopedic handicaps, and other health impairments. Specific recommendations…

[The effects of multimedia-assisted instruction on the skin care learning of nurse aides in long-term care facilities].

PubMed

Wu, Yu-Ling; Kao, Yu-Hsiu

2014-08-01

Skin care is an important responsibility of nurse aides in long-term care facilities, and the nursing knowledge, attitudes, and skills of these aides significantly affects quality of care. However, the work schedule of nurse aides often limits their ability to obtain further education and training. Therefore, developing appropriate and effective training programs for nurse aides is critical to maintaining and improving quality of care in long-term care facilities. This study investigates the effects of multimedia assisted instruction on the skin care learning of nurse aides working in long-term care facilities. A quasi-experimental design and convenient sampling were adopted in this study. Participants included 96 nurse aides recruited from 5 long-term care facilities in Taoyuan County, Taiwan. The experimental group received 3 weeks of multimedia assisted instruction. The control group did not receive this instruction. The Skin Care Questionnaire for Nurse Aides in Long-term Care Facilities and the Skin Care Behavior Checklist were used for assessment before and after the intervention. (1) Posttest scores for skin care knowledge, attitudes, behavior, and the skin care checklist were significantly higher than pretest scores for the intervention group. There was no significant difference between pretest and posttest scores for the control group. (2) A covariance analysis of pretest scores for the two groups showed that the experimental group earned significantly higher average scores than their control group peers for skin care knowledge, attitudes, behavior, and the skin care checklist. The multimedia assisted instruction demonstrated significant and positive effects on the skin care leaning of nurse aides in long-term care facilities. This finding supports the use of multimedia assisted instruction in the education and training of nurse aides in long-term care facilities in the future.

45 CFR 1217.6 - Roles of volunteers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... roles: (a) Primary contact with VISTA volunteers on personal and administrative matters. (b) Aid in... program concepts with VISTA volunteers and supervisor/sponsor. (g) Advise supervisor on potential problem... best meet goals and objectives addressing the community's problem(s). ...

45 CFR 1217.6 - Roles of volunteers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... roles: (a) Primary contact with VISTA volunteers on personal and administrative matters. (b) Aid in... program concepts with VISTA volunteers and supervisor/sponsor. (g) Advise supervisor on potential problem... best meet goals and objectives addressing the community's problem(s). ...

Using a Multisectoral Approach to Assess HIV/AIDS Services in the Western Region of Puerto Rico

PubMed Central

Asencio Toro, Gloria; Burns, Patricia; Pimentel, Daniel; Sánchez Peraza, Luis Raúl; Rivera Lugo, Carmen

2006-01-01

The Enhancing Care Initiative of Puerto Rico assessed services available to people living with HIV/AIDS in the western region of Puerto Rico. Participants were 212 people living with HIV/AIDS and 116 employees from 6 agencies providing HIV/AIDS services in the region. Two main findings were that depression symptoms were present in 98.1% of people living with HIV/AIDS, and 7 of the 15 municipalities in the region did not provide any specific services to this population. Most urgent needs identified by people living with HIV/AIDS were economic support, housing, mental and psychological services, medicines, medical treatment, and transportation. The Enhancing Care Initiative provides an example of a successful multisectoral, multidimensional volunteer team effectively overcoming challenges while translating research into interventions to enhance HIV/AIDS care. PMID:16670220

[Volunteer work and potential volunteer work among 55 to 70-year-olds in Germany].

PubMed

Micheel, Frank

2017-02-01

The aim of this article is to describe the potential with respect to volunteer work among 55 to 70-year-old persons along with a two-dimensional typology (actual volunteer work and intention of volunteering or expanding actual volunteer work) and to identify the influencing factors. Based on the dataset from the transitions and old age potential (TOP) study, a total of 4421 men and women born between 1942 and 1958 were included. A multinomial regression model showed the predictors for group affiliation along with an engagement-related typology (internal, utilized and external volunteer potential as well as definite non-volunteers). More than a half of the persons in the study sample could be classified as internal or external volunteer potential. Volunteers and potential volunteers revealed more similarities regarding resources and social factors than potential volunteers and definite non-volunteers. Potential volunteers were more active in other informal fields of activity (e.g. nursing or child care) than definite non-volunteers. With respect to volunteer work, definite non-volunteers showed various social disadvantages (in particular with respect to education and health) compared to (potential) volunteers. Other informal activities did not seem to be in major conflict with volunteer activities, e.g. nursing or child care, as long as they were carried out with moderate or low intensity.

The volunteer program in a Children's Hospice.

PubMed

Duggal, Shalu; Farah, Peggy; Straatman, Lynn Patricia; Freeman, Leanne; Dickson, Susan

2008-09-01

Canuck Place Children's Hospice (CPCH) is regarded as one of the leading pediatric palliative care systems in the world. Since 1995, it has been providing hospice care free of charge to children and their families living with life-threatening conditions. The pediatric palliative hospice is a relatively new practice in health care, in comparison to the longstanding adult model. As a result, development and implementation of volunteer programs in pediatric hospices is not currently represented in literature. With over 300 volunteers at present, CPCH has built a successful program that can serve as a model in pediatric volunteer services. To present the unique volunteer roles and experience at CPCH, and share ways volunteers work to support the efforts of the clinical team. Strategies to address current challenges in the volunteer program are also addressed. Descriptive design. A current CPCH volunteer discusses the volunteer program. Interviews were conducted with the founding volunteer director of CPCH and current volunteers. The volunteer program at CPCH fully embraces the life of each child and family. Volunteer selection is the groundwork for ensuring a cohesive work force, while training equips volunteers with the knowledge to carry out their role with confidence. Areas of improvement that have been recognized include offering effective feedback to volunteers and delivering adequate level of training for non-direct care roles. The talents of volunteers at CPCH are diverse, and CPCH aims to recognize and thank volunteers for their continuous contributions.

Managing Volunteers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Geber, Beverly

1991-01-01

Discusses changing nature of volunteers in Peter Drucker's book "Managing the Nonprofit Corporation." Points out that most volunteers have full-time jobs, families, very little leisure; they are not willing to do such routine work as stuffing envelopes; they want carefully defined projects with beginning and end. Discusses real…

Attitudes of health care students about computer-aided neuroanatomy instruction.

PubMed

McKeough, D Michael; Bagatell, Nancy

2009-01-01

This study examined students' attitudes toward computer-aided instruction (CAI), specifically neuroanatomy learning modules, to assess which components were primary in establishing these attitudes and to discuss the implications of these attitudes for successfully incorporating CAI in the preparation of health care providers. Seventy-seven masters degree, entry-level, health care professional students matriculated in an introductory neuroanatomy course volunteered as subjects for this study. Students independently reviewed the modules as supplements to lecture and completed a survey to evaluate teaching effectiveness. Responses to survey statements were compared across the learning modules to determine if students viewed the modules differently. Responses to individual survey statements were averaged to measure the strength of agreement or disagreement with the statement. Responses to open-ended questions were theme coded, and frequencies and percentages were calculated for each. Students saw no differences between the learning modules. Students perceived the learning modules as valuable; they enjoyed using the modules but did not prefer CAI over traditional lecture format. The modules were useful in learning or reinforcing neuroanatomical concepts and improving clinical problem-solving skills. Students reported that the visual representation of the neuroanatomical systems, computer animation, ability to control the use of the modules, and navigational fidelity were key factors in determining attitudes. The computer-based learning modules examined in this study were effective as adjuncts to lecture in helping entry-level health care students learn and make clinical applications of neuroanatomy information.

[Organization of workplace first aid in health care facilities].

PubMed

Ciavarella, M; Sacco, A; Bosco, Maria Giuseppina; Chinni, V; De Santis, A; Pagnanelli, A

2007-01-01

Laws D.Lgs. 626/94 and D.I. 388/03 attach particular importance to the organization of first aid in the workplace. Like every other enterprise, also hospitals and health care facilities have the obligation, as foreseen by the relevant legislation, to organize and manage first aid in the workplace. To discuss the topic in the light of the guidelines contained in the literature. We used the references contained in the relevant literature and in the regulations concerning organization of first aid in health care facilities. The regulations require the general manager of health care facilities to organize the primary intervention in case of emergencies in all health care facilities (health care or administrative, territorial and hospitals). In health care facilities the particular occupational risks, the general access of the public and the presence of patients who are already assumed to have altered states of health, should be the reason for particular care in guaranteeing the best possible management of a health emergency in the shortest time possible.

Assessing and planning home-based care for persons with AIDS.

PubMed

McDonnell, S; Brennan, M; Burnham, G; Tarantola, D

1994-12-01

The HIV/AIDS pandemic continues to gather momentum in many developing countries, increasing the already heavy burden on health care facilities. As a result, donors, implementing partners and communities are beginning to create home-based care programmes to provide care for persons with HIV/AIDS. This paper recommends reorienting this home care provision as a service founded in, and coming from, the community rather than the health system. A methodology, in the form of an assessment matrix, is provided to facilitate the assessment of a community's capacity to provide care for people with AIDS. The focus is on rapid assessment methods using, where possible, readily available information to clearly and systematically define current circumstances. The matrix created for a specific community is then used in the development of an action plan with interventions prioritized and tailored to local needs. A case study from a hypothetical developing country, where HIV/AIDS is a significant problem, is used to illustrate the process.

Family-based care and psychological problems of AIDS orphans: does it matter who was the care-giver?

PubMed

Zhao, Guoxiang; Zhao, Qun; Li, Xiaoming; Fang, Xiaoyi; Zhao, Junfeng; Zhang, Liying

2010-05-01

The purpose of this study is to compare psychological symptoms among double AIDS orphans (i.e. children who lost both of their parents to HIV/AIDS) who were in the care of different family-based caregivers (i.e. surviving parent, grandparents, other relatives, and non-relatives) before they were replaced in orphanages. The participants include 176 double AIDS orphans from four AIDS orphanages in rural China. Prior to being replaced in AIDS orphanages, these children had received family-based care by different caregivers, which included surviving parent (38%), grandparents (22%), other relatives (19%), and non-relatives (22%). The psychological measures include traumatic symptoms, depression, and loneliness. Both bivariate and multivariate analyses suggested that children who were previously cared for by non-relatives scored significantly higher in traumatic symptoms, depression, and loneliness scales than children who were previously cared for by their surviving parent, grandparents, and other relatives. Children in the care of grandparents reported the best scores on all psychological measures among children in the care of non-parent relatives. Multivariate analysis, controlling for children's gender, age, length in orphanages, number of household replacements, and total duration of replacement, revealed that the type of caregivers was significantly associated with psychological problems. Results in the current study suggest that children under the care of their grandparents reported the best psychological outcomes when their parents were unable to care for them because of AIDS. Appropriate psychological support and counseling services are needed for AIDS orphans who were either currently or previously under non-relative family-based care in China.

Understanding the role of the volunteer in specialist palliative care: a systematic review and thematic synthesis of qualitative studies

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Volunteers make a major contribution to palliative patient care, and qualitative studies have been undertaken to explore their involvement. With the aim of making connections between existing studies to derive enhanced meanings, we undertook a systematic review of these qualitative studies including synthesising the findings. We sought to uncover how the role of volunteers with direct contact with patients in specialist palliative care is understood by volunteers, patients, their families, and staff. Methods We searched for relevant literature that explored the role of the volunteer including electronic citation databases and reference lists of included studies, and also undertook handsearches of selected journals to find studies which met inclusion criteria. We quality appraised included studies, and synthesised study findings using a novel synthesis method, thematic synthesis. Results We found 12 relevant studies undertaken in both inpatient and home-care settings, with volunteers, volunteer coordinators, patients and families. Studies explored the role of general volunteers as opposed to those offering any professional skills. Three theme clusters were found: the distinctness of the volunteer role, the characteristics of the role, and the volunteer experience of the role. The first answers the question, is there a separate volunteer role? We found that to some extent the role was distinctive. The volunteer may act as a mediator between the patient and the staff. However, we also found some contradictions. Volunteers may take on temporary surrogate family-type relationship roles. They may also take on some of the characteristics of a paid professional. The second cluster helps to describe the essence of the role. Here, we found that the dominant feature was that the role is social in nature. The third helps to explain aspects of the role from the point of view of volunteers themselves. It highlighted that the role is seen by volunteers as flexible

Factors associated with rushed and missed resident care in western Canadian nursing homes: a cross-sectional survey of health care aides.

PubMed

Knopp-Sihota, Jennifer A; Niehaus, Linda; Squires, Janet E; Norton, Peter G; Estabrooks, Carole A

2015-10-01

To describe the nature, frequency and factors associated with care that was rushed or missed by health care aides in western Canadian nursing homes. The growing number of nursing home residents with dementia has created job strain for frontline health care providers, the majority of whom are health care aides. Due to the associated complexity of care, health care aides are challenged to complete more care tasks in less time. Rushed or missed resident care are associated with adverse resident outcomes (e.g. falls) and poorer quality of staff work life (e.g. burnout) making this an important quality of care concern. Cross-sectional survey of health care aides (n = 583) working in a representative sample of nursing homes (30 urban, six rural) in western Canada. Data were collected in 2010 as part of the Translating Research in Elder Care study. We collected data on individual health care aides (demographic characteristics, job and vocational satisfaction, physical and mental health, burnout), unit level characteristics associated with organisational context, facility characteristics (location, size, owner/operator model), and the outcome variables of rushed and missed resident care. Most health care aides (86%) reported being rushed. Due to lack of time, 75% left at least one care task missed during their previous shift. Tasks most frequently missed were talking with residents (52% of health care aides) and assisting with mobility (51%). Health care aides working on units with higher organisational context scores were less likely to report rushed and missed care. Health care aides frequently report care that is rushed and tasks omitted due to lack of time. Considering the resident population in nursing homes today--many with advanced dementia and all with complex care needs--health care aides having enough time to provide physical and psychosocial care of high quality is a critical concern. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Texas certified volunteer Long-Term Care Ombudsmen: perspectives of role and effectiveness.

PubMed

Ostwald, Sharon K; Runge, Anke; Lees, Emily J; Patterson, Gina D

2003-01-01

Under the federally mandated Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program (LTCOP), certified volunteer ombudsmen (CVO) advocate for the welfare and rights of residents in nursing facilities. In Texas, the Department on Aging contracts with 28 agencies to deliver the LTCOP in respective regions. Regional ombudsman staff in charge of a group of CVOs administers each local program. The volunteer ombudsman role is threefold: advocate, mediator, and friendly visitor. This descriptive study used a 75-item mail survey designed to gain a better understanding of CVOs' perspectives of their role and effectiveness. A total of 361 active, certified volunteers participated, representing all of the 28 regional Texas ombudsman programs. A series of focus groups was used to amplify survey data. Findings indicate overall role satisfaction, although perception of satisfaction varied with volunteers' age, length of service, level of education, and work experience. Volunteers felt most effective in promoting residents' rights and welfare, and least effective in dealing with financial exploitation, nutrition, and hydration issues. Although not always able to achieve desired changes, most volunteers believed that the ombudsman presence was a positive force. A need for improved understanding and support of the ombudsman role among facility staff and regulatory agents was exposed. CVOs' potentially favorable impact on the institutional setting in general, and facility personnel in particular, is dependent on the support from state personnel and regional ombudsman staff as well as the willingness of nursing facility staff to cooperate. Volunteers' sense of performance effectiveness is essential to the success of the LTCOP. Specific recommendations based on study findings are intended to assist in assuring continuous program quality improvement purposed to ensure residents' quality of life.

[A project to reduce the incidence of intubation care errors among foreign health aides].

PubMed

Chen, Mei-Ju; Lu, Yu-Hua; Chen, Chiu-Chun; Li, Ai-Cheng

2014-08-01

Foreign health aides are the main providers of care for the elderly and the physically disabled in Taiwan. Correct care skills improve patient safety. In 2010, the incidence of mistakes among foreign health aides in our hospital unit was 58% for nasogastric tube care and 57% for tracheostomy tube care. A survey of foreign health aides and nurses in the unit identified the main causes of these mistakes as: communication difficulties, inaccurate instructions given to patients, and a lack of standard operating procedures given to the foreign health aides. This project was designed to reduce the rates of improper nasogastric tube care and improper tracheostomy tube care to 20%, respectively. This project implemented several appropriate measures. We produced patient instruction hand-outs in Bahasa Indonesia, established a dedicated file holder for Bahasa Indonesian tube care reference information, produced Bahasa Indonesian tube-care-related posters, produced a short film about tube care in Bahasa Indonesian, and established a standardized operating procedure for tube care in our unit. Between December 15th and 31st, 2011, we audited the performance of a total of 32 foreign health aides for proper execution of nasogastric tube care (21 aides) and of proper execution of tracheostomy tube care (11 aides). Patients with concurrent nasogastric and tracheostomy tubes were inspected separately for each care group. The incidence of improper care decreased from 58% to 18% nasogastric intubation and 57% to 18% for tracheostomy intubation. This project decreased significantly the incidence of improper tube care by the foreign health aides in our unit. Furthermore, the foreign health aides improved their tube nursing care skills. Therefore, this project improved the quality of patient care.

Filipino Health Care Aides and the Nursing Home Labour Market in Winnipeg.

PubMed

Novek, Sheila

2013-12-01

Canada’s nursing homes have become increasingly dependent on immigrant health care aides. More than any other ethnic group, Filipino women are over-represented among health care aides in the Canadian health care system. This qualitative study explored the employment experiences of Filipino health care aides in nursing homes from their own perspectives as well as those of policy stakeholders. Fourteen in-depth interviews were conducted with Filipino health care aides and long-term-care policy stakeholders in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The results indicated that migrant social networks act as pathways linking immigrant women with employment opportunities in nursing homes. The composition of the labour force is also shaped by management strategies and labour market accommodations that respond to, and reinforce, these social networks. These findings have implications for workforce planning and the quality of care provision in nursing homes.

Does involving volunteers in the provision of palliative care make a difference to patient and family wellbeing? A systematic review of quantitative and qualitative evidence.

PubMed

Candy, Bridget; France, Rachel; Low, Joe; Sampson, Liz

2015-03-01

Despite the extent of volunteers' contribution to palliative care, and their role in direct patient care, there has been no systematic evaluation of the evidence-base on volunteers in relation to patient and family wellbeing. To critically review research, on the impact of volunteers involved in the direct care of palliative patients and their families. We searched for studies, reporting patient and family data on the impact of volunteer services in palliative care in thirteen citation databases up to May 2013. We included quantitative comparative studies. We also noted any non-comparative studies, enabling us to give a comprehensive review of the existing research. We also included qualitative studies that explored the experiences of patients and families who received volunteer support, potentially illustrating which aspects of volunteer activities patients and families value. We applied quality appraisal criteria to all studies meeting inclusion criteria. Two researchers undertook key review processes. We found eight studies. Only two studies were undertaken outside of North America; one in the Netherlands and the other in Uganda. All studies were in adult palliative care services. All evaluated volunteers were in home care settings, three of the studies included other settings such as hospitals and nursing homes. All of the studies fulfilled our quality appraisal criteria. Six of them were quantitative studies and two were comparative: one found that those families who experienced greater (as opposed to lesser) volunteer involvement were significantly more satisfied with care; the other found that patients survived significantly longer if they had received home visits from a volunteer. Four cross-sectional studies focused on satisfaction ratings. No study considered possible disadvantages or adverse effects of volunteer involvement. Two qualitative studies were identified; both highlighted the uniqueness of the role volunteers may fulfil in care support, from

Examining the role of vocational rehabilitation on access to care and public health outcomes for people living with HIV/AIDS.

PubMed

Conyers, Liza; Boomer, K B

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study is to examine the role of vocational rehabilitation services in contributing to the goals of the National HIV/AIDS strategy. Three key research questions are addressed: (a) What is the relationship among factors associated with the use of vocational rehabilitation services for people living with HIV/AIDS? (b) Are the factors associated with use of vocational rehabilitation also associated with access to health care, supplemental employment services and reduced risk of HIV transmission? and (c) What unique role does use of vocational rehabilitation services play in access to health care and HIV prevention? Survey research methods were used to collect data from a broad sample of volunteer respondents who represented diverse racial (37% Black, 37% White, 18% Latino, 7% other), gender (65% male, 34% female, 1% transgender) and sexual orientation (48% heterosexual, 44% gay, 8% bisexual) backgrounds. The fit of the final structural equation model was good (root mean square error of approximation = 0.055), with 90% upper bound of 0.058, Comparative Fit Index = 0.953, TLI = 0.945). Standardized effects with bootstrap confidence intervals are reported. Overall, the findings support the hypothesis that vocational rehabilitation services can play an important role in health and prevention strategies outlined in the National HIV/AIDS strategy.

How can I help you? A study of the perceived importance of different kinds of hospice palliative care volunteer support.

PubMed

Claxton-Oldfield, Stephen; Gosselin, Natasha

2011-06-01

A total of 143 adults were asked to imagine that they had recently been diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. After reading about the roles of hospice palliative care volunteers, participants were asked whether they would use the services of a volunteer to help them and their loved ones get through this difficult time. The vast majority (94.4%) of the participants said they would choose to have a volunteer. These participants were then asked to rate the importance of 23 different supportive tasks that volunteers can perform. These tasks reflected the different kinds of support--emotional, social, practical, informational, and religious/spiritual--that hospice palliative care volunteers typically provide. Overall, the practical support category (eg, ''Having the volunteer run errands for me'') received the highest mean importance rating. Significant gender differences were found for the categories of emotional support (eg, ''Having the volunteer hold my hand'') and social support (eg, ''Having the volunteer share hobbies and interests with me''), with females rating both of these kinds of support as being more important to them than males did. The findings of this study may have practical implications for volunteer program coordinators.

The Child-Care Teacher Aide--A Guide for Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooper, Dorothy B.

Adaptable to individual student needs and the community, this basic curriculum guide is designed for use in initiating and teaching a high school or adult two-year child-care teacher-aide program in vocational education. Four levels of occupations are covered--babysitter, nursery school facilities aide, nursery school teacher aide, and assistant…

'End of life could be on any ward really': A qualitative study of hospital volunteers' end-of-life care training needs and learning preferences.

PubMed

Brighton, Lisa Jane; Koffman, Jonathan; Robinson, Vicky; Khan, Shaheen A; George, Rob; Burman, Rachel; Selman, Lucy Ellen

2017-10-01

Over half of all deaths in Europe occur in hospital, a location associated with many complaints. Initiatives to improve inpatient end-of-life care are therefore a priority. In England, over 78,000 volunteers provide a potentially cost-effective resource to hospitals. Many work with people who are dying and their families, yet little is known about their training in end-of-life care. To explore hospital volunteers' end-of-life care training needs and learning preferences, and the acceptability of training evaluation methods. Qualitative focus groups. Volunteers from a large teaching hospital were purposively sampled. Five focus groups were conducted with 25 hospital volunteers (aged 19-80 years). Four themes emerged as follows: preparation for the volunteering role, training needs, training preferences and evaluation preferences. Many described encounters with patients with life-threatening illness and their families. Perceived training needs in end-of-life care included communication skills, grief and bereavement, spiritual diversity, common symptoms, and self-care. Volunteers valued learning from peers and end-of-life care specialists using interactive teaching methods including real-case examples and role plays. A chance to 'refresh' training at a later date was suggested to enhance learning. Evaluation through self-reports or observations were acceptable, but ratings by patients, families and staff were thought to be pragmatically unsuitable owing to sporadic contact with each. Gaps in end-of-life care training for hospital volunteers indicate scope to maximise on this resource. This evidence will inform development of training and evaluations which could better enable volunteers to make positive, cost-effective contributions to end-of-life care in hospitals.

Smart Use of Volunteers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vissing, Yvonne

2008-01-01

Volunteers pose a special area of concern for child care centers. On one hand, they are indispensable as they donate countless hours of time, energy, and resources. On the other hand, there are challenges to coordinating the efforts of volunteering parents. The use of volunteers has incredible potential for benefit from the center, child, and…

Patient decision aids in routine maternity care: Benefits, barriers, and new opportunities.

PubMed

Stevens, Gabrielle; Thompson, Rachel; Watson, Bernadette; Miller, Yvette D

2016-02-01

Participation in decision-making, supported by comprehensive and quality information provision, is increasingly emphasised as a priority for women in maternity care. Patient decision aids are tools that can offer women greater access to information and guidance to participate in maternity care decision-making. Relative to their evaluation in controlled settings, the implementation of patient decision aids in routine maternity care has received little attention and our understanding of which approaches may be effective is limited. This paper critically discusses the application of patient decision aids in routine maternity care and explores viable solutions for promoting their successful uptake. A range of patient decision aids have been developed for use within maternity care, and controlled trials have highlighted their positive impact on the decision-making process for women. Nevertheless, evidence of successful patient decision aid implementation in real world health care settings is lacking due to practical and ideological barriers that exist. Patient-directed social marketing campaigns are a relatively novel approach to patient decision aid delivery that may facilitate their adoption in maternity care, at least in the short-term, by overcoming common implementation barriers. Social marketing may also be particularly well suited to maternity care, given the unique characteristics of this health context. The potential of social marketing campaigns to facilitate patient decision aid adoption in maternity care highlights the need for pragmatic trials to evaluate their effectiveness. Identifying which sub-groups of women are more or less likely to respond to these strategies will further direct implementation. Copyright © 2015 Australian College of Midwives. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of an interdisciplinary volunteer experience on students' knowledge of and attitudes toward the health care team.

PubMed

Gallagher, Heather; Cooper, Maryann; Durand, Cheryl

2010-01-01

To assess the effect of an interdisciplinary, volunteer clinical experience completed by physician assistant (PA), pharmacy, and nursing students and whether the experience will change students' knowledge of, or attitudes toward, a team approach to health care. Surveys were conducted before and after the project using a 5-point Likert scale that measured the impact of the project on a nonrandom sample of PA, pharmacy, and nursing students who completed a minimum of four hours of service at Head Start preschool sites in southern New Hampshire. Students were recruited through email announcements and a lunchtime information session describing the program. Presurveys were completed using Blackboard before the student's scheduled participation day. Postsurveys were completed onsite at the end of the volunteer time. Surveys were blinded using a number and letter code. Students' knowledge (survey questions 1-4) and attitudes (survey questions 5-7) toward the health care team were evaluated in several areas including the importance of working in a team, knowledge level of other team members, awareness of community agencies as part of the team, and the importance of communication within the health care team. Paired t-tests were used to determine whether significant changes occurred in attitudes or knowledge as a result of the interdisciplinary volunteer experience. Approval of the study protocol was granted by the college's institutional review board. Statistically significant increases were noted in awareness of community resources, understanding of the strengths and skills of other members of the health care team, and experiences in working with other disciplines. Student attitudes toward a team approach to health care did not significantly change as a result of this experience. Enabling students to interact with other disciplines and to provide care to patients significantly increased students' awareness of community resources as well as their understanding of the

Caring for people with AIDS: nurses' attitudes and feelings.

PubMed

Breault, A J; Polifroni, E C

1992-01-01

A qualitative, non-experimental study was conducted to identify the feelings and attitudes that nurses associate with caring for people with AIDS. Data collection and analysis were guided by the phenomenological method. Cognitive dissonance theory served as the theoretical framework to view the experience of caring for someone with AIDS. Data analysis of audiotaped, semi-structured interviews resulted in the identification of six mutually inclusive as well as exclusive themes which represent the attitudes and feelings of nurses: fear, anger, sympathy, self-enhancement, fatigue and helplessness. Particularly evident were differences in the way respondents perceived and treated AIDS patients who are intravenous drug users and those who are homosexuals.

Occupational health of home care aides: results of the safe home care survey

PubMed Central

Quinn, Margaret M; Markkanen, Pia K; Galligan, Catherine J; Sama, Susan R; Kriebel, David; Gore, Rebecca J; Brouillette, Natalie M; Okyere, Daniel; Sun, Chuan; Punnett, Laura; Laramie, Angela K; Davis, Letitia

2016-01-01

Objectives In countries with ageing populations, home care (HC) aides are among the fastest growing jobs. There are few quantitative studies of HC occupational safety and health (OSH) conditions. The objectives of this study were to: (1) assess quantitatively the OSH hazards and benefits for a wide range of HC working conditions, and (2) compare OSH experiences of HC aides who are employed via different medical and social services systems in Massachusetts, USA. Methods HC aides were recruited for a survey via agencies that employ aides and schedule their visits with clients, and through a labour union of aides employed directly by clients or their families. The questionnaire included detailed questions about the most recent HC visits, as well as about individual aides’ OSH experiences. Results The study population included 1249 HC aides (634 agency-employed, 615 client-employed) contributing information on 3484 HC visits. Hazards occurring most frequently related to musculoskeletal strain, exposure to potentially infectious agents and cleaning chemicals for infection prevention and experience of violence. Client-hired and agency-hired aides had similar OSH experiences with a few exceptions, including use of sharps and experience of verbal violence. Conclusions The OSH experience of HC aides is similar to that of aides in institutional healthcare settings. Despite OSH challenges, HC aides enjoy caring for others and the benefits of HC work should be enhanced. Quantification of HC hazards and benefits is useful to prioritise resources for the development of preventive interventions and to provide an evidence base for policy-setting. PMID:26209318

NAN--a national voice for community-based services to persons with AIDS.

PubMed Central

Kawata, P A; Andriote, J M

1988-01-01

Because of the variety of needs engendered by AIDS, a broadbased response to the epidemic is warranted. The traditional medical model, with its emphasis on inpatient hospital care, is expensive and fails to address other needs of people with AIDS (PWAs). This paper outlines an alternative model: the community-based response, or continuum-of-care model. It builds on earlier community models of an integrated network of service providers who can better meet a range of needs of PWAs outside the hospital. Although the model may include a designated hospital AIDS unit that supplies inpatient services, the continuum-of-care model incorporates other nonacute and psychosocial services offered through community-based providers, and these services rely to a large extent on volunteers. Nationwide, more than 400 community-based AIDS service organizations have been formed in response to the growing AIDS epidemic, or have evolved from existing organizations. The National AIDS Network (NAN) was formed in 1985 by five such organizations to represent at the national level the vision of community-based AIDS care. As the nexus for a national community-based response, NAN acts as a conduit for service providers to share experience as well as a clearinghouse for information and programs. PMID:3131822

Identifying HIV/AIDS primary care development needs.

PubMed

Foong, Andrew L S; Ng, S F; Lee, Christopher K C

2005-04-01

This paper reports a study aimed at identifying the primary health care experiences of people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in Malaysia. The rationale behind the study was to enable informed action for developing more responsive and effective primary care. Reports such as from the World Health Organisation forecast sharp escalations in the incidence of HIV/AIDS in Malaysia and the Asia-Pacific region within the next few years. With sparse information on the course of infection on the local population and an understanding of health care needs of those afflicted, health services would be ill-prepared for projected increases. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a convenience sample of 99 patients attending two major HIV/AIDS clinics in Malaysia. Several gaps in care provision were highlighted, such as with treatment/consultation facilities and availability and accessibility of information. What is also evident is that there are a number of good support services available but not well publicized to those in need of them. That includes health professionals who could be making appropriate referrals. The lack of communications and inter-professional working appears to be part of the problem. The findings provide baseline data and preliminary insights to government and other service providers towards advancing, optimizing and refining existing policies and infrastructure. Although the availability of a number of primary care facilities have been identified, the study indicates the need for more effective co-ordinated efforts with clear leadership to pull together scarce resources towards the aim of some degree of seamless primary care provision. It is suggested that nurses would be well placed for such a role in view of the nature of their education and training that helps prepare them for the multi-faceted role.

Volunteers and the Care of the Terminal Patient.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chng, Chwee Lye; Ramsey, Michael Kirby

1985-01-01

Examines the different roles of the volunteer: companion/friend, advocate, and educator. Draws a profile of the volunteer, lists qualifications and personal characteristics, offers suggestions on where to work, and discusses special training programs to prepare volunteers for work with the dying. (JAC)

Decision Aid Use in Primary Care: An Overview and Theory-Based Framework.

PubMed

Shultz, Cameron G; Jimbo, Masahito

2015-10-01

Increasing patients' participation in health care is a commonly cited goal. While patient decision aids can promote participation, they remain underutilized. Theory-based models that assess barriers and facilitators to sustained decision aid use are needed. The ready, willing, and able model specifies three preconditions for behavioral change. We present a descriptive analysis of the uptake of patient decision aids in the primary care setting and show how the ready, willing, and able model can be used to identify potential barriers and facilitators. An Ovid Medline literature search from January 2004 to November 2014 was used; additional sources were identified from reference lists and through peer consultations. Barriers and facilitators to decision aid use were identified and grouped into salient themes. The ready, willing, and able model provided a simple yet practical framework for identifying the mechanisms that facilitate (or work against) the adoption of patient decision aids within primary care. While time was a prominent barrier, additional barriers such as perceived legitimacy, clinic capacity, processes of care, and the overarching health care environment were also noted. The ready, willing, and able model posits that several preconditions must first be satisfied before sustained use of patient decision aids can take hold. By pinpointing bottlenecks, the model can inform policies and tailored interventions to target identified problems. Using the model to troubleshoot for bottlenecks prior to the implementation of a decision aid could help to improve uptake and sustained use within the primary care setting.

Home care aide retention: building team spirit to avoid employee walkouts.

PubMed

Walter, B M

1996-08-01

While home care agencies work to increase productivity and decrease costs, it is easy to lose sight of the value of employees. Because home care aides are seldom in the office, their value to the organization may get overlooked. In this article, one home care agency shares ways to build team spirit among the home care aides and empower them to be better employees. The result has been increased productivity, improved morale, and a more stable workforce.

Specialized care for people with AIDS in the state of Ceara, Brazil

PubMed Central

Pedrosa, Nathália Lima; Santos, Vanessa da Frota; Paiva, Simone de Sousa; Galvão, Marli Teresinha Gimeniz; de Almeida, Rosa Lívia Freitas; Kerr, Ligia Regina Franco Sansigolo

2015-01-01

OBJECTIVE To analyze if the distribution of specialized care services for HIV/AIDS is associated with AIDS rates. METHODS Ecological study, for which the distribution of 10 specialized care services in the Ceara state, Northeastern Brazil, was obtained, and the mean rates of the disease were estimated per mesoregion. We evaluated 7,896 individuals who had been diagnosed with AIDS, were aged 13 years or older, lived in Ceara, and had been informed of their condition between 2001 and 2011. Maps were constructed to verify the relationship between the distribution of AIDS cases and institutionalized support networks in the 2001-2006 and 2007-2011 periods. BoxMap and LisaMap were used for data analysis. The Voronoi diagram was applied for the distribution of the studied services. RESULTS Specialized care services concentrated in AIDS clusters in the metropolitan area. The Noroeste Cearense and west of the Sertoes Cearenses had high AIDS rates, but a low number of specialized care services over time. Two of these services were implemented where clusters of the disease exist in the second period. The application of the Voronoi diagram showed that the specialized care services located outside the metropolitan area covered a large territory. We identified one polygon that had no services. CONCLUSIONS The scenario of AIDS cases spread away from major urban areas demands the creation of social support services in areas other than the capital and the metropolitan area of the state; this can reduce access barriers to these institutions. It is necessary to create specialized care services for HIV/AIDS in the Noroeste Cearense and north of Jaguaribe. PMID:26487292

Knowledge and attitude of health professional students toward patients living with AIDS.

PubMed

Oyeyemi, A Y; Jasper, U S; Aliyu, S U; Oyeyemiz, A L

2012-12-01

What health professional students know of AIDS and their attitudes towards PLWA enrich our knowledge in assuring quality of care administered to AIDS patients. This study was designed to assess 1) What Nigerian students in various health disciplines know about AIDS and how they behave towards PLWA. and 2) Determine the sociodemographic variables that could influence knowledge of AIDS and behaviour towards PLWA among students of the various health disciplines in a university in North- Eastern Nigeria. This cross-sectional study involving student volunteers (n=644) in the last two years of their professional training drawn from six disciplines were surveyed using a two-part questionnaire. Section I of which elicited students' sociodemographic and previous AIDS encounter information, and section II assessed knowledge and behaviour towards PLWA. Students in surveyed health professions had an unsatisfactory level of knowledge on AIDS pathophysiology and their behaviour towards PLWA was negative. Gender, clinical year, religious affiliation, discipline, level of satisfaction with AIDS instructions, knowing a family member or another person with a diagnosis of AIDS and willingness to provide care for an AIDS patient influenced the students' knowledge and behaviour. The study revealed a real possibility for health professional students to hesitate to care for PLWA, or render uncoordinated or fragmented care at the time of their graduation. It suggests the need for intervention to include methodical and all inclusive clinical clerkship on HIV/AIDS and small group discussions with real life case scenerios involving PLWA while in training.

A contemplative care approach to training and supporting hospice volunteers: a prospective study of spiritual practice, well-being, and fear of death.

PubMed

Scherwitz, Larry; Pullman, Marcie; McHenry, Pamela; Gao, Billy; Ostaseski, Frank

2006-01-01

Inspired by a 2,500-year-old Buddhist tradition, the Zen Hospice Project (ZHP) provides residential hospice care, volunteer programs, and educational efforts that cultivate wisdom and compassion in service. The present study was designed to understand how being with dying hospice residents affects hospice volunteers well-being and the role of spiritual practice in ameliorating the fear of death. A one-year longitudinal study of two volunteer cohorts (N = 24 and N = 22) with repeated measures of spiritual practice, well-being, and hospice performance during one-year service as volunteers. The Zen Hospice Guest House and Laguna Honda Residential Hospital of San Francisco, CA. All 46 individuals who became ZHP volunteers during two years. A 40-hour training program for beginning hospice volunteers stressing compassion, equanimity, mindfulness, and practical bedside care; a one-year caregiver assignment five hours per week; and monthly group meeting. Self-report FACIT spiritual well-being, general well-being, self-transcendence scale, and a volunteer coordinator-rated ZHP performance scale. The volunteers had a high level of self-care and well-being at baseline and maintained both throughout the year; they increased compassion and decreased fear of death. Those (n = 20) practicing yoga were found to have consistently lower fear of death than the group average (P = .04, P = .008, respectively). All rated the training and program highly, and 63% continued to volunteer after the first year's commitment. The results suggest that this approach to training and supporting hospice volunteers fosters emotional well-being and spiritual growth.

Exploring differences in the use of the statin choice decision aid and diabetes medication choice decision aid in primary care.

PubMed

Ballard, Aimee Yu; Kessler, Maya; Scheitel, Marianne; Montori, Victor M; Chaudhry, Rajeev

2017-08-10

Shared decision making is essential to patient centered care, but can be difficult for busy clinicians to implement into practice. Tools have been developed to aid in shared decision making and embedded in electronic medical records (EMRs) to facilitate use. This study was undertaken to explore the patterns of use and barriers and facilitators to use of two decision aids, the Statin Choice Decision Aid (SCDA) and the Diabetes Medication Choice Decision Aid (DMCDA), in primary care practices where the decision aids are embedded in the EMR. A survey exploring factors that influenced use of each decision aid was sent to eligible primary care clinicians affiliated with the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. Survey data was collected and clinician use of each decision aid via links from the EMR was tracked. The survey response rate was 40% (105/262). Log file data indicated 51% of clinicians used the SCDA and 9% of clinicians used the DMCDA. Reasons for lack of use included lack of knowledge of the EMR link, not finding the decision aids helpful, and time constraints. Survey responses indicated that use of the tool as intended was low, with many clinicians only discussing decision aid topics that they found relevant. Although guidelines for both the treatment of blood cholesterol with a statin and for the treatment of hyperglycemia in type 2 diabetes recommend shared decision making, tools that facilitate shared decision making are not routinely used even when embedded in the EMR. Even when decision aids are used, their use may not reflect patient centered care.

Health care voluntourism: addressing ethical concerns of undergraduate student participation in global health volunteer work.

PubMed

McCall, Daniel; Iltis, Ana S

2014-12-01

The popularity and availability of global health experiences has increased, with organizations helping groups plan service trips and companies specializing in "voluntourism," health care professionals volunteering their services through different organizations, and medical students participating in global health electives. Much has been written about global health experiences in resource poor settings, but the literature focuses primarily on the work of health care professionals and medical students. This paper focuses on undergraduate student involvement in short term medical volunteer work in resource poor countries, a practice that has become popular among pre-health professions students. We argue that the participation of undergraduate students in global health experiences raises many of the ethical concerns associated with voluntourism and global health experiences for medical students. Some of these may be exacerbated by or emerge in unique ways when undergraduates volunteer. Guidelines and curricula for medical student engagement in global health experiences have been developed. Guidelines specific to undergraduate involvement in such trips and pre-departure curricula to prepare students should be developed and such training should be required of volunteers. We propose a framework for such guidelines and curricula, argue that universities should be the primary point of delivery even when universities are not organizing the trips, and recommend that curricula should be developed in light of additional data.

CIDA funds AIDS counselling and care centre in Zambia.

PubMed

Meehan, S T

1993-12-01

In its fight against the spread of AIDS, which is inextricably linked to the issues of international development, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) has focused support on strengthening existing health care systems, helping vulnerable groups gain control over their lives and health, promoting AIDS prevention measures, and building links to other related health services. Funding includes 1) a grant to Hope House in Zambia (counseling and support for persons with AIDS); 2) a contribution to the Canadian Public Health Association's $11 million Southern Africa AIDS Training Programme (helps regional organizations working in AIDS prevention and support through education, training, hospital outreach, peer education for vulnerable groups, assistance to women's shelters, and networking); 3) support for Laval University's Laval Centre for International Cooperation in Health and Development (runs a $22 million program in French-speaking West Africa that operates in over 10 countries and focuses on epidemiological surveillance, information, education, and communication, control of sexually transmitted diseases [STDs], and management of national AIDS programs); 4) support for the University of Manitoba's $3 million program with the University of Nairobi to slow the spread of HIV (strengthens local health care capabilities for STD/HIV diagnosis, treatment, and counseling, with special emphasis on training and education); 5) support in the past for a study of proposed AIDS legislation and its potential impact on the human rights of PLWHIV/AIDS in Thailand; 6) a contribution to help equip the office of the National Movement for Street Children, Rio de Janeiro (focuses on preventing the spread of AIDS among child prostitutes); and 7) long-term financial support to the Interagency Coalition on AIDS and Development, a coalition of Canadian development nongovernmental organizations responding to AIDS in developing countries. An address to obtain a pamphlet giving

Burnout and connectedness in the job demands-resources model: studying palliative care volunteers and their families.

PubMed

Huynh, Jasmine-Yan; Winefield, Anthony H; Xanthopoulou, Despoina; Metzer, Jacques C

2012-09-01

This study examined the role of burnout and connectedness in the job demands-resources (JD-R) model among palliative care volunteers. It was hypothesized that (a) exhaustion mediates the relationship between demands and depression, and between demands and retention; (b) cynicism mediates the relationship between resources and retention; and (c) connectedness mediates the relationship between resources and retention. Hypotheses were tested in 2 separate analyses: structural equation modeling (SEM) and path analyses. The first was based on volunteer self-reports (N = 204), while the second analysis concerned matched data from volunteers and their family members (N = 99). While strong support was found for cynicism and connectedness as mediators in both types of analyses, this was not altogether the case for exhaustion. Implications of these findings for the JD-R model and volunteer organizations are discussed.

Creating an advance-care-planning decision aid for high-risk surgery: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Schuster, Anne Lr; Aslakson, Rebecca A; Bridges, John Fp

2014-01-01

High-risk surgery patients may lose decision-making capacity as a result of surgical complications. Advance care planning prior to surgery may be beneficial, but remains controversial and is hindered by a lack of appropriate decision aids. This study sought to examine stakeholders' views on the appropriateness of using decision aids, in general, to support advance care planning among high-risk surgery populations and the design of such a decision aid. Key informants were recruited through purposive and snowball sampling. Semi-structured interviews were conducted by phone until data collected reached theoretical saturation. Key informants were asked to discuss their thoughts about advance care planning and interventions to support advance care planning, particularly for this population. Researchers took de-identified notes that were analyzed for emerging concordant, discordant, and recurrent themes using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Key informants described the importance of initiating advance care planning preoperatively, despite potential challenges present in surgical settings. In general, decision aids were viewed as an appropriate approach to support advance care planning for this population. A recipe emerged from the data that outlines tools, ingredients, and tips for success that are needed to design an advance care planning decision aid for high-risk surgical settings. Stakeholders supported incorporating advance care planning in high-risk surgical settings and endorsed the appropriateness of using decision aids to do so. Findings will inform the next stages of developing the first advance care planning decision aid for high-risk surgery patients.

Perceptions of people living with HIV/AIDS regarding access to health care.

PubMed

Vaswani, Vina; Vaswani, Ravi

2014-04-01

Although the health care is replete with technology in the present day, it is not freely accessible in a developing country. The situation could be even more compromised in the case of people living with HIV/AIDS, with the added dimension of stigma and discrimination. What are the factors that act as barriers to health care? This study was conducted to look into perceptions of people living with HIV/AIDS with regard to access to health care. The study looked into accessibility of general health vis-à-vis access to antiretroviral therapy. Demographic variables like age, gender, income were studied in relation to factors such as counseling, confidentiality, stigma and discrimination, which are known to influence access to health care. People living with HIV/AIDS perceive general health care as more accessible than care for HIV treatment. Discrimination by health care workers causes a barrier to accessibility.

Healthy Volunteer 2020: Comparing Peace Corps Volunteers' health metrics with Healthy People 2020 national objectives.

PubMed

Henderson, Susan J; Newman, Jeannette; Ferguson, Rennie W; Jung, Paul

2016-12-01

Healthy People 2020 (HP2020) provides a set of quantifiable objectives for improving the health and well-being of Americans. This study examines Peace Corps Volunteers' health metrics in comparison with the Leading Health Indicators (LHIs) in order to set baseline measures for Volunteers' health care and align our measurements with Healthy People 2020 standards. Health data from multiple internal Peace Corps datasets were compared with relevant LHIs and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Seventeen (65%) of the 26 LHIs were relevant to Peace Corps Volunteers. Of these, Volunteers' health measures met or were more favorable than the goals of 13 (76%) of the LHIs. There were no data available for 4 (24%) of the LHIs. The entire Volunteer population has full access to primary care, oral health, and reproductive health services. No suicides or homicides were reported among Volunteers during the analyzed time period. Utilizing the LHIs, we have identified high-priority public health issues relevant for the Peace Corps Volunteer population. We discuss the need for quality data to measure and monitor Volunteers' health progress and outcomes over time, and also to standardize our measurements with Healthy People 2020 benchmarks. This framework may foster greater collaboration to engage in health promotion and disease prevention activities driven by evidence-based information, which may, in turn, encourage healthy behavior among Volunteers.

An elective seminar to teach first-year students the social and medical aspects of AIDS.

PubMed

Goldman, J D

1987-07-01

First-year students at a midwestern medical school are introduced to a comprehensive approach to the biological, psychological, and social aspects of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). In a seven-week elective seminar (approximately 12 hours in length), the students view a television movie and a documentary film about persons with AIDS and their families and friends, and they participate in roundtable discussions with AIDS patients, volunteers who coordinate support and advocacy for persons with AIDS, and health care professionals involved in the care of AIDS patients. They receive reading materials and lectures on the pathology, epidemiology, and history of AIDS, and they monitor and discuss radio and television reporting on AIDS. In wrap-up sessions and evaluation questionnaires, the students have reported the seminar to be valuable in helping them overcome their fear of the disease, develop empathy for patients with catastrophic diseases, and understand a comprehensive approach to a complex disease.

Job Satisfaction among Care Aides in Residential Long-Term Care: A Systematic Review of Contributing Factors, Both Individual and Organizational

PubMed Central

Squires, Janet E.; Hoben, Matthias; Linklater, Stefanie; Carleton, Heather L.; Graham, Nicole; Estabrooks, Carole A.

2015-01-01

Despite an increasing literature on professional nurses' job satisfaction, job satisfaction by nonprofessional nursing care providers and, in particular, in residential long-term care facilities, is sparsely described. The purpose of this study was to systematically review the evidence on which factors (individual and organizational) are associated with job satisfaction among care aides, nurse aides, and nursing assistants, who provide the majority of direct resident care, in residential long-term care facilities. Nine online databases were searched. Two authors independently screened, and extracted data and assessed the included publications for methodological quality. Decision rules were developed a priori to draw conclusions on which factors are important to care aide job satisfaction. Forty-two publications were included. Individual factors found to be important were empowerment and autonomy. Six additional individual factors were found to be not important: age, ethnicity, gender, education level, attending specialized training, and years of experience. Organizational factors found to be important were facility resources and workload. Two additional factors were found to be not important: satisfaction with salary/benefits and job performance. Factors important to care aide job satisfaction differ from those reported among hospital nurses, supporting the need for different strategies to improve care aide job satisfaction in residential long-term care. PMID:26345545

Ergonomic evaluation of slide boards used by home care aides to assist client transfers.

PubMed

Sun, Chuan; Buchholz, Bryan; Quinn, Margaret; Punnett, Laura; Galligan, Catherine; Gore, Rebecca

2018-07-01

Home care aides risk musculoskeletal injury because they lift and move clients; the body weight of most adults exceeds the NIOSH recommended limit for lifting. Methods to reduce manual patient lifting in institutional settings are often technically or economically infeasible in home care. Our goal was to identify suitable, safe, low-technology transfer devices for home care use. Sixteen experienced home care aides performed client transfers from wheelchair to bed (upward) and bed to wheelchair (downward) in a simulated home care environment (laboratory), using four different slide boards and by hand without a device. Aides' hand forces were measured during client transfers; aides also evaluated usability of each board. Hand forces exerted while using slide boards were mostly lower than in manual transfer, and forces were lower in downward versus upward transfers. Aides judged a board with a sliding mechanism easier to use than boards without a sliding mechanism. Practitioner Summary: This paper provides quantitative biomechanical measurements showing that slide boards reduced the hand forces needed by home care aides to transfer clients from bed to wheel chair and vice versa, compared to manual lifting. Using a semi-quantitative usability survey, aides identified boards with a sliding mechanism easiest to use.

Characteristics of volunteers and non-volunteers for voluntary counseling and HIV testing among unmarried male undergraduates.

PubMed

Adewole, D A; Lawoyin, T O

2004-06-01

The 2001 HIV sero-prevalence survey in Nigeria revealed a rate of 5.8 percent with those under the age of 25 years having the highest prevalence rate. Most University students fall within this age group. This study is part of a larger study on the sexual behavior of youths and young adults and was designed to compare the characteristics of volunteers and non-volunteers for voluntary confidential counseling and HIV testing (VCT) among males. Six hundred and nine male undergraduate students were randomly selected and enrolled for the study. Data were collected using a pre-tested questionnaire. Of the 609, 51 (8.3%) volunteered to have their blood screened for HIV. All volunteers who received pre-test counseling went for the HIV test. Volunteers were significantly older than the non-volunteers (P<0.0001), and were more likely to be sexually experienced (P=0.002). Among the sexually experienced, the volunteers were older at first sexual intercourse (FSI) (P<0.0001), and were more likely to have used a condom at FSI (P=0.001). Volunteers had significantly higher knowledge scores for HIV/AIDS (P=0.006), and the attitude to HIV/AIDS in both groups was positive. The marriage pattern of their parents with regard to polygyny was similar, and fewer volunteers had fathers in the higher socio-economic class and mothers who had completed secondary education (P<0.00001, (P=0.02). Among the 51 volunteers, 8 (15.7%) tested positive. Those who tested positive were less likely to have lived with parents, and were all sexually experienced. Those who screened positive were also more likely to be currently sexually active and to have fathers with low level of education. Three (5.9%) of volunteers did not return for results and posttest counseling. One of the three was positive for HIV. Of those who tested positive, 3 (37.5%) reported not using the condom at all, while the rest were using it only occasionally. VCT among the youths is possible however, small numbers encountered in the

Creating an advance-care-planning decision aid for high-risk surgery: a qualitative study

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background High-risk surgery patients may lose decision-making capacity as a result of surgical complications. Advance care planning prior to surgery may be beneficial, but remains controversial and is hindered by a lack of appropriate decision aids. This study sought to examine stakeholders’ views on the appropriateness of using decision aids, in general, to support advance care planning among high-risk surgery populations and the design of such a decision aid. Methods Key informants were recruited through purposive and snowball sampling. Semi-structured interviews were conducted by phone until data collected reached theoretical saturation. Key informants were asked to discuss their thoughts about advance care planning and interventions to support advance care planning, particularly for this population. Researchers took de-identified notes that were analyzed for emerging concordant, discordant, and recurrent themes using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Results Key informants described the importance of initiating advance care planning preoperatively, despite potential challenges present in surgical settings. In general, decision aids were viewed as an appropriate approach to support advance care planning for this population. A recipe emerged from the data that outlines tools, ingredients, and tips for success that are needed to design an advance care planning decision aid for high-risk surgical settings. Conclusions Stakeholders supported incorporating advance care planning in high-risk surgical settings and endorsed the appropriateness of using decision aids to do so. Findings will inform the next stages of developing the first advance care planning decision aid for high-risk surgery patients. PMID:25067908

Volunteer satisfaction and program evaluation at a pediatric hospice.

PubMed

Pascuet, Elena; Beauchemin, Lise; Vaillancourt, Régis; Cowin, Lloyd; Ni, Andy; Rattray, Marion

2012-05-01

Volunteers are essential to the functioning of palliative care programs and serve as important members of the hospice team. They devote much time, effort, and diverse skills and talent to enhance the quality of care at Roger's House--a pediatric palliative care hospice. To evaluate volunteering in a pediatric palliative care hospice and to assess the level of satisfaction from the perspective of hospice volunteers. A survey was sent to all active Roger's House volunteers. Questions were related to their demographics, their overall impression of their volunteering experience, and 47 closed (fixed-choice) statements, divided into 6 parts: 1) Orientation; 2) Training; 3) Feedback/Performance; 4) Communication; 5) Social Contacts; and 6) Value and Respect. Each statement was rated by the participants using a six-point Likert rating scale. Volunteers fully completing the survey were 159 online and 4 on paper, giving a response rate of 66%. The greater number (66, 40.5%) of respondents were 50 years or older and they were mostly female (141, 86.5%). Successes identified included the volunteers' orientation, training, and feedback and performance. Challenges identified included certain aspects of communication, social contacts, and respect/value for the volunteer. Volunteers at Roger's House are generally satisfied with their volunteer position and the environment in which they work. Greater insight into volunteer satisfaction and factors that bring feelings of reward and/or dissatisfaction to the volunteers have allowed Roger's House to identify informed and effective interventions to improve the quality of and satisfaction with the hospice volunteer program.

Leaving home: how older adults prepare for intensive volunteering.

PubMed

Cheek, Cheryl; Piercy, Kathleen W; Grainger, Sarah

2015-03-01

Using the concepts in the Fogg Behavioral Model, 37 volunteers aged 50 and older described their preparation for intensive volunteering with faith-based organizations. Their multistage preparation process included decision points where respondents needed to choose whether to drop out or continue preparation. Ability was a stronger determinant of serving than motivation, particularly in terms of health and finances. This model can facilitate understanding of the barriers to volunteering and aid organizations in tailoring support at crucial points for potential older volunteers in intensive service. © The Author(s) 2013.

A study of the motivations of British hospice volunteers.

PubMed

Claxton-Oldfield, Stephen; Claxton-Oldfield, Jane; Paulovic, Stefan; Wasylkiw, Louise

2013-09-01

In all, 162 British hospice volunteers completed the Inventory of Motivations for Hospice Palliative Care Volunteerism (IMHPCV) of Claxton-Oldfield, Wasylkiw, Mark, and Claxton-Oldfield.(1) The IMHPCV taps into 5 different categories of motives for becoming a hospice palliative care volunteer: altruism, civic responsibility, leisure, self-promotion, and personal gain. Altruistic motives were the most influential reasons for choosing to join hospice; personal gain motives were the least influential reasons for becoming a hospice volunteer. Altruistic motives were found to be a significant predictor of volunteers' length of service to the hospice. Compared to previously collected data from a sample of Canadian hospice palliative care volunteers,(1) the current study's sample of British hospice volunteers scored significantly different on 2 of the 5 categories of motives on the IMHPCV.

Perceptions of short-term medical volunteer work: a qualitative study in Guatemala

PubMed Central

Green, Tyler; Green, Heidi; Scandlyn, Jean; Kestler, Andrew

2009-01-01

Background Each year medical providers from wealthy countries participate in short-term medical volunteer work in resource-poor countries. Various authors have raised concern that such work has the potential to be harmful to recipient communities; however, the social science and medical literature contains little research into the perceptions of short-term medical volunteer work from the perspective of members of recipient communities. This exploratory study examines the perception of short-term medical volunteer work in Guatemala among groups of actors affected by or participating in these programs. Methods The researchers conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 72 individuals, including Guatemalan healthcare providers and health authorities, foreign medical providers, non-medical personnel working on health projects, and Guatemalan parents of children treated by a short-term volunteer group. Detailed notes and summaries of these interviews were uploaded, coded and annotated using Atlas.ti (Scientific Software Development GmbH, Berlin) to identify recurrent themes from the interviews. Results Informants commonly identified a need for increased access to medical services in Guatemala, and many believed that short-term medical volunteers are in a position to offer improved access to medical care in the communities where they serve. Informants most frequently cited appropriate patient selection and attention to payment systems as the best means to avoid creating dependence on foreign aid. The most frequent suggestion to improve short-term medical volunteer work was coordination with and respect for local Guatemalan healthcare providers and their communities, as insufficient understanding of the country's existing healthcare resources and needs may result in perceived harm to the recipient community. Conclusion The perceived impact of short-term medical volunteer projects in Guatemala is highly variable and dependent upon the individual project. In this

Teaching Advance Care Planning to Medical Students with a Computer-Based Decision Aid

PubMed Central

Levi, Benjamin H.

2013-01-01

Discussing end-of-life decisions with cancer patients is a crucial skill for physicians. This article reports findings from a pilot study evaluating the effectiveness of a computer-based decision aid for teaching medical students about advance care planning. Second-year medical students at a single medical school were randomized to use a standard advance directive or a computer-based decision aid to help patients with advance care planning. Students' knowledge, skills, and satisfaction were measured by self-report; their performance was rated by patients. 121/133 (91%) of students participated. The Decision-Aid Group (n=60) outperformed the Standard Group (n=61) in terms of students´ knowledge (p<0.01), confidence in helping patients with advance care planning (p<0.01), knowledge of what matters to patients (p=0.05), and satisfaction with their learning experience (p<0.01). Likewise, patients in the Decision Aid Group were more satisfied with the advance care planning method (p<0.01) and with several aspects of student performance. Use of a computer-based decision aid may be an effective way to teach medical students how to discuss advance care planning with cancer patients. PMID:20632222

The Impact of Trained Volunteer Mealtime Assistants on Dietary Intake and Satisfaction with Mealtime Care in Adult Hospital Inpatients: A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Howson, F F A; Sayer, A A; Roberts, H C

2017-01-01

Malnutrition is common in hospital inpatients and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Insufficient assistance at mealtimes can contribute to this and therefore trained volunteer mealtime assistants may be of benefit. To identify and review the current evidence for the impact of trained volunteer mealtime assistants on dietary intake and satisfaction with mealtime care in adult hospital inpatients. A systematic search of Medline, Embase and CINAHL was conducted to identify relevant articles. Articles of any methodology were considered. Quality assessment and data extraction were carried out by two reviewers independently. Participants were inpatients in a hospital setting, including rehabilitation units. Participants in long term care facilities were excluded. Articles that examined the effect of trained volunteer mealtime assistants on nutritional outcomes or satisfaction with mealtime care were included. 5576 articles were identified, of which 14 were included in the review. Nine were small research studies and five were quality improvement initiatives. The quality of eight studies was moderate, with one study being of lower quality. Eight articles reported dietary intake and seven demonstrated an improvement, with protein intakes at volunteer mealtimes increasing by 4.3g-10.1g and energy intakes by 44-105kcal. Ten articles reported positive staff, patient and volunteer feedback. No adverse events were reported. There is evidence from small studies and improvement projects that trained volunteer mealtime assistants are safe and improve satisfaction with mealtime care in hospital inpatients, although evidence for an effect on dietary intake was less consistent. Larger studies with robust methodology are required to confirm this.

Self-care and mothering in African American women with HIV/AIDS.

PubMed

Shambley-Ebron, Donna Z; Boyle, Joyceen S

2006-02-01

African American women are the most rapidly growing group of people in the United States diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. The purpose of this study was to explore experiences of self-care and mothering among African American women with HIV/AIDS. It is important to recognize how culture affects illness management, childrearing, and daily living to design culturally appropriate nursing interventions for African American women. Critical ethnography was used to study 10 African American mothers from the rural Southeast who were HIV positive and mothered children who were HIV positive. Domains derived from the research were disabling relationships, strong mothering, and redefining self-care. The cultural theme was creating a life of meaning. African American mothers with HIV/AIDS in the rural Southeast used culturally specific self-care and mothering strategies reflective of cultural traditions. This study acknowledges strengths of African American women and generates theory that will enhance nursing care to this population.

Palliative care for patients with HIV/AIDS admitted to intensive care units

PubMed Central

Souza, Paola Nóbrega; de Miranda, Erique José Peixoto; Cruz, Ronaldo; Forte, Daniel Neves

2016-01-01

Objective To describe the characteristics of patients with HIV/AIDS and to compare the therapeutic interventions and end-of-life care before and after evaluation by the palliative care team. Methods This retrospective cohort study included all patients with HIV/AIDS admitted to the intensive care unit of the Instituto de Infectologia Emílio Ribas who were evaluated by a palliative care team between January 2006 and December 2012. Results Of the 109 patients evaluated, 89% acquired opportunistic infections, 70% had CD4 counts lower than 100 cells/mm3, and only 19% adhered to treatment. The overall mortality rate was 88%. Among patients predicted with a terminally ill (68%), the use of highly active antiretroviral therapy decreased from 50.0% to 23.1% (p = 0.02), the use of antibiotics decreased from 100% to 63.6% (p < 0.001), the use of vasoactive drugs decreased from 62.1% to 37.8% (p = 0.009), the use of renal replacement therapy decreased from 34.8% to 23.0% (p < 0.0001), and the number of blood product transfusions decreased from 74.2% to 19.7% (p < 0.0001). Meetings with the family were held in 48 cases, and 23% of the terminally ill patients were discharged from the intensive care unit. Conclusion Palliative care was required in patients with severe illnesses and high mortality. The number of potentially inappropriate interventions in terminally ill patients monitored by the palliative care team significantly decreased, and 26% of the patients were discharged from the intensive care unit. PMID:27737420

Home Health Aides' Perceptions of Quality Care: Goals, Challenges, and Implications for a Rapidly Changing Industry.

PubMed

Franzosa, Emily; Tsui, Emma K; Baron, Sherry

2018-02-01

Home care payment models, quality measures, and care plans are based on physical tasks workers perform, ignoring relational care that supports clients' cognitive, emotional, and social well-being. As states seek to rein in costs and improve the efficiency and quality of care, they will need to consider how to measure and support relational care. In four focus groups ( n = 27) of unionized, agency-based New York City home health aides, workers reported aide-client relationships were a cornerstone of high-quality care, and building them required communication, respect, and going the extra mile. Since much of this care was invisible outside the worker-client relationship, aides received little supervisory support and felt excluded from the formal care team. Aligning payment models with quality requires understanding the full scope of services aides provide and a quality work environment that offers support and supervision, engages aides in patient care, and gives them a voice in policy decisions.

Health care utilization and costs among medical-aid enrollees, the poor not enrolled in medical-aid, and the near poor in South Korea.

PubMed

Choi, Jae Woo; Park, Eun-Cheol; Chun, Sung-Youn; Han, Kyu-Tae; Han, Euna; Kim, Tae Hyun

2015-11-14

Although government has implemented medical-aid policy that provides assistance to the poor with almost free medical services, there are low-income people who do not receive necessary medical services in Korea. The aim of this study is to highlight the characteristics of Medical-Aid enrollees, the poor not enrolled in Medical-Aid, and the near poor and their utilization and costs for health care. This study draws on the 2012 Korea Welfare Panel Study (KOWEPS), a nationally representative dataset. We divided people with income less than 120% of the minimum cost of living (MCL) into three groups (n = 2,784): the poor enrolled in Medical-Aid, the poor not enrolled in Medical-Aid (at or below 100% of MCL), and the near poor (100-120% of MCL). Using a cross-sectional design, this study provides an overview of health care utilization and costs of these three groups. The findings of the study suggest that significantly lower health care utilization was observed for the poor not enrolled in Medical-Aid compared to those enrolled in Medical-Aid. On the other hand, two groups (the poor not enrolled in Medical-Aid, the near poor) had higher health care costs, percentage of medical expenses to income compared to Medical-Aid. Given the particularly low rate of the population enrolled in Medical-Aid, similarly economically vulnerable groups are more likely to face barriers to needed health services. Meeting the health needs of these groups is an important consideration.

Impact of a volunteer companion program on nursing students' knowledge and concerns related to palliative care.

PubMed

Kwekkeboom, Kristine L; Vahl, Cheryl; Eland, Joann

2006-02-01

Deficiencies in end-of-life education may explain nursing students' reports of feeling anxious and unqualified to care for dying patients. A volunteer Palliative Care Companion program was developed to provide undergraduate nursing students with an experiential learning opportunity by spending time with dying patients and their families. To evaluate the impact of the Palliative Care Companion program on nursing students' knowledge, attitudes, and concerns about providing palliative care, and to describe companion students' volunteer activities. Quasiexperimental controlled pretest-posttest design. Fifty-two undergraduate nursing students (32 companion students, 20 controls) at a midwestern U.S. university with an affiliated hospital-based palliative care service. All participants completed the Palliative Care Quiz for Nurses, Attitudes Toward Palliative Care, and Concern About Caring for Dying Patients questionnaires at the beginning and end of the semester. Companion subjects also kept a journal describing their palliative care experiences. Attitude scores were not analyzed because of poor internal consistency of the questionnaire. Changes in scores on knowledge items did not reach significance. Concern scores decreased significantly from pretest to posttest in the companion group. After adjusting for pretest concern score, there was a trend toward lower concern score in the companion group compared to controls (p=0.07). Companion students' journals described activities including visiting patients, viewing end-of-life videos, attending educational and public lectures, independent reading, and making bereavement phone calls to family members. The Palliative Care Companion program did not produce significant improvements in knowledge and concerns compared to controls, but companion students described their participation as a meaningful learning experience.

Basic-CPR and AIDS: are volunteer life-savers prepared for a storm?

PubMed

Bierens, J J; Berden, H J

1996-10-01

Professional health care workers have access to guidelines, equipment and techniques to reduce the exposure to infectious material in case of resuscitation. The current official content of national courses for volunteer life-savers do not address this issue, as far as we know. Concern about the risks of infection due to resuscitation is increasing in this group. This article describes a rational approach of the problem, that includes data on the infection risk of basic-CPR, and an approach that accepts that the concern can not be controlled by objective data. In such an emotional approach, direct contact has to be minimised by using devices. Requirements for resuscitation devices with a barrier function are listed. Although both approaches will reduce the fear of infection, we advice a rational approach.

A study of Canadian hospice palliative care volunteers' attitudes toward physician-assisted suicide.

PubMed

Claxton-Oldfield, Stephen; Miller, Kathryn

2015-05-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the attitudes of hospice palliative care (HPC) volunteers who provide in-home support (n = 47) and members of the community (n = 58) toward the issue of physician-assisted suicide (PAS). On the first part of the survey, participants responded to 15 items designed to assess their attitudes toward PAS. An examination of individual items revealed differences in opinions among members of both the groups. Responses to additional questions revealed that the majority of volunteers and community members (1) support legalizing PAS; (2) would choose HPC over PAS for themselves if they were terminally ill; and (3) think Canadians should place more priority on developing HPC rather than on legalizing PAS. The implications of these findings are discussed. © The Author(s) 2014.

Leveraging Telehealth to Bring Volunteer Physicians Into Underserved Communities.

PubMed

Uscher-Pines, Lori; Rudin, Robert; Mehrotra, Ateev

2017-06-01

Many disadvantaged communities lack sufficient numbers of local primary care and specialty physicians. Yet tens of thousands of physicians, in particular those who are retired or semiretired, desire meaningful volunteer opportunities. Multiple programs have begun to use telehealth to bridge the gap between volunteer physicians and underserved patients. In this brief, we describe programs that are using this model and discuss the promise and pitfalls. Physician volunteers in these programs report that the work can be fulfilling and exciting, a cutting-edge yet convenient way to remain engaged and contribute. Given the projected shortfall of physicians in the United States, recruiting retired and semiretired physicians to provide care through telehealth increases the total supply of active physicians and the capacity of the existing workforce. However, programs typically use volunteers in a limited capacity because of uncertainty about the level and duration of commitment. Acknowledging this reality, most programs only use volunteer physicians for curbside consults rather than fully integrating them into longitudinal patient care. The part-time availability of volunteers may also be difficult to incorporate into the workflow of busy safety net clinics. As more physicians volunteer in a growing number of telehealth programs, the dual benefits of enriching the professional lives of volunteers and improving care for underserved communities will make further development of these programs worthwhile.

Identifying work ability promoting factors for home care aides and assistant nurses.

PubMed

Larsson, Agneta; Karlqvist, Lena; Westerberg, Mats; Gard, Gunvor

2012-01-11

In workplace health promotion, all potential resources needs to be taken into consideration, not only factors relating to the absence of injury and the physical health of the workers, but also psychological aspects. A dynamic balance between the resources of the individual employees and the demands of work is an important prerequisite. In the home care services, there is a noticeable trend towards increased psychosocial strain on employees at work. There are a high frequency of work-related musculoskeletal disorders and injuries, and a low prevalence of sustainable work ability. The aim of this research was to identify factors promoting work ability and self-efficacy in care aides and assistant nurses within home care services. This study is based on cross-sectional data collected in a municipality in northern Sweden. Care aides (n = 58) and assistant nurses (n = 79) replied to a self-administered questionnaire (response rate 46%). Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were performed to assess the influence of several independent variables on self-efficacy (model 1) and work ability (model 2) for care aides and assistant nurses separately. Perceptions of personal safety, self-efficacy and musculoskeletal wellbeing contributed to work ability for assistant nurses (R2adj of 0.36, p < 0.001), while for care aides, the safety climate, seniority and age contributed to work ability (R2adj of 0.29, p = 0.001). Self-efficacy was associated with the safety climate and the physical demands of the job in both professions (R2adj of 0.24, p = 0.003 for care aides), and also by sex and age for the assistant nurses (R2adj of 0.31, p < 0.001). The intermediate factors contributed differently to work ability in the two professions. Self-efficacy, personal safety and musculoskeletal wellbeing were important for the assistant nurses, while the work ability of the care aides was associated with the safety climate, but also with the non-changeable factors age and seniority. All

Identifying work ability promoting factors for home care aides and assistant nurses

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background In workplace health promotion, all potential resources needs to be taken into consideration, not only factors relating to the absence of injury and the physical health of the workers, but also psychological aspects. A dynamic balance between the resources of the individual employees and the demands of work is an important prerequisite. In the home care services, there is a noticeable trend towards increased psychosocial strain on employees at work. There are a high frequency of work-related musculoskeletal disorders and injuries, and a low prevalence of sustainable work ability. The aim of this research was to identify factors promoting work ability and self-efficacy in care aides and assistant nurses within home care services. Methods This study is based on cross-sectional data collected in a municipality in northern Sweden. Care aides (n = 58) and assistant nurses (n = 79) replied to a self-administered questionnaire (response rate 46%). Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were performed to assess the influence of several independent variables on self-efficacy (model 1) and work ability (model 2) for care aides and assistant nurses separately. Results Perceptions of personal safety, self-efficacy and musculoskeletal wellbeing contributed to work ability for assistant nurses (R2adj of 0.36, p < 0.001), while for care aides, the safety climate, seniority and age contributed to work ability (R2adj of 0.29, p = 0.001). Self-efficacy was associated with the safety climate and the physical demands of the job in both professions (R2adj of 0.24, p = 0.003 for care aides), and also by sex and age for the assistant nurses (R2adj of 0.31, p < 0.001). Conclusions The intermediate factors contributed differently to work ability in the two professions. Self-efficacy, personal safety and musculoskeletal wellbeing were important for the assistant nurses, while the work ability of the care aides was associated with the safety climate, but also with the non

Development and testing of a decision aid on goals of care for advanced dementia.

PubMed

Einterz, Seth F; Gilliam, Robin; Lin, Feng Chang; McBride, J Marvin; Hanson, Laura C

2014-04-01

Decision aids are effective to improve decision-making, yet they are rarely tested in nursing homes (NHs). Study objectives were to (1) examine the feasibility of a goals of care (GOC) decision aid for surrogate decision-makers (SDMs) of persons with dementia; and (2) to test its effect on quality of communication and decision-making. Pre-post intervention to test a GOC decision aid intervention for SDMs for persons with dementia in NHs. Investigators collected data from reviews of resident health records and interviews with SDMs at baseline and 3-month follow-up. Two NHs in North Carolina. Eighteen residents who were over 65 years of age, had moderate to severe dementia on the global deterioration scale (5, 6, or 7), and an English-speaking surrogate decision-maker. (1) GOC decision aid video viewed by the SDM and (2) a structured care plan meeting between the SDM and interdisciplinary NH team. Surrogate knowledge, quality of communication with health care providers, surrogate-provider concordance on goals of care, and palliative care domains addressed in the care plan. Eighty-nine percent of the SDMs thought the decision aid was relevant to their needs. After viewing the video decision aid, SDMs increased the number of correct responses on knowledge-based questions (12.5 vs 14.2; P < .001). At 3 months, they reported improved quality of communication scores (6.1 vs 6.8; P = .01) and improved concordance on primary goal of care with NH team (50% vs 78%; P = .003). The number of palliative care domains addressed in the care plan increased (1.8 vs 4.3; P < .001). The decision-support intervention piloted in this study was feasible and relevant for surrogate decision-makers of persons with advanced dementia in NHs, and it improved quality of communication between SDM and NH providers. A larger randomized clinical trial is underway to provide further evidence of the effects of this decision aid intervention. Copyright © 2014 American Medical Directors Association

The volunteer anesthetist: a personal view.

PubMed

Brown, S T

2000-08-01

The most common opportunities for nurse anesthetists to be involved in volunteer anesthesia overseas are usually on a surgical team to provide direct care for selected types of patients or to be involved in teaching local anesthesia providers. The challenges are numerous and unique in each setting. Sharing of knowledge, directly as an instructor or indirectly as a provider, provides for a great impact on health care delivery in many emerging nations. The anesthesia provider who is working to deliver care in another country must consider many variables before taking on such a venture. The type of surgical team or teaching assignment one accepts will determine the type of preparation that must be done before departing. In addition to the many organizational items, one should consider some personal issues as well. Lost wages, transportation costs, and lodging expenses are often paid for by the volunteer. Time away from one's family may also be a consideration. Health care, such as updated immunizations, must be attended to before to departure. Volunteers must be able to provide good care in less than ideal situations, and often with much less equipment and medications than are available in the United States. A review of some of the issues that one should consider before deciding to be a volunteer are outlined in this article. The nurse anesthetist who successfully anticipates and deals with the challenges of volunteer anesthesia will be rewarded with an intense degree of personal satisfaction. The ability to give back to the profession and those who would otherwise not have access to one's skills or knowledge produces a sense of accomplishment that is unique.

Humanization and volunteering: a qualitative study in public hospitals.

PubMed

Nogueira-Martins, Maria Cezira Fantini; Bersusa, Ana Aparecida Sanches; Siqueira, Siomara Roberta

2010-10-01

To analyze the profile of volunteers and their work process in hospital humanization. The following instruments were used: a sociodemographic questionnaire and a semi-structured interview, applied to 26 volunteer coordinators and 26 volunteers, who belong to 25 hospitals in the metropolitan area of São Paulo, Southeastern Brazil, between 2008 and 2009. Interviews were analyzed according to thematic analysis principles. Five main themes were identified: volunteer profile (age, sex, level of income); volunteer work organization (volunteer agreement, training); volunteer-hospital relationship (relationship with hospital management and employees); motivation (solidarity, previous experience with family members' or one's own diseases, personal satisfaction, conflict resolution) and benefits (individual, dual, collective); and humanization and volunteer activities (patient care, logistic support, emotional support, development of patients' abilities, leisure, organization of commemorative events). In the activity developed by volunteers, there are positive aspects (such as the contribution to hospital humanization) and negative aspects (such as volunteers performing activities assigned to employees). Attention should be paid to the regulation of volunteer activities, especially patient care, and actions that value volunteer work in hospitals and volunteer integration into humanization work groups.

The Feasibility of Creating Partnerships Between Palliative Care Volunteers and Healthcare Providers to Support Rural Frail Older Adults and Their Families: An Integrative Review.

PubMed

Connell, Braydon; Warner, Grace; Weeks, Lori E

2017-09-01

Background/Question: Volunteers are important in the support of frail older adults requiring palliative care, especially in rural areas. However, there are challenges associated with volunteer supports related to training, management and capacity to work in partnership with healthcare providers (HCP). This review addresses the question: What is the feasibility of a volunteer-HCP partnership to support frail older adults residing in rural areas, as they require palliative care? This integrative review identified ten articles that met the identified search criteria. Articles were appraised using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) checklists, designed for use across a range of quantitative and qualitative studies. Studies were drawn from international sources to understand how volunteer roles vary by culture and organization; the majority of studies were conducted in North America. Studies varied in methodology, including quantitative, qualitative and educational commentary. Identified factors that were crucial to the feasibility of volunteer-HCP partnerships in rural areas included volunteer training dynamics, relationships between volunteers and HCP, and rural environmental factors. Preliminary evidence indicates that a volunteer-HCP palliative partnership is feasible. However, training policies/procedures, volunteer-HCP relationships, and rural specific designs impact the feasibility of this partnership. Additional research is needed to further establish the feasibility of implementing these partnerships in rural settings.

WA4 Volunteering in partnership: a public health approach to delivering compassionate care to those at end of life and the frail elderly.

PubMed

Wilson, Gail

2015-04-01

Young people are often denied volunteering experiences with vulnerable dying people as this is considered to be 'too distressing'. This project challenged this paternalistic attitude and trained young people to volunteer in the hospice, and other organisations to enhance the delivery of compassionate care. To promote dignity in care, for older people, people with dementia, those at end of life and those with learning disabilities. To reduce social isolation and the stigma associated with dying and being old. To create new volunteering opportunities for young people to raise their awareness of the needs of the dying and the frail elderly. Develop a model of best practice - that could be replicated in other parts of the country. A health promotion approach was used combining education and a community development, partnership approach. Results 120 Volunteers delivered over 3,650 hrs of volunteering activities, supporting individuals to engage in social activities. The project broke myths about having 16-18 year olds volunteering. The relationship between the hospice and the local community has strengthened and the employability skills for the young people taking part have increased. 16% of those who responded to an exit survey had gained full time employment, 9% had gained university places. The personalisation of care for the frail elderly and those at end of life has increased by the use of volunteers. Young volunteers need mentoring. Staff needs support to feel confident to utilise the volunteers and let go of myths about risks. © 2015, Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

AIDS care and treatment in Sub-Saharan Africa: implementation ethics.

PubMed

Rennie, Stuart; Behets, Frieda

2006-01-01

With the advent of new AIDS treatment initiatives such as the World Health Organization's "3 by 5" program and the United States' "President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief," the ethical questions about AIDS care in the developing world have changed. No longer are they fundamentally about the conduct of research; now, we must turn our attention to developing treatment programs. In particular, we must think about how to spread limited treatment resources among the vast reservoir of people who need them.

Health care personnel's critique on the Philippines' first movie on AIDS.

PubMed

Zaldivar, S B

1995-01-01

The "Dolzura Cortez Story" was the Philippines' first movie on AIDS that provided 'a name and a face' among the 50 recorded lives that were lost to AIDS in 1992. This movie was utilized as a focus of discussion by some health care personnel to express their thoughts, opinions and recommendations regarding the use of cinema as a powerful tool for AIDS information dissemination.

The efficacy of a volunteer-administered cognitive stimulation program in long-term care homes.

PubMed

van Zon, Lorraine; Kirby, John R; Anderson, Nicole

2016-06-01

Cognitive impairment (CI) that arises in some older adults limits independence and decreases quality of life. Cognitive stimulation programs delivered by professional therapists have been shown to help maintain cognitive abilities, but the costs of such programming are prohibitive. The present study explored the feasibility and efficacy of using long-term care homes' volunteers to administer a cognitive stimulation program to residents. Thirty-six resident participants and 16 volunteers were alternately assigned to one of two parallel groups: a control group (CG) or stimulation group (SG). For eight weeks, three times each week, CG participants met for standard "friendly visits" (casual conversation between a resident and volunteer) and SG participants met to work through a variety of exercises to stimulate residents' reasoning, attention, and memory abilities. Resident participants were pre- and post-tested using the Weschler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence-Second Edition, Test of Memory, and Learning-Senior Edition, a modified Letter Sorting test (LS), Clock Drawing Test (CDT), and the Action Word Verbal Fluency Test. Two-way analyses of covariance (ANCOVA) controlling for dementia diagnosis indicated statistically greater improvements in the stimulation participants than in the control participants in Immediate Verbal Memory, p = 0.011; Non-Verbal Memory, p = 0.012; Learning, p = 0.016; and Verbal Fluency, p = 0.024. The feasibility and efficiency of a volunteer-administered cognitive stimulation program was demonstrated. Longitudinal studies with larger sample sizes are recommended in order to continue investigating the breadth and depth volunteer roles in the maintenance of the cognitive abilities of older adults.

Health-care workers are losing most AIDS lawsuits, study says.

PubMed

1996-08-09

The Kaiser Family Foundation funded a Georgetown study, The AIDS Litigation Project III--A Look at AIDS in the Courts in the 1990s, to analyze AIDS-related cases in the Federal and State court systems since January 1991. Study director Lawrence Gostin concludes that AIDS has become the most litigated disease in U.S. history and that judges tend to side with the argument that disability rights laws must yield to concern about the possible transmission risks. Initially, courts were supportive of the rights of persons living with AIDS. Currently, courts are likely to support mandatory HIV-antibody testing of health-care employees, prison inmates, and criminal defendants. Gostin predicts that court cases will focus on the rights of patients to receive health insurance coverage for AIDS therapies. Other emerging trends in AIDS litigation are cases involving HIV status disclosure and sexual ethics.

Offering integrated care for HIV/AIDS, diabetes and hypertension within chronic disease clinics in Cambodia.

PubMed

Janssens, B; Van Damme, W; Raleigh, B; Gupta, J; Khem, S; Soy Ty, K; Vun, Mc; Ford, N; Zachariah, R

2007-11-01

In Cambodia, care for people with HIV/AIDS (prevalence 1.9%) is expanding, but care for people with type II diabetes (prevalence 5-10%), arterial hypertension and other treatable chronic diseases remains very limited. We describe the experience and outcomes of offering integrated care for HIV/AIDS, diabetes and hypertension within the setting of chronic disease clinics. Chronic disease clinics were set up in the provincial referral hospitals of Siem Reap and Takeo, 2 provincial capitals in Cambodia. At 24 months of care, 87.7% of all HIV/AIDS patients were alive and in active follow-up. For diabetes patients, this proportion was 71%. Of the HIV/AIDS patients, 9.3% had died and 3% were lost to follow-up, while for diabetes this included 3 (0.1%) deaths and 28.9% lost to follow-up. Of all diabetes patients who stayed more than 3 months in the cohort, 90% were still in follow-up at 24 months. Over the first three years, the chronic disease clinics have demonstrated the feasibility of integrating care for HIV/AIDS with non-communicable chronic diseases in Cambodia. Adherence support strategies proved to be complementary, resulting in good outcomes. Services were well accepted by patients, and this has had a positive effect on HIV/AIDS-related stigma. This experience shows how care for HIV/AIDS patients can act as an impetus to tackle other common chronic diseases.

Motivations, Death Anxiety, and Empathy in Hospice Volunteers in France.

PubMed

Garbay, Meriem; Gay, Marie-Claire; Claxton-Oldfield, Stephen

2015-08-01

This study examined the motivations for volunteering of hospice volunteers in France. In addition, their levels of death anxiety and empathy were measured and compared with those of French non-hospice volunteers and non-volunteers. Three questionnaires-the Inventory of Motivations for Hospice Palliative Care Volunteerism (IMHPCV), the Templer/McMordie Death Anxiety Scale, and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index-were sent via an Internet link to 2 hospice volunteer associations and to non-hospice volunteers and non-volunteers (only the hospice volunteers received the IMHPCV). Altruistic motives had the most influence on the respondents' decision to become a hospice volunteer. French hospice volunteers scored significantly lower on 3 categories of motives on the IMHPCV compared to a sample of Canadian hospice palliative care volunteers (study 2), suggesting that cultural differences may be involved. No significant differences were found in levels of death anxiety or empathy between the 3 groups of respondents of the study. © The Author(s) 2014.

Health care aides use of time in a residential long-term care unit: a time and motion study.

PubMed

Mallidou, Anastasia A; Cummings, Greta G; Schalm, Corinne; Estabrooks, Carole A

2013-09-01

Organizational resources such as caregiver time use with older adults in residential long-term care facilities (nursing homes) have not been extensively studied, while levels of nurse staffing and staffing-mix are the focus of many publications on all types of healthcare organizations. Evidence shows that front-line caregivers' sufficient working time with residents is associated with performance, excellence, comprehensive care, quality of outcomes (e.g., reductions in pressure ulcers, urinary tract infections, and falls), quality of life, cost savings, and may be affiliated with transformation of organizational culture. To explore organizational resources in a long-term care unit within a multilevel residential facility, to measure healthcare aides' use of time with residents, and to describe working environment and unit culture. An observational pilot study was conducted in a Canadian urban 52-bed long-term care unit within a faith-based residential multilevel care facility. A convenience sample of seven healthcare aides consented to participate. To collect the data, we used an observational sheet (to monitor caregiver time use on certain activities such as personal care, assisting with eating, socializing, helping residents to be involved in therapeutic activities, paperwork, networking, personal time, and others), semi-structured interview (to assess caregiver perceptions of their working environment), and field notes (to illustrate the unit culture). Three hundred and eighty seven hours of observation were completed. The findings indicate that healthcare aides spent most of their working time (on an eight-hour day-shift) in "personal care" (52%) and in "other" activities (23%). One-to-three minute activities consumed about 35% of the time spent in personal care and 20% of time spent in assisting with eating. Overall, caregivers' time spent socializing was less than 1%, about 6% in networking, and less than 4% in paperwork. Re-organizing healthcare aides

Flexible kinship: caring for AIDS orphans in rural Lesotho

PubMed Central

Block, Ellen

2015-01-01

HIV/AIDS has devastated families in rural Lesotho, leaving many children orphaned. Families have adapted to the increase in the number of orphans and HIV-positive children in ways that provide children with the best possible care. Though local ideas about kinship and care are firmly rooted in patrilineal social organization, in practice, maternal caregivers, often grandmothers, are increasingly caring for orphaned children. Negotiations between affinal kin capitalize on flexible kinship practices in order to legitimate new patterns of care, which have shifted towards a model that often favours matrilocal practices of care in the context of idealized patrilineality. PMID:25866467

Volunteer Notes on Reforestation. A Handbook for Volunteers. Appropriate Technologies for Development. Reprint R-45.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seefeldt, Steve, Comp.

Provided in this document are descriptions of reforestation projects and techniques presented by Peace Corps volunteers from Chad, Ivory Coast, Upper Volta, and Niger. The purpose of the document is to aid individuals in trying to find solutions to the problems facing forestry in the Sahel. These projects include: (1) reforestation of Ronier palm…

Epidemiological Criminology: Contextualization of HIV/AIDS Health Care for Female Inmates.

PubMed

Lanier, Mark M; Zaitzow, Barbara H; Farrell, C Thomas

2015-04-01

Worldwide, women are increasingly being incarcerated. One unintended consequence is the increase in unhealthy female offenders. Among the more serious health concerns are HIV and AIDS. Challenges associated with caring for women with HIV/AIDS impacts not only disease management and infection control within correctional facilities but also the prisoners' home communities where they will need health care, drug and alcohol rehabilitation, housing assistance, and employment opportunities. No bridging theory has been presented that links prison and community health concerns with criminal justice policy. This article not only presents recommendations for effective HIV/AIDS policy but also suggests epidemiological criminology as a means of explicit merging of health with justice issues and consequently provides a bridging framework. © The Author(s) 2015.

OA8 Caring for the family caregiver: working with volunteers to implement and improve a service to enable family caregivers to maintain their own wellbeing.

PubMed

Cohen, S Robin; Keats, Susan; Cherba, Maria; Allen, Dawn; MacKinnon, Christopher J; Bitzas, Vasiliki; Kogan, Naomi; Penner, Jamie L; Calislar, Monica Parmar; Feindel, Anna; Lapointe, Bernard; Baxter, Sharon; O'Brien, Suzanne; Stajduhar, Kelli

2015-04-01

Family caregivers suffer physically, mentally, and spiritually. Community volunteers play an important role in supporting patients at the end of life or former caregivers in bereavement. However, there are no research reports of volunteer services focused on maintaining the wellbeing of end-of-life caregivers. To have volunteers, a hired volunteer coordinator, health care providers, and researchers implement and formatively evaluate a volunteer service to enable family caregivers to maintain their well being while providing care and subsequent bereavement. This presentation will focus on the volunteers' roles with the project as both agents of change to the service and as support for the caregivers. A qualitative formative evaluation informed by Guba and Lincoln's Fourth Generation Evaluation (1989) participatory design was conducted. Data was collected through individual interviews, focus groups, participant observation during volunteer support meetings, and through volunteers' written reflections. Amongst the volunteers, volunteer coordinator, and principal investigator, there was mutual respect for and interest in learning about everyone's roles and experiences in the project. The experience was rewarding because they felt they helped the family caregiver and enjoyed developing and improving the service and working in a supportive team. Volunteers' challenges included being nervous for their first meeting with a caregiver, and frustration with some rules put in place to protect them (e.g. not helping the caregiver with direct care for the patient). Volunteers can be an effective part of the research team, while providing valuable support and encouragement for family caregivers to maintain their own wellbeing. © 2015, Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Primary care provision by volunteer medical brigades in Honduras: a health record review of more than 2,500 patients over three years.

PubMed

Martiniuk, Alexandra L C; Adunuri, Nikesh; Negin, Joel; Tracey, Patti; Fontecha, Claudio; Caldwell, Paul

2012-01-01

The weak health system in Honduras contributes to poor health indicators. To improve population health, a number of volunteer medical brigades from developed countries provide health services in Honduras. To date, there is little information on the brigades' activities and impact. The primary objective of this article is to increase understanding of the type of health care provided by voluntary medical brigades by evaluating and presenting data on patients' presenting symptoms, diagnoses, and care outcomes. The article focuses on an ongoing medical brigade organized by Canadian health professionals in conjunction with Honduras' largest national non-governmental organization. This is a descriptive study of data that are routinely collected by volunteer Canadian health care professionals. Data on all patients presenting to temporary primary health care facilities across Honduras between 2006 and 2009 were analyzed. The data were used to analyze patient demographics, presenting symptoms, diagnoses, and treatments. We found that the brigades provide additional human resources to the relatively weak Honduran health care system. However, while brigades may increase solidarity between Hondurans and Canadians, concerns persist regarding cost-effectiveness and continuity of care for conditions treated by short-term brigade volunteers. Greater scrutiny is needed to increase brigades' effectiveness and ensure they are supportive of domestic health systems.

Tutoring ESL: A Handbook for Volunteers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tacoma Community House, WA.

This handbook contains several different sections to aid volunteers teaching English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) to refugees. Part 1, "Getting Started," discusses cultural differences and difficulties the students may encounter. Part 2, "Mechanics of Teaching," offers tips on teaching refugees and general teaching methods. Lesson planning,…

EMERGENCY VICTIM CARE AND RESCUE, TEXTBOOK FOR SQUADMEN.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ohio State Dept. of Education, Columbus. Trade and Industrial Education Service.

DESIGNED FOR TRAINING EMERGENCY SQUAD PERSONNEL IN RESCUE PROCEDURES AND VICTIM CARE BEYOND BASIC FIRST AID, THIS TEXTBOOK WAS DEVELOPED BY A COMMITTEE OF SQUADMEN, DOCTORS, NURSES, FIREMEN, AND STATE TRADE AND INDUSTRIAL PERSONNEL TO BE USED IN ADULT TRAINING CLASSES OF FULL-TIME OR VOLUNTEER SQUADMEN. THE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL INCLUDES 26…

Occupational Risk of HIV, HBV and HSV-2 Infections in Health Care Personnel Caring for AIDS Patients.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kuhls, Thomas L.; And Others

1987-01-01

Female health care workers with exposure to AIDS patients were studied. Two of the 246 workers showed evidence of opportunistic infections. This analysis confirms the low risk of occupationally acquired HIV infection when hospital infection control practices are employed around AIDS patients. (Author/VM)

Development of a hospital reiki training program: training volunteers to provide reiki to patients, families, and staff in the acute care setting.

PubMed

Hahn, Julie; Reilly, Patricia M; Buchanan, Teresa M

2014-01-01

Creating a healing and healthy environment for patients, families, and staff is an ongoing challenge. As part of our hospital's Integrative Care Program, a Reiki Volunteer Program has helped to foster a caring and healing environment, providing a means for patients, family, and staff to reduce pain and anxiety and improve their ability to relax and be present. Because direct care providers manage multiple and competing needs at any given time, they may not be available to provide Reiki when it is needed. This program demonstrates that a volunteer-based program can successfully support nurses in meeting patient, family, and staff demand for Reiki services.

Determining Nurse Aide Staffing Requirements to Provide Care Based on Resident Workload: A Discrete Event Simulation Model.

PubMed

Schnelle, John F; Schroyer, L Dale; Saraf, Avantika A; Simmons, Sandra F

2016-11-01

Nursing aides provide most of the labor-intensive activities of daily living (ADL) care to nursing home (NH) residents. Currently, most NHs do not determine nurse aide staffing requirements based on the time to provide ADL care for their unique resident population. The lack of an objective method to determine nurse aide staffing requirements suggests that many NHs could be understaffed in their capacity to provide consistent ADL care to all residents in need. Discrete event simulation (DES) mathematically models key work parameters (eg, time to provide an episode of care and available staff) to predict the ability of the work setting to provide care over time and offers an objective method to determine nurse aide staffing needs in NHs. This study had 2 primary objectives: (1) to describe the relationship between ADL workload and the level of nurse aide staffing reported by NHs; and, (2) to use a DES model to determine the relationship between ADL workload and nurse aide staffing necessary for consistent, timely ADL care. Minimum Data Set data related to the level of dependency on staff for ADL care for residents in over 13,500 NHs nationwide were converted into 7 workload categories that captured 98% of all residents. In addition, data related to the time to provide care for the ADLs within each workload category was used to calculate a workload score for each facility. The correlation between workload and reported nurse aide staffing levels was calculated to determine the association between staffing reported by NHs and workload. Simulations to project staffing requirements necessary to provide ADL care were then conducted for 65 different workload scenarios, which included 13 different nurse aide staffing levels (ranging from 1.6 to 4.0 total hours per resident day) and 5 different workload percentiles (ranging from the 5th to the 95th percentile). The purpose of the simulation model was to determine the staffing necessary to provide care within each workload

Social care and support needs of community-dwelling people with dementia and concurrent visual impairment.

PubMed

Nyman, Samuel Robert; Innes, Anthea; Heward, Michelle

2017-09-01

This study explored the social care and support needs of people with dementia and visual impairment, and the barriers and facilitators for meeting these needs. Twenty-six semi-structured interviews were conducted: 21 joint and 5 individual interviews with the person with dementia and visual impairment (n=4) or their family/paid carer (n=1). Interviews were analysed thematically. Three themes are presented. (1) Social care needs: having dementia can reduce an individual's ability to cope with their visual impairment, and lead to increased dependency and reduced daily stimulation. (2) Barriers to using technology to meet social care needs: difficulties were reported with learning to use unfamiliar technology and the cost of visual impairment aids, and for some, the presence of dementia made visual impairment aids unusable and vice versa. (3) Familiarity as a facilitator for meeting social care needs: living at home or taking furnishings and ornaments into a new home facilitated independence, and continuity of paid carers/volunteers facilitated the caring relationship between the individual and staff/volunteer. Care workers will better serve older people if they are aware of the social care and support needs that arise from having both dementia and visual impairment.

HIV/AIDS and home-based health care

PubMed Central

Opiyo, Pamella A; Yamano, Takashi; Jayne, TS

2008-01-01

This paper highlights the socio-economic impacts of HIV/AIDS on women. It argues that the socio-cultural beliefs that value the male and female lives differently lead to differential access to health care services. The position of women is exacerbated by their low financial base especially in the rural community where their main source of livelihood, agricultural production does not pay much. But even their active involvement in agricultural production or any other income ventures is hindered when they have to give care to the sick and bedridden friends and relatives. This in itself is a threat to household food security. The paper proposes that gender sensitive policies and programming of intervention at community level would lessen the burden on women who bear the brunt of AIDS as caregivers and livelihood generators at household level. Improvement of medical facilities and quality of services at local dispensaries is seen as feasible since they are in the rural areas. Other interventions should target freeing women's and girls' time for education and involvement in income generating ventures. Two separate data sets from Western Kenya, one being quantitative and another qualitative data have been used. PMID:18348721

Mobility for care workers: job changes and wages for nurse aides.

PubMed

Ribas, Vanesa; Dill, Janette S; Cohen, Philip N

2012-12-01

The long-term care industry in the United States faces serious recruitment and retention problems among nurse aides. At the same time, these low-wage workers may feel trapped in poorly-paid jobs from which they would do well to leave. Despite this tension, not enough is known about how workers fare when they leave (or stay in) such care work. Using longitudinal data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation for the years 1996-2003, we examine the relationship between different job and occupational mobility patterns and wage outcomes for nurse aides, focusing on which job transitions offer better opportunities to earn higher wages and on whether job transition patterns differ by race. Our results confirm high turnover among nurse aides, with 73 percent of the sample working in occupations other than nurse aide at some point during the survey time frame. About half of respondents that transition out of nurse aide work move into higher-paying occupations, although the percentage of transitions to higher paying occupations drops to 35 percent when nurse aides that become RNs are excluded. Among black workers especially, wage penalties for moving into other jobs in the low-wage labor market appear to be rather small, likely a factor in high turnover among nurse aides. The findings illustrate the importance of occupation-specific mobility trajectories and their outcomes for different groups of workers, and for understanding the constrained decisions these workers make. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Because They Care: A Resource Manual for Volunteer Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Illinois State Office of Education, Springfield.

Beginning in 1973, meetings of 12 regional education advisory councils (composed of students, teachers, parents, administrators, board members, superintendents, and other citizens) studied volunteer programs in Illinois to determine their drawbacks and to formulate recommendations for expanding the concept of volunteers in education. This…

No Exceptions: Documenting the Abortion Experiences of US Peace Corps Volunteers

PubMed Central

Arnott, Grady; Parniak, Simone; LaRoche, Kathryn J.; Trussell, James

2015-01-01

Since 1979, US federal appropriations bills have prohibited the use of federal funds from covering abortion care for Peace Corps volunteers. There are no exceptions; unlike other groups that receive health care through US federal funding streams, including Medicaid recipients, federal employees, and women in federal prisons, abortion care is not covered for volunteers even in cases of life endangerment, rape, or incest. We interviewed 433 returned Peace Corps volunteers to document opinions of, perceptions about, and experiences with obtaining abortion care. Our results regarding the abortion experiences of Peace Corps volunteers, especially those who were raped, bear witness to a profound inequity and show that the time has come to lift the “no exceptions” funding ban on abortion coverage. PMID:25494207

Experimental study of assistant aids and new nursing method in nursing care work.

PubMed

Motegi, Nobuyuki; Matsuda, Fumiko; Takeuchi, Yuriko; Misawa, Tetsuo

2012-01-01

This study seeks to evaluate the effect of regular and new nursing methods in nursing care work. Nursing care work often causes low back pain in nursing care worker. The principle of not lifting when transferring patients has been proposed as one way to prevent low back pain. This principle incorporates the use of the patient's strength and assistant aids. A sliding seats and transfer boards have been proposed as assistant aids for the transferring patients. It is necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of these assistant aids in preventing low back pain. Ten subjects performed two tasks in this experiment. Five were nursing experienced persons and five were the inexperienced. EMG results indicated that the new nursing method was less stressful than the methods. A questionnaire revealed that the new method was evaluated more highly than the regular method. Based on these results, we propose that a sliding seats and transfer boards be used in nursing care work.

Health Care Assisting Lesson Planning Guide for Long-Term Care Aide Certification. South Carolina Health Occupations Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

South Carolina State Dept. of Education, Columbia. Office of Occupational Education.

This document consists of 13 competency outlines/lesson plans that have been developed for use in preparing students for certification as long-term care aides through South Carolina's health occupations education program. The following competencies are covered in the individual lessons: identify the function and responsibilities of nurses aides;…

Do physicians have an ethical obligation to care for patients with AIDS?

PubMed Central

Angoff, N. R.

1991-01-01

This paper responds to the question: Do physicians have an ethical obligation to care for patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)? First, the social and political milieu in which this question arises is sampled. Here physicians as well as other members of the community are found declaring an unwillingness to be exposed to people with AIDS. Next, laws, regulations, ethical codes and principles, and the history of the practice of medicine are examined, and the literature as it pertains to these areas is reviewed. The obligation to care for patients with AIDS, however, cannot be located in an orientation to morality defined in rules and codes and an appeal to legalistic fairness. By turning to the orientation to morality that emerges naturally from connection and is defined in caring, the physicians' ethical obligation to care for patients with AIDS is found. Through an exploration of the writings of modern medical ethicists, it is clear that the purpose of the practice of medicine is healing, which can only be accomplished in relationship to the patient. It is in relationship to patients that the physician has the opportunity for self-realization. In fact, the physician is physician in relationship to patients and only to the extent that he or she acts virtuously by being morally responsible for and to those patients. Not to do so diminishes the physician's ethical ideal, a vision of the physician as good physician, which has consequences for the physician's capacity to care and for the practice of medicine. PMID:1788990

Migration patterns among Floridians with AIDS, 1993-2007: implications for HIV prevention and care.

PubMed

Trepka, Mary Jo; Fennie, Kristopher P; Pelletier, Valerie; Lutfi, Khaleeq; Lieb, Spencer; Maddox, Lorene M

2014-09-01

To characterize migration patterns among people diagnosed as having and who died of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) from 1993 to 2007 because migrating to a new community can disrupt human immunodeficiency virus/AIDS care delivery and patients' adherence to care and affect migrants' social services and healthcare needs. Florida AIDS surveillance data were used to describe patterns of migration among people diagnosed as having and who died of AIDS from 1993 to 2007. Individual and community characteristics were compared between residence at the time of AIDS diagnosis and residence at the time of death by type of migration. Of 31,816 people in the cohort, 2510 (7.9%) migrated to another county in Florida and 1306 (4.1%) migrated to another state. Interstate migrants were more likely to be men, 20 to 39 years old, non-Hispanic white, and born in the United States, to have had a transmission mode of injection drug use (IDU) or men who have sex with men with IDU (MSM&IDU), and to have been diagnosed before 1999. Intercounty migrants were more likely to be non-Hispanic white, younger than 60 years, have had a transmission mode of MSM, IDU, or MSM&IDU, have higher CD4 counts/percentages, and to have lived in areas with low levels of poverty or low physician density. There was a small net movement from urban to rural areas within the state. A sizable percentage of people, particularly younger people and people with a transmission mode of IDU and IDU&MSM, migrated at least once between the time of their AIDS diagnosis and death. This has important implications for care and treatment, as well as efforts to prevent the disease. Further research is needed to explore barriers and facilitators to access to care upon migration and to assess the need for programs to help people transfer their human immunodeficiency virus/AIDS care, ensuring continuity of care and adherence.

What about Us? Economic and Policy Changes Affecting Rural HIV/AIDS Services and Care.

PubMed

Albritton, Tashuna; Martinez, Isabel; Gibson, Crystal; Angley, Meghan; Grandelski, Valen R

2017-01-01

Health care budgets and policies are chief drivers in the delivery and access to health services. Place is also a factor that affects patient and provider experiences within the health care system. We examine the impact of policy changes and subsequent budget cuts on rural HIV/AIDS care, support services, and prevention. We interviewed 11 social workers, case managers, and outreach workers who serve rural people living with HIV/AIDS. We conducted telephone interviews inquiring about the effect of economics and policies on direct practice with rural clients. We analyzed data using a content analysis approach. We found several themes from the data. Ryan White funding and policy changes shifted direct practice to a medical case management model. Changes in federal and state poverty levels affected client eligibility for the AIDS Drugs Assistance Program. Policy banning financial support for syringe service programs hindered prevention efforts to reduce HIV/AIDS transmission. Ancillary services were reduced, such as housing assistance, transportation, and emergency financial assistance. In conclusion, we highlight the importance of place-based policies to improve access to healthcare and services. We also provide recommendations for greater inclusion in HIV/AIDS-related policy development, care, and service planning for rural workers.

Improving certified nurse aide retention. A long-term care management challenge.

PubMed

Mesirow, K M; Klopp, A; Olson, L L

1998-03-01

In the long-term care industry, the turnover rate among nurse aides is extremely high. This adversely affects resident satisfaction, resident care, morale, and finances. It presents a challenge to long-term care administration. Refusing to accept high turnover as an impossible situation allows changes to be made. The authors describe how the staff at one intermediate care facility identified its problems, assessed the causes, and implemented corrective action.

EFFECTS OF HIV/AIDS ON MATERNITY CARE PROVIDERS IN KENYA

PubMed Central

Turan, Janet M.; Bukusi, Elizabeth A.; Cohen, Craig R.; Sande, John; Miller, Suellen

2008-01-01

Objective To explore the impact of HIV/AIDS on maternity care providers (MCP) in labor and delivery in a high HIV prevalence setting in sub-Saharan Africa. Design Qualitative one-on-one in-depth interviews with MCPs. Setting Four health facilities providing labor and delivery services (2 public hospitals, a public health center, and a small private maternity hospital) in Kisumu, Nyanza Province, Kenya. Participants Eighteen (18) MCPs, including 14 nurse/midwives, 2 physician assistants, and 2 physicians (ob/gyn specialists). Results The HIV/AIDS epidemic has had numerous adverse effects and a few positive effects on MCPs in this setting. Adverse effects include reductions in the number of health care providers, increased workload, burnout, reduced availability of services in small health facilities when workers are absent due to attending HIV/AIDS training programs, difficulties with confidentiality and unwanted disclosure, and MCPs' fears of becoming HIV infected and the resulting stigma and discrimination. Positive effects include improved infection control procedures on maternity wards and enhanced MCP knowledge and skills. Conclusion A multi-faceted package including policy, infrastructure, and training interventions is needed to support MCPs in these settings and ensure that they are able to perform their critical roles in maternal healthcare and prevention of HIV/AIDS transmission. PMID:18811779

Care arrangements, grief and psychological problems among children orphaned by AIDS in China.

PubMed

Zhao, G; Li, X; Fang, X; Zhao, J; Yang, H; Stanton, B

2007-10-01

The China Ministry of Health has estimated that there are at least 100,000 AIDS orphans in China. The UNICEF China Office estimates that between 150,000 and 250,000 additional children will be orphaned by AIDS over the next five years. However, limited data are available regarding the sociodemographic characteristics, care arrangements, barriers to appropriate grief resolution and psychological problems among AIDS orphans in China. In this article, we review secondary data and reports from scientific literature, government, non-governmental organisations and public media regarding children orphaned by AIDS in China to address their living situation, bereavement process and psychological problems. Our review suggests that AIDS orphans in China are living in a stressful environment, with many orphans struggling with psychological problems and unmet basic needs such as food, shelter, education and medical care. Based on our review, we suggest that future studies should address the psychosocial needs of AIDS orphans in China and develop health promotion programmes to mitigate the negative impact of parental death on the physical and psychosocial well-being of these orphans.

Care arrangement, grief, and psychological problems among children orphaned by AIDS in China

PubMed Central

Zhao, Guoxiang; Li, Xiaoming; Fang, Xiaoyi; Zhao, Junfeng; Yang, Hongmei; Stanton, Bonita

2007-01-01

The China Ministry of Health has estimated that there are at least 100,000 AIDS orphans in China. The UNICEF China Office estimates that between 150,000 and 250,000 additional children will be orphaned by AIDS over the next five years. However, limited data are available regarding the socio-demographic characteristics, care arrangement, barriers to appropriate grief resolution and psychological problems among AIDS orphans in China. In this article, we review secondary data and reports from scientific literature, government, non-governmental organizations, and public media regarding children orphaned by AIDS in China to address their living situation, bereavement process, and psychological problems. Our review suggests that AIDS orphans in China are living in a stressful environment with many orphans struggling with psychological problems and unmet basic needs such as food, shelter, education, and medical care. Based on our review, we suggest that future studies should address the psychosocial needs of AIDS orphans in China and develop health promotion programs to mitigate the negative impact of parental death on the physical and psychosocial well-being of these orphans. PMID:18058390

How trained volunteers can improve the quality of hospital care for older patients. A qualitative evaluation within the Hospital Elder Life Program (HELP).

PubMed

Steunenberg, Bas; van der Mast, Roos; Strijbos, Marije J; Inouye, Sharon K; Schuurmans, Marieke J

The aim of this study was to investigate, using a mixed-methods design, the added value of a trained Hospital Elder Life Program (HELP) volunteer to the quality of hospital care in the Netherlands. The trained volunteers daily stimulate older patients, at risk of a delirium, to eat, to drink, and to exercise, and they provide walking assistance and cognitive stimulation. This study showed that each group appreciated the extra attention and service from the volunteers. The positive effect on feelings of loneliness during the hospital stay was an unexpected outcome. The volunteers themselves appreciated their work. In conclusion, a HELP volunteer should be provided to every older hospital patient. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Forecasting the personal medical care costs of AIDS from 1988 through 1991.

PubMed Central

Hellinger, F J

1988-01-01

The personal medical care costs of those diagnosed with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in 1988 are forecast to be $2.2 billion, an amount that will increase to $4.5 billion in 1991. This is the first study to include the cost of purchasing azidothymidine (AZT), also called zidovudine, a palliative treatment for AIDS. The forecasts of this study are lower than those reported by Rice and Scitovsky, and other researchers, because the data are more recent and AIDS patients are receiving more care on an outpatient basis and staying in the hospital fewer days. They are also lower because projections for the number of AIDS cases diagnosed in future years are lower than those made by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). This study projects that about 38,000 AIDS cases will be diagnosed in 1988 and 73,000 in 1991. The projections in this study are derived using data on the number of AIDS cases reported to CDC from January 1984 to October 1987, while the CDC projections employed by Rice and Scitovsky were derived using data from June 1981 to May 1986. It is also projected that the lifetime cost of treating an AIDS patient will increase from $57,000 in 1988 to $61,800 in 1991 due to the wider use of AZT. PMID:2836880

[Knowledge about AIDS prevention among professionals and students in health care].

PubMed

de Oliveira, A D; Viegas, C R; Sabka, E; Guerra, M; Baltazar, R

1996-07-01

This work is a exploratory research based on the analysis of the answers to the questionnaires of 52 students and health care professionals knowledge about AIDS sexual prevention, biosecurity, diagnosis tests, patients and workers rights and the modifications of nursing and medical care to this kind of disease.

2016 RAD-AID Conference on International Radiology for Developing Countries: Gaps, Growth, and United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

PubMed

Mollura, Daniel J; Soroosh, Garshasb; Culp, Melissa P

2017-06-01

The 2016 RAD-AID Conference analyzed the accelerated global activity in the radiology community that is transforming medical imaging into an effective spearhead of health care capacity building in low- and middle-income countries. Global health efforts historically emphasized disaster response, crisis zones, and infectious disease outbreaks. However, the projected doubling of cancer and cardiovascular deaths in developing countries in the next 15 years and the need for higher technology screening and diagnostic technologies in low-resource regions, as articulated by the United Nations' new Sustainable Development Goals of 2016, is heightening the role of radiology in global health. Academic US-based radiology programs with RAD-AID chapters achieved a threefold increase in global health project offerings for trainees in the past 5 years. RAD-AID's nonprofit radiology volunteer corps continue to grow by more than 40% yearly, with a volunteer base of 5,750 radiology professionals, serving in 23 countries, donating close to 20,000 pro bono hours globally in 2016. As a high-technology specialty interfacing with nearly all medical and surgical disciplines, radiology underpins vital health technology infrastructure, such as digital imaging archives, electronic medical records, and advanced diagnosis and treatment, essential for long-term future health care capacity in underserved areas of the world. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Peer education for advance care planning: volunteers’ perspectives on training and community engagement activities

PubMed Central

Seymour, Jane E.; Almack, Kathryn; Kennedy, Sheila; Froggatt, Katherine

2011-01-01

Abstract Background  Peer education by volunteers may aid attitudinal change, but there is little understanding of factors assisting the preparation of peer educators. This study contributes to conceptual understandings of how volunteers may be prepared to work as peer educators by drawing on an evaluation of a training programme for peer education for advance care planning (ACP). Objectives  To report on volunteers’ perspectives on the peer education training programme, their feelings about assuming the role of volunteer peer educators and the community engagement activities with which they engaged during the year after training. To examine broader implications for peer education. Design  Participatory action research employing mixed methods of data collection. Participants  Twenty‐four older volunteers and eight health and social care staff. Data collection methods  Evaluative data were gathered from information provided during and at the end of training, a follow‐up survey 4 months post‐training; interviews and focus groups 6 and 12 months post‐training. Findings  Volunteers’ personal aims ranged from working within their communities to using what they had learnt within their own families. The personal impact of peer education was considerable. Two‐thirds of volunteers reported community peer education activities 1 year after the training. Those who identified strongly with a community group had the most success. Conclusion  We reflect on the extent to which the programme aided the development of ‘critical consciousness’ among the volunteers: a key factor in successful peer education programmes. More research is needed about the impact on uptake of ACP in communities. PMID:21615641

Wasted Resources: Volunteers and Disasters

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-12-01

Aid,” The New York Times (Mar, 2006). 5 trapped victim and parts of the roof fell on her.8 If this...many locales developing their own response to the problem. To manage the massive influx of new volunteers during disasters, some communities have...mobilization centers, all of them church buildings, to be used in the event of a future disaster. Local citizens are made aware of the centers and can

Health Care Aides' Struggle to Build and Maintain Relationships with Families in Complex Continuing Care Settings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGilton, Katherine S.; Guruge, Sepali; Librado, Ruby; Bloch, Lois; Boscart, Veronique

2008-01-01

Research on the relationships between health care aides (HCAs) and families of clients has been situated mainly in long-term care settings and includes scant findings about the perceptions of HCAs. Based on the findings of a larger qualitative study using a grounded theory approach, this paper addresses the topic of HCA-family relationships in…

Promoting vision and hearing aids use in an intensive care unit.

PubMed

Zhou, Qiaoling; Faure Walker, Nicholas

2015-01-01

Vision and hearing impairments have long been recognised as modifiable risk factors for delirium.[1,2,3] Delirium in critically ill patients is a frequent complication (reported as high as 60% to 80% of intensive care patients), and is associated with a three-fold increase in mortality and prolonged hospital stay.[1] Guidelines by the UK Clinical Pharmacy Association recommend minimising risk factors to prevent delirium, rather than to treat it with pharmacological agents which may themselves cause delirium.[4] To address risk factors is a measure of multi-system management, such as sleep-wake cycle correction, orientation and use of vision and hearing aids, etc.[5] We designed an audit to survey the prevalence and availability of vision and hearing aids use in the intensive care unit (ICU) of one university hospital. The baseline data demonstrated a high level of prevalence and low level of availability of vision /hearing aid use. We implemented changes to the ICU Innovian assessment system, which serves to remind nursing staff performing daily checks on delirium reduction measures. This has improved practice in promoting vision and hearing aids use in ICU as shown by re-audit at six month. Further amendments to the Innovian risk assessments have increased the rate of assessment to 100% and vision aid use to near 100%.

Exploring family-centered care for children living with HIV and AIDS in Nigeria.

PubMed

Achema, Godwin; Ncama, Busisiwe P

2016-04-01

To explored the role of family-centered care in supporting children living with HIV and AIDS in Nigeria. A qualitative research design was adopted for this study with a grounded theory approach. Children aged between 11 and 14 years living with HIV and AIDS, their caregivers, and nurse practitioners working in the HIV clinic were engaged in separate focus group discussions in two hospitals in Nigeria. The findings showed that the value African families place on children plays a significant role in identifying their care needs and providing their basic necessities; hence, people around the sick child tend to make him feel better, as attested by nurse practitioners and caregiver participants. Nurse practitioner participants cited unified families as providing care support and love to the children and the support needed to alleviate their sicknesses. Children participants confirmed that family members/relatives were always at their disposal to provide supportive care in terms of administrating antiretroviral medication as well as other psychological care; although a few participants indicated that disruption in family structures in resource-poor settings, isolation and withdrawal, and deprivation of care due to poverty threatened the care rendered to the children. The study highlighted the value attached to children in the African context as helping family members to identify the care needs of children living with HIV and AIDS; thereby providing succor to alleviate their sicknesses and enhance their quality of life. © 2016 Japan Academy of Nursing Science.

Patients with HIV/Aids and ulcer risk: nursing care demands.

PubMed

Pereira, Lanara Alves; Feitosa, Manuella Carvalho; Silva, Grazielle Roberta Freitas da; Leite, Illoma Rossany Lima; Silva, Maria Esther; Soares, Rômulo Diego Monte

2016-06-01

to analyze the demand for nursing care and the risk of pressure ulcers (PU) of patients with HIV/Aids. quantitative survey, carried out from December 2012 to March 2013 in a public hospital of Teresina, state of Piauí, Brazil. the sample of 31 patients was predominantly male, mean age 36.6 years, average care demand 49.4%, most showing some risk of developing PU. The variables correlated with PU risk were care demand and clinical outcome (death). Those associated with care demand were age and clinical outcome (death). the results showed that patients require moderate nursing care needs and most of them present risk of developing PU.

Addressing the need for staff support among nurses caring for the AIDS population.

PubMed

Pasacreta, J V; Jacobsen, P B

1989-01-01

More and more nurses are caring for individuals with AIDS-spectrum disorders. When nurses become involved in hospital-based AIDS treatment, major psychosocial issues can arise. In settings where nursing personnel have limited or no experience working with patients with AIDS, fear of contagion is a major issue. This fear has both rational and irrational components. In general, providing up-to-date information in a small group setting can effectively reduce irrational fears. Rational fears, which are not as easily dealt with, should be a stimulus for behavior change (e.g., adoption of precautionary guidelines for reducing the possibility of accidental infection). Different issues arise among nurses specializing in AIDS care and include burnout, a sense of professional isolation, and the need to establish personal boundaries in dealing with patients. Guidelines are offered for establishing a group approach to address these concerns and to handle the sensitive issues that may arise.

Solidarity and compassion-prisoners as hospice volunteers in Poland.

PubMed

Krakowiak, Piotr; Deka, Renata; Janowicz, Anna

2018-04-01

Democracy in Eastern Europe arrived after a long fight with a communist regime, and the activities of medical volunteers have been developing in opposition to the existing then in Poland mentality called Homo Sovieticus. From 1981 onwards the Polish Hospice Movement there was inspired by practitioners and international experiences brought by visits of Dr. Cicely Saunders. The history of modern end-of-life care in Poland was connected to caring communities, which could be called compassionate, because of the volunteering of all hospice team members. When palliative medicine started to become a part of the national healthcare programme, the hospice movement was slowly losing its exceptional character of professionals working together with volunteers, accompanied by considerable involvement of church communities. The new way of talking about end-of-life care was proposed in XXI century, and promotion of volunteering was part of it. In Gdansk an innovative program to reintegrate prisoners into society through voluntary work with hospice patients began. Since 2008 the WHAT project was aimed at social reintegration of prisoners through voluntary activities in hospices and correctional institutions from around Poland. In June 2009 Poland was awarded a prestigious prize 'The Crystal Scales of Justice' by The Council of Europe for a project called Voluntary Service of the Convicted in Poland implementing an innovative form of cooperation among prisons, hospices and social welfare homes. The research involving prisoners performing hospice-palliative care volunteering indicates a diverse range of life goals from the inmates not involved in hospices. These innovative correctional programs truly help local communities and prisoners who are currently working in 40 hospices and 70 nursing homes, helping those in need. Adequately prepared inmates who proved to be effective volunteers could be an inspiration to all who want to make end-of-life care more social, more humane and a

AIDS: responding to the crisis. Legal implications for health care providers.

PubMed

Kadzielski, M A

1986-05-01

In the future, health care providers will not be able to avoid the legal problems that the AIDS epidemic presents. They can find guidance in the long-standing legal principles of privacy and confidentiality and of fair employment. Many laws contain confidentiality principles that focus on the right of patients to determine who has access to their confidential health care information. Dissemination of such information to those who have no legal or rational requirement to know it may result in the provider's criminal and/or civil liability. The HTLV-III blood test brings additional pressures to bear on patients' and employees' confidentiality rights. Since the test indicates only that the subject has been infected by the virus--not whether the person has or will develop AIDS--widespread mandatory screening is inadvisable because it could lead to unjustified discrimination. Under principles of handicap-discrimination law, health care providers may not terminate or discriminate against an employee with HTLV-III infection unless the employee cannot perform the job or poses a danger to the health and safety of himself or others. An employee who refuses to treat AIDS patients may be lawfully disciplined. Under health and safety laws, however, employers who discipline employees for wearing extra protective gear risk liability.

Embedding Volunteer Activity into Paramedic Education.

PubMed

Ross, Linda; Kabidi, Sophia

2017-01-01

Paramedics require a wide range of skills that are beyond clinical or technical skills in order to meet the demands of the role and provide quality and compassionate care to patients. Non-technical or "soft" skills and attributes are generally challenging to teach and develop in the classroom setting. Volunteerism provides an opportunity for students to gain exposure to different communities and develop interpersonal skills. This cross-sectional study used one-on-one interviews with 12 third-year Bachelor of Emergency Health (Paramedic) students from Monash University, Australia, who completed a community volunteering program. Results suggest that paramedic students see volunteering as a highly valuable means of developing a number of skills crucial to their future roles and paramedic practice. Volunteering also provided students with an opportunity to learn about themselves and the broader community, develop confidence, and improve overall job-readiness and employability. This study demonstrates that embedding volunteering into paramedic education is an effective way to develop the broad range of paramedic attributes required for the role. These experiences allow students to make the important transition to a job-ready graduate paramedic who can provide holistic patient-centred care.

Ideologies of aid, practices of power: lessons for Medicaid managed care.

PubMed

Nelson, Nancy L

2005-03-01

The articles in this special issue teach valuable lessons based on what happened in New Mexico with the shift to Medicaid managed care. By reframing these lessons in broader historical and cultural terms with reference to aid programs, we have the opportunity to learn a great deal more about the relationship between poverty, public policy, and ideology. Medicaid as a state and federal aid program in the United States and economic development programs as foreign aid provide useful analogies specifically because they exhibit a variety of parallel patterns. The increasing concatenation of corporate interests with state and nongovernmental interests in aid programs is ultimately producing a less centralized system of power and responsibility. This process of decentralization, however, is not undermining the sources of power behind aid efforts, although it does make the connections between intent, planning, and outcome less direct. Ultimately, the devolution of power produces many unintended consequences for aid policy. But it also reinforces the perspective that aid and the need for it are nonpolitical issues.

The personal value of being part of a Tropical Health Education Trust (THET) links programme to develop a palliative care degree programme in Sub Saharan Africa: a descriptive study of the views of volunteer UK health care professionals.

PubMed

Jack, B A; Kirton, J A; Downing, J; Frame, K

2015-12-14

There is a global need to expand palliative care services to reach the increasing number requiring end of life care. In developing countries where the incidences of cancer are rising there is an urgent need to develop the palliative care workforce. This paper reports on a UK Department for international development (DFID) initiative funded through the Tropical Health Education Trust (THET) where palliative care staff, both clinical and academic, volunteered to help to develop, support and deliver a degree in palliative care in sub-Saharan Africa. The objective of the study was to explore the personal impact on the health care professionals of being part of this initiative. An evaluation approach using a confidential electronic survey containing quantitative and qualitative questions was distributed to all 17 volunteers on the programme, three months after completion of the first cohort. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and content thematic analysis. Ethical review deemed the study to be service evaluation. 82 % (14) responded and several themes emerged from the data including the positive impact on teaching and educational skills; clinical practice and finally personal development. Using a score of 1-10 (1-no impact, 10 maximum impact) 'Lifestyle choices - life work balance' (rating 7.83) had the most impact. This approach to supporting the development of palliative care in Sub-Saharan Africa through skill sharing in supporting the delivery of a degree programme in palliative care was successful in terms of delivery of the degree programme, material development and mentorship of local staff. Additionally, this study shows it provided a range of positive impacts on the volunteer health care professionals from the UK. Professional impacts including increased management skills, and being better prepared to undertake a senior role. However it is the personal impact including lifestyle choices which the volunteers reported as the highest impact

Research report--Volunteer infant feeding and care counselors: a health education intervention to improve mother and child health and reduce mortality in rural Malawi.

PubMed

Rosato, Mikey; Lewycka, Sonia; Mwansambo, Charles; Kazembe, Peter; Phiri, Tambosi; Chapota, Hilda; Vergnano, Stefania; Newell, Marie-Louise; Osrin, David; Costello, Anthony

2012-06-01

The aim of this report is to describe a health education intervention involving volunteer infant feeding and care counselors being implemented in Mchinji district, Malawi. The intervention was established in January 2004 and involves 72 volunteer infant feeding and care counselors, supervised by 24 government Health Surveillance Assistants, covering 355 villages in Mchinji district. It aims to change the knowledge, attitudes and behaviour of women to promote exclusive breastfeeding and other infant care practices. The main target population are women of child bearing age who are visited at five key points during pregnancy and after birth. Where possible, their partners are also involved. The visits cover exclusive breastfeeding and other important neonatal and infant care practices. Volunteers are provided with an intervention manual and picture book. Resource inputs are low and include training allowances and equipment for counselors and supervisors, and a salary, equipment and materials for a coordinator. It is hypothesized that the counselors will encourage informational and attitudinal change to enhance motivation and risk reduction skills and self-efficacy to promote exclusive breastfeeding and other infant care practices and reduce infant mortality. The impact is being evaluated through a cluster randomised controlled trial and results will be reported in 2012.

Prison hospice and pastoral care services in California.

PubMed

Linder, John F; Knauf, Keith; Enders, Sheila R; Meyers, Frederick J

2002-12-01

Hospice at the California Medical Facility (CMF) Vacaville dates back to the mid-1980s, when the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic began to be felt throughout California's Department of Corrections. Vacaville has served for decades as the principal location for delivering health services to California's incarcerated men. Informal hospice-like services were inspired by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross and through inmate and community calls for more humane care for dying inmates. By 1990, efforts to formally establish a hospice were under way. In 1996, a 17-bed, state-licensed hospice began caring for dying inmates. An interdisciplinary team plans and delivers the care, meeting weekly to admit and review patients. The Pastoral Care Services (PCS) inmate volunteer program, with more than 50 trained participants, provides care and comfort to dying patients in hospice and to ill patients on the general medicine service. PCS volunteers perform many duties, including sitting vigil with actively dying inmates. Inmates enrolling in hospice have to forgo further curative therapy, consent to the program in writing, and have a 6-month or less survival prognosis; patients are not required to have a do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order, but are encouraged to consider one. Training for physicians, staff and PCS volunteers is provided by the University of California, Davis faculty of the West Coast Center for Palliative Education. Bereavement services are provided for PCS volunteers, other inmate "family" and staff. Family and friends of the deceased in the free community are followed by phone, mail, and primarily through referral to resources in their local area.

Volunteers in plastic surgery guidelines for providing surgical care for children in the less developed world: part II. Ethical considerations.

PubMed

Schneider, William J; Migliori, Mark R; Gosain, Arun K; Gregory, George; Flick, Randall

2011-09-01

Many international volunteer groups provide free reconstructive plastic surgery for the poor and underserved in developing countries. An essential issue in providing this care is that it meets consistent guidelines for both quality and safety-a topic that has been addressed previously. An equally important consideration is how to provide that care in an ethical manner. No literature presently addresses the various issues involved in making those decisions. With these ethical considerations in mind, the Volunteers in Plastic Surgery Committee of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons/Plastic Surgery Foundation undertook a project to create a comprehensive set of guidelines for volunteer groups planning to provide this type of reconstructive plastic surgery in developing countries. The committee worked in conjunction with the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia on this project. The Board of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons/Plastic Surgery Foundation has approved the ethical guidelines created for the delivery of care in developing countries. The guidelines address the variety of ethical decisions that may be faced by a team working in an underdeveloped country. These guidelines make it possible for a humanitarian effort to anticipate the types of ethical decisions that are often encountered and be prepared to deal with them appropriately. Any group seeking to undertake an international mission trip in plastic surgery should be able to go to one source to find a detailed discussion of the perceived needs in providing ethical humanitarian care. This document was created to satisfy that need and is a companion to our original guidelines addressing safety and quality.

[Evaluation of the organizational structure of HIV/AIDS outpatient care in Brazil].

PubMed

Melchior, Regina; Nemes, Maria Ines Battistella; Basso, Cáritas Relva; Castanheira, Elen Rose Lodeiro; Alves, Maria Teresa Soares de Britto e; Buchalla, Cássia Maria; Donini, Angela Aparecida

2006-02-01

In the context of universal access to antiretroviral treatment, the results of the Brazilian AIDS Program will depend on the quality of the care provided. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the healthcare provided by outpatient services for the treatment of AIDS patients. The present study was carried out in seven Brazilian States between 2001 and 2002. We evaluated the quality of the care provided to AIDS patients from the standpoint of resource availability and care process organization. A questionnaire comprising 112 structured questions addressing these aspects was sent to 336 services. Response rate was 95.8% (322). Greater adequacy is seen for indicators of resource availability than for those of work organization. The supply of antiretroviral medication is sufficient in 95.5% of services. CD4 and viral load tests are available at adequate amounts in 59 and 41% of services, respectively. In 90.4% of services there is at least one non-medical professional (psychologist, nurse, or social worker). As to work organization, 80% scheduled the date but not the time of medical appointments; 40.4% scheduled more than 10 appointments per period; 17% did not have exclusive managers; and 68.6% did not hold systematic staff meetings. The results indicate that, in addition to ensuring the more homogeneous distribution of resources, the program must invest in the training and dissemination of care management skills, as confirmed by the results of care process organization.

How effective are volunteers at supporting people in their last year of life? A pragmatic randomised wait-list trial in palliative care (ELSA).

PubMed

Walshe, Catherine; Dodd, Steven; Hill, Matt; Ockenden, Nick; Payne, Sheila; Preston, Nancy; Perez Algorta, Guillermo

2016-12-09

Clinical care alone at the end of life is unlikely to meet all needs. Volunteers are a key resource, acceptable to patients, but there is no evidence on care outcomes. This study aimed to determine whether support from a social action volunteer service is better than usual care at improving quality of life for adults in the last year of life. A pragmatic, multi-centre wait-list controlled trial, with participants randomly allocated to receive the volunteer support intervention either immediately or after a 4 week wait. Trained volunteers provided tailored face-to-face support including befriending, practical support and signposting to services, primarily provided within the home, typically for 2-3 hours per week. The primary outcome was rate of change of quality of life at 4 weeks (WHO QOL BREF, a general, culturally sensitive measure). Secondary outcomes included rate of change of quality of life at 8 weeks and Loneliness (De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale), social support (mMOS-SS), and reported use of health and social care services at 4 and 8 weeks. In total, 196 adults (61% (n = 109) female; mean age 72 years) were included in the study. No significant difference was found in main or secondary outcomes at 4 weeks. Rate of change of quality of life showed trends in favour of the intervention (physical quality of life domain: b = 3.98, CI, -0.38 to 8.34; psychological domain: b = 2.59, CI, -2.24 to 7.43; environmental domain: b = 3, CI, -4.13 to 4.91). Adjusted analyses to control for hours of volunteer input found significantly less decrease in physical quality of life in the intervention group (slope (b) 4.43, CI, 0.10 to 8.76). While the intervention also favoured the rate of change of emotional (b = -0.08; CI, -0.52 to 0.35) and social loneliness (b = -0.20; CI, -0.58 to 0.18), social support (b = 0.13; CI, -0.13 to 0.39), and reported use of health and social care professionals (b = 0.16; CI, -0.22 to 0.55), these were

Empowering Volunteers at Tawanchai Centre for Patients with Cleft Lip and Palate.

PubMed

Pradubwong, Suteera; Augsornwan, Darawan; Pathumwiwathana, Pornpen; Prathanee, Benjamas; Chowchuen, Bowornsilp

2015-08-01

Cleft lip and palate (CLP) congenital anomalies have a high prevalence in the Northeast of Thailand. A care team's understand of treatment plan would help to guide the family of patients with CLP to achieve the treatment. To examine the impact of the empowering volunteer project, established in the northeast Thailand. The Empowering Volunteer project was conducted in 2008 under the Tawanchai Royal Granted project. The patients and family's general information, treatment, the group brainstorming, and satisfaction with the project were analysed. Participants were 12 children with CLP their families and five volunteers with CLP; the participating patients were predominantly females and the mean age was 12.2 years. The treatment comprised of speech training, dental hygiene care, bone graft and orthodontic treatment. Four issues were addressed including: problems in taking care of breast feeding, instructions' needs for care at birth, difficulty in access information and society impact, and needs in having a network of volunteers. Empowering volunteer is important for holistic care of patients with CLP which provides easy access and multiple channels for patients and their families. It should be developed as part of the self-help and family support group, the development of community based team and comprehensive CLP care program.

Exploring staff perceptions and experiences of volunteers and visitors on the hospital ward at mealtimes using an ethnographic approach.

PubMed

Ottrey, Ella; Palermo, Claire; Huggins, Catherine E; Porter, Judi

2018-04-01

To explore multiple perspectives and experiences of volunteer and visitor involvement and interactions at hospital mealtimes. In addition, to understand how the volunteer and visitor role at mealtimes is perceived within the hospital system. Mealtime assistance can improve patients' food intake and mealtime experience. Barriers to providing mealtime assistance include time pressures, staff availability and inadequate communication. Volunteers and visitors can encourage and assist patients at mealtimes. There is a lack of evidence on the relationship between hospital staff, volunteers and visitors. A qualitative, ethnographic approach. Sixty-seven hours of fieldwork were conducted on two subacute wards within an Australian healthcare network in 2015. Mealtime practices and interactions of hospital staff, volunteers and visitors were observed. Sixty-one staff, volunteers and visitors were interviewed in 75 ethnographic and semi-structured interviews. Data were inductively and thematically analysed. Three key themes emerged as follows: "help"-volunteers and visitors were considered helpful when they assisted patients at mealtimes, supported well-being and aided staff-patient communication; "hindrance"-staff perceived visitors as negative presences when they inhibited patient progress and impacted staff work practices; and "reality of practice"-visiting hours, visitor engagement in patient therapy and communication between staff, volunteers and visitors were important practical considerations of mealtime involvement. The findings show how and why volunteers and visitors can be helpful and unhelpful at hospital mealtimes on subacute wards. More research on the role and contribution of volunteers and visitors on hospital wards will inform future practice in healthcare settings. This healthcare organisation should continue to encourage volunteer and visitor involvement at hospital mealtimes. More effort is needed to educate visitors about patients' therapeutic goals and

Risk management in providing specialized care for people living with AIDS.

PubMed

Leadebal, Oriana Deyze Correia Paiva; Medeiros, Leidyanny Barbosa de; Morais, Kalline Silva de; Nascimento, João Agnaldo do; Monroe, Aline Aparecida; Nogueira, Jordana de Almeida

2016-01-01

Analyzing the provision of actions related to managing clinical risk in managing specialized care for people living with AIDS. A cross-sectional study carried out in a reference outpatient clinic in Paraíba, with a sample of 150 adults with AIDS. Data were collected through primary and secondary sources using a structured questionnaire, analyzed using descriptive statistics, multiple correspondence analysis and logistic regression model to determine the association between "providing care" and "clinical risk." Actions with satisfactory provision express a biological care focus; the dimensions that most contributed to a satisfactory assessment of care provision were "clinical and laboratory evaluations" and "prevention and self-care incentivization"; 45.3% of participants were categorized into high clinical risk, 34% into average clinical risk, and 20.7% into low clinical risk; a positive association between providing care and clinical risk was found. The need to use risk classification technologies to direct the planning of local care provision became evident considering its requirements, and thus qualifying the care provided in these areas. Analisar a oferta de ações relacionadas ao manejo de risco clínico na gestão do cuidado especializado a pessoas vivendo com aids. Estudo transversal realizado em ambulatório de referência na Paraíba, com amostra de 150 adultos com aids. Os dados foram coletados por meio de fontes primárias e secundárias utilizando-se de formulário estruturado, e analisados através de estatística descritiva, análise de correspondência múltipla e modelo de regressão logística para averiguar a associação entre "oferta" e "risco clínico". As ações de oferta satisfatória expressam foco biologicista do cuidado; as dimensões que mais contribuíram para o julgamento satisfatório da oferta foram "avaliação clínica e laboratorial" e "prevenção e estímulo ao autocuidado"; 45,3% dos participantes foram categorizados em risco

Local and global volunteer opportunities for pharmacists to contribute to public health.

PubMed

Angelo, Lauren B; Maffeo, Carrie M

2011-06-01

There are many local and global volunteer opportunities for pharmacists to contribute to public health initiatives that help promote health, prevent disease and improve access to care. This article provides perspective and guidance for pharmacists and student pharmacists who desire to take part in volunteer initiatives related to local and global public health needs. The case examples provided are limited to activities that occurred strictly in a volunteer capacity. Pharmacists serving in a volunteer capacity have an opportunity to broaden their depth of practice and patient care responsibilities. Their skills sets and knowledge can be applied in a variety of public health settings to help meet the health care needs of the communities and patients they serve. Emergency response and caring for the underserved are recurring themes within the volunteer opportunities afforded to pharmacists. Examples include, but are not limited to, the US Medical Reserve Corps, health departments, health centres and clinics, medical service trips and disaster relief. Regardless of setting, the volunteer pharmacist will need to consider scope of practice limitations and certain legal protections. An array of volunteer opportunities exists for pharmacists and student pharmacists in the public health arena. Participating in these events allows pharmacists to expand their practice experiences while contributing to public health needs and outreach. © 2011 The Authors. IJPP © 2011 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

Results from a secondary data analysis regarding satisfaction with health care among African American women living with HIV/AIDS.

PubMed

Baker, Jillian Lucas; Rodgers, Caryn R R; Davis, Zupenda M; Gracely, Edward; Bowleg, Lisa

2014-01-01

To analyze satisfaction with health care among African American women living with HIV/AIDS. Secondary analysis of baseline data of African American women who participated in Protect and Respect, a sexual risk reduction program for women living with HIV/AIDS SETTING: HIV Care Clinic in an urban city in the northeast United States. One hundred fifty-seven (157) African American women living with HIV/AIDS. Regression analyses were used to examine the relationships between demographic variables, self-reported health characteristics, communication with health care providers, and satisfaction with health care provider. A majority of women reported satisfaction with medical services (88%, n = 140). Communication with health care providers, detectable viral load, education, income, self-reported health status, and sexual orientation were significantly bivariately associated with satisfaction with healthcare (all ps < .05). In the multivariate models, no variables significantly predicted satisfaction with healthcare. Because satisfaction with health care can influence the quality of care received, health outcomes, and adherence to provider recommendations among patients living with HIV/AIDS, health care providers' ability to elicit satisfaction from their patients is just as important as the services they provide. This project is one of the first studies to find high rates of satisfaction with health care among African American women living with HIV/AIDS. Further examination of satisfaction with health care among African American women living HIV/AIDS may help in narrowing health care disparities and negative treatment outcomes. © 2014 AWHONN, the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses.

Physicians' Perceptions of Volunteer Service at Safety-Net Clinics.

PubMed

Mcgeehan, Laura; Takehara, Michael A; Daroszewski, Ellen

2017-01-01

Volunteer physicians are crucial for the operation of safety-net clinics, which provide medical care for uninsured and underinsured populations. Thus, identifying ways to maximize the number of physicians volunteering at such clinics is an important goal. To investigate the perceptions, motivations, functions, and barriers associated with physician volunteering in four safety-net clinics in San Bernardino County, Southern California, a location of great medical need with many barriers to care. The study participants are physicians belonging to the Southern California Permanente Medical Group who use a combination of discretionary time (during regular work hours) and personal time in evening and weekend hours to volunteer their services. The experimental design incorporates a mixed methodology: an online survey of 31 physicians and follow-up interviews with 8 of them. Physicians conveyed uniformly positive perceptions of their volunteer service, and most were motivated by humanitarian or prosocial desires. Volunteering also provided a protective "escape hatch" from the pressures of the physicians' regular jobs. Physicians cited few challenges to volunteering. The most common personal barrier was a lack of time. The most common professional barriers were organizational and supply issues at the clinic, along with the patients' social, transportation, and financial challenges. The results suggest that appealing to physicians' values and faith, and highlighting the burnout-prevention qualities of volunteering, may be key to recruitment and retention of volunteer physicians who serve underserved and underinsured populations in community clinics.

Physicians’ Perceptions of Volunteer Service at Safety-Net Clinics

PubMed Central

McGeehan, Laura; Takehara, Michael A; Daroszewski, Ellen

2017-01-01

Background: Volunteer physicians are crucial for the operation of safety-net clinics, which provide medical care for uninsured and underinsured populations. Thus, identifying ways to maximize the number of physicians volunteering at such clinics is an important goal. Objective: To investigate the perceptions, motivations, functions, and barriers associated with physician volunteering in four safety-net clinics in San Bernardino County, Southern California, a location of great medical need with many barriers to care. Methods: The study participants are physicians belonging to the Southern California Permanente Medical Group who use a combination of discretionary time (during regular work hours) and personal time in evening and weekend hours to volunteer their services. The experimental design incorporates a mixed methodology: an online survey of 31 physicians and follow-up interviews with 8 of them. Results: Physicians conveyed uniformly positive perceptions of their volunteer service, and most were motivated by humanitarian or prosocial desires. Volunteering also provided a protective “escape hatch” from the pressures of the physicians’ regular jobs. Physicians cited few challenges to volunteering. The most common personal barrier was a lack of time. The most common professional barriers were organizational and supply issues at the clinic, along with the patients’ social, transportation, and financial challenges. Conclusion: The results suggest that appealing to physicians’ values and faith, and highlighting the burnout-prevention qualities of volunteering, may be key to recruitment and retention of volunteer physicians who serve underserved and underinsured populations in community clinics. PMID:28241907

Confronting AIDS. Directions for Public Health, Health Care, and Research.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Institute of Medicine (NAS), Washington, DC.

This book is addressed to anyone involved with or affected by the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) epidemic, including legislators, researchers, health care personnel, insurance providers, educators, health officials, executives in the pharmaceutical industry, blood bank administrators, and other concerned individuals. The following…

Computer-aided system for diabetes care in Berlin, G.D.R.

PubMed

Thoelke, H; Meusel, K; Ratzmann, K P

1990-01-01

In the Centre of Diabetes and Metabolic Disorders of Berlin, G.D.R., a computer-aided care system has been used since 1974, aiming at relieving physicians and medical staff from routine tasks and rendering possible epidemiological research on an unselected diabetes population of a defined area. The basis of the system is the data bank on diabetics (DB), where at present data from approximately 55,000 patients are stored. DB is used as a diabetes register of Berlin. On the basis of standardised criteria of diagnosis and therapy of diabetes mellitus in our dispensary care system, DB facilitates representative epidemiological analyses of the diabetic population, e.g. prevalence, incidence, duration of diabetes, and modes of treatment. The availability of general data on the population or the selection of specified groups of patients serves the management of the care system. Also, it supports the computer-aided recall of type II diabetics, treated either with diet alone or with diet and oral drugs. In this way, the standardised evaluation of treatment strategies in large populations of diabetics is possible on the basis of uniform metabolic criteria (blood glucose plus urinary glucose). The system consists of a main computer in the data processing unit and of personal computers in the diabetes centre which can be used either individually or as terminals to the main computer. During 14 years of experience, the computer-aided out-patient care of type II diabetics has proved efficient in a big-city area with a large population.

Academic achievement and primary care specialty selection of volunteers at a student-run free clinic.

PubMed

Vaikunth, Sumeet S; Cesari, Whitney A; Norwood, Kimberlee V; Satterfield, Suzanne; Shreve, Robert G; Ryan, J Patrick; Lewis, James B

2014-01-01

Previous studies have reached conflicting conclusions about the associations between service and academic achievement and service and primary care specialty choice. This study examines the associations between service at a student-run clinic and academic achievement and primary care specialty choice. Retrospective review of medical student service and statistical analysis of grade point average (GPA), Step 1 and Step 2 Clinical Knowledge (CK) scores, and specialty choice were conducted, as approved by our Institutional Review Board. Volunteers, compared to nonvolunteers, had higher GPA (3.59 ± 0.33 vs. 3.40 ± 0.39, p < .001), Step 1 (229 ± 19 vs. 220 ± 21, p < .001), and Step 2 CK (240 ± 18 vs. 230 ± 21, p < .001) scores, but did not pursue primary care specialties at a significantly higher percentage (52% vs. 51%, χ² = .051, p = .82). Further exploration of the associations between service and academic achievement and primary care specialty choice is warranted.

The impact of volunteering on the volunteer: findings from a peer support programme for family carers of people with dementia.

PubMed

Charlesworth, Georgina; Sinclair, James B; Brooks, Alice; Sullivan, Theresa; Ahmad, Shaheen; Poland, Fiona

2017-03-01

With an ageing population, there are increasing numbers of experienced family carers (FCs) who could provide peer support to newer carers in a similar care situation. The aims of this paper are to: (i) use a cross-sectional study design to compare characteristics of volunteers and recipients of a peer support programme for FCs of people with dementia, in terms of demographic background, social networks and psychological well-being; and (ii) use a longitudinal study design to explore the overall impact of the programme on the volunteers in terms of psychological well-being. Data were collected from programmes run in Norfolk, Northamptonshire, Berkshire and four London boroughs between October 2009 and March 2013. The volunteer role entailed empathic listening and encouragement over a 10-month period. Both carer support volunteers (N = 87) and recipient FCs (N = 109) provided baseline demographic information. Data on social networks, personal growth, self-efficacy, service use and well-being (SF-12; EuroQol Visual Analogue Scale; Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; Control, Autonomy, Self-Realisation, Pleasure-19) were collected prior to the start of the intervention (N = 43) and at either 3- to 5 month or 10 month follow-up (N = 21). Volunteers were more likely than recipients of support to be female and to have cared for a parent/grandparent rather than spouse. Volunteers were also more psychologically well than support recipients in terms of personal growth, depression and perceived well-being. The longitudinal analysis identified small but significant declines in personal growth and autonomy and a positive correlation between the volunteers' duration of involvement and perceived well-being. These findings suggest that carers who volunteer for emotional support roles are resilient and are at little psychological risk from volunteering. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Child Care Services 1: The Child Care Aide, Home and Family Education: 6755.02.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ahrens, Thea

The course is the first of a series of four courses which provide the student with the knowledge and skills necessary to become an effective child care aide. Planned for junior or senior high school students, the course focuses on employment requirements including appearance, attitudes, relationships with employer and co-workers, and the legal…

A practical guide for short-term pediatric surgery global volunteers.

PubMed

Meier, Donald E; Fitzgerald, Tamara N; Axt, Jason R

2016-08-01

The tremendous need for increasing the quantity and quality of global pediatric surgical care in underserved areas has been well documented. Concomitantly there has been a significant increase in interest by pediatric surgeons in helping to relieve this problem through surgical volunteerism. The intent of the article is to serve as a practical guide for pediatric surgeons contemplating or planning a short-term global volunteer endeavor. The article is based on the authors' personal experiences and on the published experiences of other volunteers. The following aspects of volunteerism are discussed: ethical considerations, where and how to go, what and whom to take with you, what to expect in your volunteer locale, and what to do and what to avoid in order to enhance the volunteer experience. The points discussed in this guide will hopefully make the volunteer activity one that results in greatly improved immediate and long term surgical care for children and improves the chances that the activity will be a meaningful, pleasant, and productive experience for both the volunteer and the host physician. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Barriers to self-care in women of reproductive age with HIV/AIDS in Iran: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Oskouie, Fatemeh; Kashefi, Farzaneh; Rafii, Forough; Gouya, Mohammad Mehdi

2017-01-01

Although increasing attention is paid to HIV/AIDS, patients with HIV still experience several barriers to self-care. These barriers have been previously identified in small quantitative studies on women with HIV, but qualitative studies are required to clarify barriers to self-care. We conducted our study using the grounded theory methodological approach. A total of 28 women with HIV and their family members, were interviewed. The data were analyzed with the Corbin and Strauss method (1998). The key barriers to self-care in women with HIV/AIDS included social stigma, addiction, psychological problems, medication side-effects and financial problems. Women with HIV/AIDS face several barriers to self-care. Therefore, when designing self-care models for these women, social and financial barriers should be identified. Mental health treatment should also be incorporated into such models and patients' access to health care services should be facilitated.

Services provided by volunteer psychiatrists after 9/11 at the New York City family assistance center: September 12-November 20, 2001.

PubMed

Pandya, Anand; Katz, Craig L; Smith, Rebecca; Ng, Anthony T; Tafoya, Michael; Holmes, Anastasia; North, Carol S

2010-05-01

To characterize the experience of volunteer disaster psychiatrists who provided pro bono psychiatric services to 9/11 survivors in New York City, from September 12, 2001 to November 20, 2001. Disaster Psychiatry Outreach (DPO) is a non-profit organization founded in 1998 to provide volunteer psychiatric care to people affected by disasters and to promote education and research in support of this mission. Data for this study were collected from one-page clinical encounter forms completed by 268 DPO psychiatrists for 2 months after 9/11 concerning 848 patients served by the DPO 9/11 response program at the New York City Family Assistance Center. In this endeavor, 268 psychiatrist volunteers evaluated 848 individuals and provided appropriate interventions. The most commonly recorded clinical impressions indicated stress-related and adjustment disorders, but other conditions such as bereavement, major depression, and substance abuse/dependence were also observed. Free samples were available for one sedative and one anxiolytic agent; not surprisingly, these were the most commonly prescribed medications. Nearly half of those evaluated received psychotropic medications. In the acute aftermath of the attacks of September 11, 2001, volunteer psychiatrists were able to provide services in a disaster response setting, in which they were co-located with other disaster responders. These services included psychiatric assessment, provision of medication, psychological first aid, and referrals for ongoing care. Although systematic diagnoses could not be confirmed, the fact that most patients were perceived to have a psychiatric diagnosis and a substantial proportion received psychotropic medication suggests potential specific roles for psychiatrists that are unique and different from roles of other mental health professionals in the early post-disaster setting. In addition to further characterizing post-disaster mental health needs and patterns of service provision, future

Food insecurity and mental health: surprising trends among community health volunteers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia during the 2008 food crisis.

PubMed

Maes, Kenneth C; Hadley, Craig; Tesfaye, Fikru; Shifferaw, Selamawit

2010-05-01

The 2008 food crisis may have increased household food insecurity and caused distress among impoverished populations in low-income countries. Policy researchers have attempted to quantify the impact that a sharp rise in food prices might have on population wellbeing by asking what proportion of households would drop below conventional poverty lines given a set increase in prices. Our understanding of the impact of food crises can be extended by conducting micro-level ethnographic studies. This study examined self-reported household food insecurity (FI) and common mental disorders (CMD) among 110 community health AIDS care volunteers living in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia during the height of the 2008 food crisis. We used generalized estimating equations that account for associations between responses given by the same participants over 3 survey rounds during 2008, to model the longitudinal response profiles of FI, CMD symptoms, and socio-behavioral and micro-economic covariates. To help explain the patterns observed in the response profiles and regression results, we examine qualitative data that contextualize the cognition and reporting behavior of AIDS care volunteers, as well as potential observation biases inherent in longitudinal, community-based research. Our data show that food insecurity is highly prevalent, that is it associated with household economic factors, and that it is linked to mental health. Surprisingly, the volunteers in this urban sample did not report increasingly severe FI or CMD during the peak of the 2008 food crisis. This is a counter-intuitive result that would not be predicted in analyses of population-level data such as those used in econometrics simulations. But when these results are linked to real people in specific urban ecologies, they can improve our understanding of the psychosocial consequences of food price shocks. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Perks, Rewards, and Glory: The Care and Feeding of Volunteers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fullner, Sheryl Kindle

2004-01-01

Not all volunteers respond the same way to the same stimuli. The purpose of this article is to suggest several ways to nurture volunteers in a library media center setting. Some might respond best to a printed word of appreciation or recognition in a district newsletter, while others would value a book or pin as a gift. Perks, like allowing…

HIV/AIDS in Early Childhood Day-Care Settings. Final Report. Phase I.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McKinney, David D., Ed.; And Others

A feasibility study regarding the training and information needs of preschool and day care administrators, staff, and teachers regarding HIV/AIDS was conducted. This study also examined the issues associated with the presence of HIV-positive children in preschool and day care settings and the need for designing a program to help preschools and day…

Optimization of Methods Verifying Volunteers' Ability to Provide Hospice Care.

PubMed

Szeliga, Marta; Mirecka, Jadwiga

2018-04-01

The subject of the presented work was an attempt at optimization of the methods used for verification of the candidates for medical voluntary workers in a hospice and decreasing the danger of a negative influence of an incompetent volunteer on a person in a terminal stage of a disease and his or her relatives. The study was carried out in St. Lazarus Hospice in Krakow, Poland, and included 154 adult participants in four consecutive editions of "A course for volunteers - a guardian of the sick" organized by the hospice. In order to improve the recruitment of these workers, the hitherto methods of selection (an interview with the coordinator of volunteering and no less than 50% of attendance in classes of a preparatory course for volunteers") were expanded by additional instruments-the tests whose usefulness was examined in practice. Knowledge of candidates was tested with the use of a written examination which consisted of four open questions and an MCQ test comprising 31 questions. Practical abilities were checked by the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE). A reference point for the results of these tests was a hidden standardized long-term observation carried out during the subsequent work of the volunteers in the stationary ward in the hospice using the Amsterdam Attitude and Communication Scale (AACS). Among the tests used, the greatest value (confirmed by a quantitative and qualitative analysis) in predicting how a given person would cope with practical tasks and in contact with the sick and their relatives had a practical test of the OSCE type.

The Israel Cancer Association's role as a volunteer organization in forecasting, establishing, implementing and upgrading palliative care services in Israel.

PubMed

Kislev, Livia; Yaffe, Aliza; Ziv, Miri; Waller, Alexander

2013-10-01

The Israel Cancer Association has contributed, as a key player, to the establishment and upgrade of palliative care in Israel. The aim of this article is to describe the involvement and contribution of the ICA, as a volunteer organization, from a clinical, educational, legal, and organizational perspective. Another main goal of this survey is to shed light on the palliative care network in Israel, in each one of these infrastructures.

Child Care Providers' Knowledge About Dental Injury First Aid in Preschool-age Children.

PubMed

Sienkiewicz, Kristine L; Rainchuso, Lori; Boyd, Linda D; Giblin, Lori

2017-06-01

Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess child care providers' level of knowledge of first aid management and attitudes towards dental injuries among preschool-age children within Fairfield County, Connecticut and Boston, Massachusetts. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study used a web-based, validated questionnaire adapted from several studies with permission from authors. A panel of 5 dental experts determined the relevance of the questions and overall content (I-CVI range 0.8-1; S-CVI = 0.95). The 28 question survey included demographics, level of knowledge, attitudes about traumatic dental injuries, emergency management, and 2 case study questions on management of luxation and tooth fracture. Survey data was coded and analyzed for associations and trends using STATA® statistics/data analysis software v. 11.2. Results: A total of 100 child care providers completed the online questionnaire. Eighty-four percent self-reported little to no knowledge about dental injury management. Sixty percent of child care providers agreed that they are responsible for managing dental injuries. Approximately two-thirds of child care providers reported not feeling adequately informed about dental injuries, with 77% expressing interest in receiving more information. Conclusions: The majority of child care providers' do not have the knowledge to perform adequate first aid following a dental injury. Professional development on first aid for dental injuries is recommended among this workforce population. Copyright © 2017 The American Dental Hygienists’ Association.

Caring to Learn and Learning to Care.

PubMed

Cloyes, Kristin G; Rosenkranz, Susan J; Supiano, Katherine P; Berry, Patricia H; Routt, Meghan; Llanque, Sarah M; Shannon-Dorcy, Kathleen

2017-01-01

The increasing numbers of aging and chronically ill prisoners incarcerated in Western nations is well-documented, as is the growing need for prison-based palliative and end-of-life care. Less often discussed is specifically how end-of-life care can and should be provided, by whom, and with what resources. One strategy incorporates prisoner volunteers into end-of-life services within a peer-care program. This article reports on one such program based on focused ethnographic study including in-depth interviews with inmate hospice volunteers, nursing staff, and corrections officers working in the hospice program. We describe how inmate volunteers learn hospice care through formal education and training, supervised practice, guidance from more experienced inmates, and support from correctional staff. We discuss how emergent values of mentorship and stewardship are seen by volunteers and staff as integral to prison hospice sustainability and discuss implications of this volunteer-centric model for response-ability for the end-of-life care of prisoners.

Task shifting in maternal and newborn care: a non-inferiority study examining delegation of antenatal counseling to lay nurse aides supported by job aids in Benin.

PubMed

Jennings, Larissa; Yebadokpo, André Sourou; Affo, Jean; Agbogbe, Marthe; Tankoano, Aguima

2011-01-06

Shifting the role of counseling to less skilled workers may improve efficiency and coverage of health services, but evidence is needed on the impact of substitution on quality of care. This research explored the influence of delegating maternal and newborn counseling responsibilities to clinic-based lay nurse aides on the quality of counseling provided as part of a task shifting initiative to expand their role. Nurse-midwives and lay nurse aides in seven public maternities were trained to use job aids to improve counseling in maternal and newborn care. Quality of counseling and maternal knowledge were assessed using direct observation of antenatal consultations and patient exit interviews. Both provider types were interviewed to examine perceptions regarding the task shift. To compare provider performance levels, non-inferiority analyses were conducted where non-inferiority was demonstrated if the lower confidence limit of the performance difference did not exceed a margin of 10 percentage points. Mean percent of recommended messages provided by lay nurse aides was non-inferior to counseling by nurse-midwives in adjusted analyses for birth preparedness (β = -0.0, 95% CI: -9.0, 9.1), danger sign recognition (β = 4.7, 95% CI: -5.1, 14.6), and clean delivery (β = 1.4, 95% CI: -9.4, 12.3). Lay nurse aides demonstrated superior performance for communication on general prenatal care (β = 15.7, 95% CI: 7.0, 24.4), although non-inferiority was not achieved for newborn care counseling (β = -7.3, 95% CI: -23.1, 8.4). The proportion of women with correct knowledge was significantly higher among those counseled by lay nurse aides as compared to nurse-midwives in general prenatal care (β = 23.8, 95% CI: 15.7, 32.0), birth preparedness (β = 12.7, 95% CI: 5.2, 20.1), and danger sign recognition (β = 8.6, 95% CI: 3.3, 13.9). Both cadres had positive opinions regarding task shifting, although several preferred 'task sharing' over full delegation. Lay nurse aides can provide

AIDS: the agony of Africa. Part Three: Africa responds. Bereft of medicine and money, traditional cultures mobilize in a new way.

PubMed

Schoofs, M

1999-11-23

Africa's response to AIDS is often depicted to be as dysfunctional as its economy. Only a handful of African governments have mobilized a response remotely commensurate with the magnitude of the epidemic, which has already decreased life expectancy by as much as 20 years in some countries. In Zimbabwe, where a quarter of the people aged 15-49 years are infected with HIV, the response to the AIDS epidemic can be found in extremes. While the government is spending more than 70 times the budget of the AIDS Programme on its military intervention in the Democratic Republic of Congo, individual communities are setting up vigorous responses to AIDS. The Insiza Godlwayo AIDS Council (IGAC) is one such group organized by individual communities and headed by ordinary peasant farmers. IGAC specializes in home-based care and orphan support; it has also launched a youth prevention campaign. It has 500 active volunteers and another 500 who help out as needed. With an annual budget of less than US$17,000, volunteers are asked to pay dues, give food and other necessities directly to their patients. The response of IGAC to AIDS is a reclamation of the age-old ways that enabled African communities to withstand previous scourges. IGAC is successful because villagers have been mobilized and banded together for communal endeavors.

Volunteers in a hospital - opportunity or threat? Exploratory study from Finland.

PubMed

Koivula, Ulla-Maija; Karttunen, Sirkka-Liisa

2014-01-01

Finland represents one of the Nordic welfare states where the role of the public sector as the organiser and provider of health and social care is strong. However, the amount of voluntary work in social and health care services is surprisingly big. The strongest advocates for keeping the volunteers outside are hospitals and health centres while at the same time they are suffering from shortages of staff and staff is reporting lack of time to provide needed care for their patients. The purpose of this paper is to report the results of a study of the attitudes of professionals towards voluntary work in hospitals. The paper is based on an exploratory study done in three hospitals, two from an urban area and one in a rural area. The interviewees represent nursing and care staff (n=21). The main questions were how staff members see options, constraints and drawbacks of volunteering regarding professional roles, work division, coordination and management. Attitudes of staff varied from positive to conditional. The approaches towards voluntary work varied from holistic to task-centred or patient-centred and were linked with organisational approach, professional approach or considerations of patients' well-being. Critical views were expressed related to managerial issues, patients' safety and quality of care. Increasing the amount of voluntary work done in hospitals would require a considered strategy and a specifically designed process for coordination, management and rules on the division of labour. The research raised themes for further quantitative studies to elaborate the findings on the similarities and differences of the opinions of different staff categories and to be able to develop further the heuristic model of volunteer management triangle suggested in the paper. The study raises questions of the need and promotion of volunteers in general and especially in health care services. It also raises critical views related to voluntary work in hospitals. The study is

[Implementation of a continuum of care for people living with HIV/AIDS in Hanoi (Vietnam)].

PubMed

de Loenzien, Myriam

2009-01-01

Caring for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) encompasses various tasks, from prevention to palliative care. It involves a set of consistent and coordinated actions. This article presents the first free-of-charge management programme including antiretroviral treatment in Vietnam (as opposed to research and evaluation programmes). It was launched in 2004 in Hanoi. Our study was conducted in 2003-2004 as part of a collaborative research programme led by IRD (Research Institute for Development) and the National Economic University in Hanoi and was funded by ESTHER (Together for a Therapeutic Solidarity in Hospital Network) group. Data collection included 68 qualitative interviews with patients, members of their families and members of the hospital staff, observations of outpatient consultations, and analysis of inpatient files. The results show that patients, their families and hospital staff members all perceive a comprehensive care and treatment programme as very important and consider that it should include social and psychological care as well as an integrated set of actions involving various types of participants. Outpatient and inpatient care are closely linked: they take place in the same hospital department, they involve patients with similar social and demographic characteristics marked by multiple risk behaviours and recourse to several kinds of healthcare services. The observation of outpatient consultations showed the limitations of strictly biomedical care to which social and psychological care were added only lately. One of the principal difficulties is patients' difficulties in keeping their outpatient appointments. Overall, patients consider themselves lucky to able to receive care and treatment with antiretroviral drugs. They nevertheless complain about the lack of social and psychological support, which they expect should help them to tolerate and adapt to their biomedical treatment and to include counselling and information about this treatment and

Nurturing compassion through care-giving and care-receiving: the changing moral economy of AIDs in China.

PubMed

Kuah-Pearce, Khun Eng; Guiheux, Gilles

2014-01-01

Based on the case study of an Aids clinic operated in Nanning by MSF, this paper looks at how one international NGO, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF, or Doctors Without Borders), deals with the HIV-carrier patients in Nanning, the capital of Guangxi province in China. It explores the process of care-giving to the HIV patients by MSF employees (both foreign and local) and how the patients react to the 'care-receiving' provided by this foreign NGO. This is especially pertinent in China today as HIV-patients are the victims of discriminating policies and are still very much discriminated by the general population. MSF, viewed by the victims as a foreign NGO, is regarded as an organization seen as promoting a changing and compassionate attitude toward AIDs patients through their anonymous and non-discriminating practices. Through the practices and the discourse of MSF workers and the testimonies of the patients, this paper looks at how the moral economy of AIDs is evolving from a repressive and discriminative attitude towards the compassionate attention to individual suffering. As such, MSF, through its actions, is seen as one of the agents promoting attitudinal changes toward disadvantaged groups and is facilitating the emergence of an emotional and compassionate subject.

Motivation to volunteer among senior center participants.

PubMed

Pardasani, Manoj

2018-04-01

Senior centers in the United States play a vital role in the aging continuum of care as the focal points of a community-based system of services targeting independent older adults to promote their social integration and civically engagement. Although several studies have evaluated the diversity of senior center programs, demographic characteristics of participants, and benefits of participation, very few have explored motivations to volunteer among participants. Many senior centers rely on a cadre of participants who volunteer there to assist with programs and meal services. However, a systematic examination of volunteering interests and the rationale for volunteering among senior center participants has been missing from the literature. This mixed-methods study, conducted at a large suburban senior center, explores the interests and motivations of volunteerism among the participants. The study found that there was limited interest in volunteering among senior center participants. Those who were motivated to volunteer wanted to do so in order to stay connected with their community. There was strong interest in volunteering for single events or projects rather than a long-term commitment. Implications for senior centers are discussed.

To be truly alive: motivation among prison inmate hospice volunteers and the transformative process of end-of-life peer care service.

PubMed

Cloyes, Kristin G; Rosenkranz, Susan J; Wold, Dawn; Berry, Patricia H; Supiano, Katherine P

2014-11-01

Some US prisons are meeting the growing need for end-of-life care through inmate volunteer programs, yet knowledge of the motivations of inmate caregivers is underdeveloped. This study explored the motivations of inmate hospice volunteers from across Louisiana State (n = 75) through an open-ended survey, a grounded theory approach to analysis, and comparison of responses by experience level and gender. Participants expressed complex motivations; Inter-related themes on personal growth, social responsibility and ethical service to vulnerable peers suggested that inmate caregivers experience an underlying process of personal and social transformation, from hospice as a source of positive self-identity to peer-caregiving as a foundation for community. Better understanding of inmate caregiver motivations and processes will help prisons devise effective and sustainable end of life peer-care programs. © The Author(s) 2013.

The Dangers of Involving Children as Family Caregivers of Palliative Home-Based-Care to Advanced HIV/AIDS Patients

PubMed Central

Kangethe, Simon

2010-01-01

The aim of this research paper is to explore the dangers of involving children as family caregivers of palliative care and home-based-care to advanced HIV/AIDS patients, while its objective is to discuss the dangers or perfidiousness that minors especially the girl children face as they handle care giving of advanced HIV/AIDS patients. The article has relied on eclectic data sources. The research has foundminors disadvantaged by the following: being engulfed by fear and denied rights through care giving; being emotionally and physiologically overwhelmed; being oppressed and suppressed by caring duties; being at risk of contracting HIV/AIDS; and having their education compromised by care giving. The paper recommends: (1) strengthening and emphasizing on children’s rights; (2) maintaining gender balance in care giving; (3) implementation and domestication of the United Nations conventions on the rights of children; (4) community awareness on equal gender co participation in care giving; (5) and fostering realization that relying on child care giving is a negative score in fulfilling global Millennium Development Goals. PMID:21218000

A taxonomy for community-based care programs focused on HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and care in resource-poor settings.

PubMed

Rachlis, Beth; Sodhi, Sumeet; Burciul, Barry; Orbinski, James; Cheng, Amy H Y; Cole, Donald

2013-04-16

Community-based care (CBC) can increase access to key services for people affected by HIV/AIDS through the mobilization of community interests and resources and their integration with formal health structures. Yet, the lack of a systematic framework for analysis of CBC focused on HIV/AIDS impedes our ability to understand and study CBC programs. We sought to develop taxonomy of CBC programs focused on HIV/AIDS in resource-limited settings in an effort to understand their key characteristics, uncover any gaps in programming, and highlight the potential roles they play. Our review aimed to systematically identify key CBC programs focused on HIV/AIDS in resource-limited settings. We used both bibliographic database searches (Medline, CINAHL, and EMBASE) for peer-reviewed literature and internet-based searches for gray literature. Our search terms were 'HIV' or 'AIDS' and 'community-based care' or 'CBC'. Two co-authors developed a descriptive taxonomy through an iterative, inductive process using the retrieved program information. We identified 21 CBC programs useful for developing taxonomy. Extensive variation was observed within each of the nine categories identified: region, vision, characteristics of target populations, program scope, program operations, funding models, human resources, sustainability, and monitoring and evaluation strategies. While additional research may still be needed to identify the conditions that lead to overall program success, our findings can help to inform our understanding of the various aspects of CBC programs and inform potential logic models for CBC programming in the context of HIV/AIDS in resource-limited settings. Importantly, the findings of the present study can be used to develop sustainable HIV/AIDS-service delivery programs in regions with health resource shortages.

An NGO at work: CARE-Ethiopia.

PubMed

1999-01-01

Cooperation for American Relief to Everywhere (CARE) was established in response to the needs of the people after World War II through the distribution of food and clothes. CARE/Ethiopia, which signed its first Basic Agreement with the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission, was provided with assistance during the 1994 drought that affected Ethiopia. The primary objective of CARE was to alleviate the suffering brought about by severe food shortages and to expand the program to mitigation and development. This approach was based on the premise of a community-based development philosophy and as an implementation strategy for reaching the rural poor. The five programmatic areas highlighted by the CARE projects were the rural and urban infrastructure; water and sanitation; small-scale irrigation; reproductive health and HIV/AIDS; and microcredit. On the other hand, the family planning and HIV/AIDS project aimed to improve the knowledge, attitude and practice of rural communities towards family planning and reproductive health through community-based family planning services. Results of the project evaluation emphasize the significance of community-based programs in the improvement of health status. Two critical program constraints identified in this paper are lack of access to referral-level services and lack of systemic provision of contraceptive commodities. Several suggestions for future programs include the assurance that the volunteers would be provided with aid in work, childcare and free health services for their families.

Contextually Aided Recovery (CARe): a scientific theory for innate healing.

PubMed

Newell, Dave; Lothe, Lise R; Raven, Timothy J L

2017-01-01

The chiropractic profession emerged when scientific explanations for causes of health and disease were still in infancy and the co-existence of notions such as innate healing and vitalism were perhaps admissible within such a historical context. Notwithstanding, within the scientific culture of the 21 st Century all healthcare paradigms require evidential support which in regard these early concepts are in large part, absent. Nevertheless, a large body of emerging scientific evidence supports the existence of innate healing phenomena that may explain a plethora of clinical outcomes observed during chiropractic care. However, in contrast to the notion that removing the putative subluxation constitutes the mechanism by which this healing is initiated, the evidentially supported explanation is one that invokes the impact of contextual factors inherent in the skilful care and authority of the healthcare provider. This perspective is presented here as the scientific model of Contextually Aided Recovery (CARe). This paper contends that;Contextual effects are powerful and desirable and are triggered by contextual factors present in all therapeutic encounters including those encountered in chiropractic practice.These factors can elicit large clinical effects with substantive evidence supporting pain, immune and motor modulation.The compartmentalisation of specific and non-specific effects is a biologically and scientifically false dichotomy, erroneously invoked to de-legitimise treatment approaches that expertly construct contextual healing scenarios.The use of factors to construct contextual healing scenarios that maximise positive (placebo) and minimize negative (nocebo) effects is a skilful clinical art within the multimodal approach that describes modern chiropractic care and should be presented and defended as a legitimate component of orthodox healthcare Clinical improvement during chiropractic care, beyond any biologically specific treatment effects of manipulation

The Family Context of Care in HIV/AIDS: A Study of Mumbai, India

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

D'Cruz, Premilla

2004-01-01

Though the continuum of care model has been adopted in HIV/AIDS intervention, there is little empirical work documenting the experiences of caregiving families. Addressing this gap, a study on family caregiving and care receiving was undertaken in Mumbai, India. In-depth interviews were conducted with seven seropositive caregivers, seven…

The effectiveness of psychological first aid as a disaster intervention tool: research analysis of peer-reviewed literature from 1990-2010.

PubMed

Fox, Jeffrey H; Burkle, Frederick M; Bass, Judith; Pia, Francesco A; Epstein, Jonathan L; Markenson, David

2012-10-01

The Advisory Council of the American Red Cross Disaster Services requested that an independent study determine whether first-aid providers without professional mental health training, when confronted with people who have experienced a traumatic event, offer a "safe, effective and feasible intervention." Standard databases were searched by an expert panel from 1990 to September 2010 using the keyword phrase "psychological first aid." Documents were included if the process was referred to as care provided to victims, first responders, or volunteers and excluded if it was not associated with a disaster or mass casualty event, or was used after individual nondisaster traumas such as rape and murder. This search yielded 58 citations. It was determined that adequate scientific evidence for psychological first aid is lacking but widely supported by expert opinion and rational conjecture. No controlled studies were found. There is insufficient evidence supporting a treatment standard or a treatment guideline. Sufficient evidence for psychological first aid is widely supported by available objective observations and expert opinion and best fits the category of "evidence informed" but without proof of effectiveness. An intervention provided by volunteers without professional mental health training for people who have experienced a traumatic event offers an acceptable option. Further outcome research is recommended.

[The economics of health care in developing countries: what the fight against the AIDS epidemics has changed].

PubMed

Moatti, Jean Paul

2008-12-01

Since the start of the new century, development aid targeted on health care has seen an unprecedented rise, driven by the fight against AIDS. This article shows how this struggle has been accompanied with a renewal of the economic paradigms governing international action in favour of health care in developing countries: the idea that an improvement in health care constitutes an unavoidable prerequisite to macroeconomic growth, rather than a consequence; the insistence on the founding of mechanisms for health insurance to finance the costs of health care, rather than covering the costs at the point of use by the health care users; a concern to impose price differentials for access to medicine in developing countries, and to introduce flexibility in the regulation of international intellectual property law; the priority to vertical programmes targeted on certain illnesses, thought to act as levers for a global reinforcement of health care systems. This article discusses the pertinence of these new paradigms in light of the evolution of the AIDS/HIV epidemic, and the international context.

A program of symptom management for improving self-care for patients with HIV/AIDS.

PubMed

Chiou, Piao-Yi; Kuo, Benjamin Ing-Tiau; Chen, Yi-Ming; Wu, Shiow-Ing; Lin, Li-Chan

2004-09-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a symptom management program on self-care of medication side effects among AIDS/HIV-positive patients. Sixty-seven patients from a sexually transmitted disease control center, a medical center, and a Catholic AIDS support group in Taipei were randomly assigned to three groups: one-on-one teaching, group teaching, and a control group. All subjects in each teaching group attended a 60- or 90-minute program on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) side effect self-care education and skill training once per week for 3 weeks; subjects also underwent counseling by telephone. A medication side effect self-care knowledge questionnaire, Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), and unscheduled hospital visits were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the symptom management program. The results revealed there were significant differences in mean difference of knowledge and unscheduled hospital visits between baseline and post-testing at 3 months for symptom management in the two groups. The mean difference of the self-esteem scale was not significant between the two groups. In summary, the symptom management program effectively increased the ability of AIDS/HIV-positive patients to self-care for medication side effects. We recommend that this program be applied in the clinical nursing practice.

The Differences in Health Care Utilization between Medical Aid and Health Insurance: A Longitudinal Study Using Propensity Score Matching

PubMed Central

Kim, Jae-Hyun; Lee, Kwang-Soo; Yoo, Ki-Bong; Park, Eun-Cheol

2015-01-01

Study Objectives Health care utilization has progressively increased, especially among Medical Aid beneficiaries in South Korea. The Medical Aid classifies beneficiaries into two categories, type 1 and 2, on the basis of being incapable (those under 18 or over 65 years of age, or disabled) or capable of working, respectively. Medical Aid has a high possibility for health care utilization due to high coverage level. In South Korea, the national health insurance (NHI) achieved very short time to establish coverage for the entire Korean population. However there there remaine a number of problems to be solved. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the differences in health care utilization between Medical Aid beneficiaries and Health Insurance beneficiaries. Methods & Design Data were collected from the Korean Welfare Panel Study from 2008 to 2012 using propensity score matching. Of the 2,316 research subjects, 579 had Medical Aid and 1,737 had health insurance. We also analyzed three dependent variables: days spent in the hospital, number of outpatient visits, and hospitalizations per year. Analysis of variance and longitudinal data analysis were used. Results The number of outpatient visits was 1.431 times higher (p<0.0001) in Medical Aid beneficiaries, the number of hospitalizations per year was 1.604 times higher (p<0.0001) in Medical Aid beneficiaries, and the number of days spent in the hospital per year was 1.282 times higher (p<0.268) for Medical Aid beneficiaries than in individuals with Health Insurance. Medical Aid patients had a 0.874 times lower frequency of having an unmet needs due to economic barrier (95% confidence interval: 0.662-1.156). Conclusions Health insurance coverage has an impact on health care utilization. More health care utilization among Medical Aid beneficiaries appears to have a high possibility of a moral hazard risk under the Health Insurance program. Therefore, the moral hazard for Medical Aid beneficiaries

AIDS is everybody's business: reaching people at work: programmes in Uganda, India and Zimbabwe.

PubMed

1992-09-01

The AIDS advice of Ajonye Fermina Acuba, a trainer with the Federation of Uganda Employers (FUE), is provided in a serious of questions and answers. Other workplace experiences in Zimbabwe and India are reported. Questions were asked about the nature of the AIDS program in Uganda, the secrets of the program's success, the experiences of educators, and progress since 1988. FUE is nationally active with 150 member companies and 900 volunteer employees trained for peer education. Success was tied to proper selection of trainers, who were picked by union representatives and department heads. Training was over 3 days. 75% are men, but training is conducted for men and women together. success is attributed to the type of training and followup. Common problems overcome during training concern talking about changing sexual behavior. Employees initially believe educational efforts are only to promote condoms, but when risk reduction through any method is emphasized, the barriers are removed. Educators talk repeatedly with interested persons. Trainers requested better training to handle "first aid" situations before referral. Managers need specialized training programs. In Zimbabwe, commercial farm owners are engaging in AIDS educational activities through the Commercial Farmers' Union. 4500 farm owners and managers are represented. The program has operated since 1986 by providing volunteer coordinators from branch associations to initiate discussion with village leaders and later the community. AIDS committees are set up at the village level. Education focused on the fatal nature of the disease and lack of cure, the relationship with sexually transmitted diseases (STDS) which transmission can be prevented with condoms, the danger to women of sterility from STDs, and the price of not preventing through education is having to care for relatives' children. Stigma has been thus reduced. In India, the AIDS Research Foundation of India (AFRI), which is financed by local companies

EXPERIENCES OF HIV/AIDS STIGMA OF PERSONS LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS AND NURSES INVOLVED IN THEIR CARE FROM FIVE AFRICAN COUNTRIES

PubMed Central

Greeff, Minrie; Uys, Leana R; Holzemer, William L; Makoae, Lucia N; Dlamini, Priscilla S; Kohi, Thecla W; Chirwa, Maureen L; Naidoo, Joanne R; Phetlhu, Rene D.

2009-01-01

The concept of stigma has received significant attention in recent years in the HIV/AIDS literature. Although there is some change towards the positive, AIDS still remains a significantly stigmatized condition. AIDS stigma and discrimination continue to influence people living with and affected by HIV (PLWA), as well as their health-care providers. Unless stigma is conquered, the illness will not be defeated. Due to the burden that HIV/AIDS places on people living in Africa, a five-year project entitled Perceived AIDS Stigma: A Multinational African Study was undertaken. The focus of the first phase of this project was on exploring and describing the meaning and effect of stigma on PLWA from the experiences of PLWA and the nurses involved in their care in five African countries: Lesotho, Swaziland, Malawi, South Africa and Tanzania. An exploratory descriptive qualitative research design was used to explore and describe the experience of stigma through the critical incident method. Purposive voluntary sampling was utilized. Forty-three focus group discussions were held with respondents to relate incidences which they themselves observed, as well as those that they themselves experienced in the community and in families. The transcribed data was analyzed through the technique of open coding using the NVivo 2.0 analysis package. Three types of stigma (received stigma, internal stigma and associated stigma) and several dimensions for each of these types of stigma emerged from the data. Recommendations were made to pursue these findings further. PMID:20052299

Sharps Injuries and Other Blood and Body Fluid Exposures Among Home Health Care Nurses and Aides

PubMed Central

Markkanen, Pia K.; Galligan, Catherine J.; Kriebel, David; Chalupka, Stephanie M.; Kim, Hyun; Gore, Rebecca J.; Sama, Susan R.; Laramie, Angela K.; Davis, Letitia

2009-01-01

Objectives. We quantified risks of sharp medical device (sharps) injuries and other blood and body fluid exposures among home health care nurses and aides, identified risk factors, assessed the use of sharps with safety features, and evaluated underreporting in workplace-based surveillance. Methods. We conducted a questionnaire survey and workplace-based surveillance, collaborating with 9 home health care agencies and 2 labor unions from 2006 to 2007. Results. Approximately 35% of nurses and 6.4% of aides had experienced at least 1 sharps injury during their home health care career; corresponding figures for other blood and body fluid exposures were 15.1% and 6.7%, respectively. Annual sharps injuries incidence rates were 5.1 per 100 full-time equivalent (FTE) nurses and 1.0 per 100 FTE aides. Medical procedures contributing to sharps injuries were injecting medications, administering fingersticks and heelsticks, and drawing blood. Other contributing factors were sharps disposal, contact with waste, and patient handling. Sharps with safety features frequently were not used. Underreporting of sharps injuries to the workplace-based surveillance system was estimated to be about 50%. Conclusions. Sharps injuries and other blood and body fluid exposures are serious hazards for home health care nurses and aides. Improvements in hazard intervention are needed. PMID:19890177

Volunteers' Experiences Delivering a Community-University Chronic Disease Health Awareness Program for South Asian Older Adults.

PubMed

Ford-Jones, Polly; Daly, Tamara

2017-12-01

Volunteers and voluntary organizations can connect preventative health care programs to communities and may play an important role in addressing the health needs of older adults. Despite this, tensions may exist in the structures that drive volunteers and voluntary organizations representing immigrant communities to provide unpaid labour to augment and supplement health care services. Furthermore, organizational challenges may exist for community agencies relying on volunteers to sustain a health screening and education program. The intervention program was led by one voluntary agency specifically for South Asian communities in partnership with the university and five local organizations. This paper draws on volunteer surveys (n = 22) and key informant interviews (n = 12) to detail volunteer experiences providing this intervention. Volunteers were university students and other community volunteers. A total of 810 adults participated in the intervention within the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada between October 2014 and June 2016. We found that volunteers often used their experience as a 'stepping stone' position to other education or work. They also gained from the knowledge and used it to educate themselves and their family members and friends. This paper provides a critical reflection on the role of volunteers in a preventative and educational healthcare intervention program for older adults from the South Asian community. Tensions exist when relying on volunteer labour for the implementation of preventative community health care programming and must be explored to ensure program sustainability as well as equity within the health care system.

Task shifting in maternal and newborn care: a non-inferiority study examining delegation of antenatal counseling to lay nurse aides supported by job aids in Benin

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Shifting the role of counseling to less skilled workers may improve efficiency and coverage of health services, but evidence is needed on the impact of substitution on quality of care. This research explored the influence of delegating maternal and newborn counseling responsibilities to clinic-based lay nurse aides on the quality of counseling provided as part of a task shifting initiative to expand their role. Methods Nurse-midwives and lay nurse aides in seven public maternities were trained to use job aids to improve counseling in maternal and newborn care. Quality of counseling and maternal knowledge were assessed using direct observation of antenatal consultations and patient exit interviews. Both provider types were interviewed to examine perceptions regarding the task shift. To compare provider performance levels, non-inferiority analyses were conducted where non-inferiority was demonstrated if the lower confidence limit of the performance difference did not exceed a margin of 10 percentage points. Results Mean percent of recommended messages provided by lay nurse aides was non-inferior to counseling by nurse-midwives in adjusted analyses for birth preparedness (β = -0.0, 95% CI: -9.0, 9.1), danger sign recognition (β = 4.7, 95% CI: -5.1, 14.6), and clean delivery (β = 1.4, 95% CI: -9.4, 12.3). Lay nurse aides demonstrated superior performance for communication on general prenatal care (β = 15.7, 95% CI: 7.0, 24.4), although non-inferiority was not achieved for newborn care counseling (β = -7.3, 95% CI: -23.1, 8.4). The proportion of women with correct knowledge was significantly higher among those counseled by lay nurse aides as compared to nurse-midwives in general prenatal care (β = 23.8, 95% CI: 15.7, 32.0), birth preparedness (β = 12.7, 95% CI: 5.2, 20.1), and danger sign recognition (β = 8.6, 95% CI: 3.3, 13.9). Both cadres had positive opinions regarding task shifting, although several preferred 'task sharing' over full delegation

Increasing Access to Oral Health Care for People Living with HIV/AIDS in Rural Oregon

PubMed Central

Jones, Jill; Mofidi, Mahyar; Bednarsh, Helene; Gambrell, Alan; Tobias, Carol R.

2012-01-01

Access to oral health care for people living with HIV/AIDS is a severe problem. This article describes the design and impact of an Innovations in Oral Health Care Initiative program, funded through the Health Resources and Services Administration HIV/AIDS Bureau's Special Projects of National Significance (SPNS) program, that expanded oral health-care services for these individuals in rural Oregon. From April 2007 to August 2010, 473 patients received dental care (exceeding the target goal of 410 patients) and 153 dental hygiene students were trained to deliver oral health care to HIV-positive patients. The proportion of patients receiving oral health care increased from 10% to 65%, while the no-show rate declined from 40% to 10%. Key implementation components were leveraging SPNS funding and services to create an integrated delivery system, collaborations that resulted in improved service delivery systems, using dental hygiene students to deliver oral health care, enhanced care coordination through the services of a dental case manager, and program capacity to adjust to unanticipated needs. PMID:22547878

The experiences of Batswana families regarding hospice care of AIDS patients in the Bophirima district, North West province, South Africa.

PubMed

Makhele, M F; Mulaudzi, F M

2012-01-01

The HIV/AIDS pandemic put significant strain on healthcare services in the country. Hospitals were no longer coping with the escalating number of AIDS patients. This resulted in the early discharge of patients, with some patients, too ill to be nursed at home, being sent to hospices for continued care. The Batswana had mixed feelings about hospice care, because their beliefs on patient care are based on the ubuntu philosophy, which emphasises the principle of caring for one another. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the experiences of Batswana families regarding hospice care for patients in the Thlabane township in the province of the North West as well as to make recommendations to policy-makers to ensure that hospices are accepted by community members and utilised effectively. A qualitative, explorative, descriptive research design was applied. Purposive sampling was applied to select study participants with whom in-depth unstructured interviews were conducted. A qualitative data analysis was done by categorising, ordering, and summarising the data, and describing the findings. The findings indicated that families of patients in hospice care experienced such care as foreign to their culture. These families also experienced stigmatisation, firstly owing to the stigma associated with AIDS and secondly because they opted for hospice care. However, they also observed the high quality of care provided by the hospice and understood its benefits for AIDS patients. The study concluded that hospice care relieved families of terminally ill AIDS patients of the burden of care and enabled them to keep on working and earning a living. Recommendations to policy-makers included enhancing hospice care and ensuring the provisioning of culturally safe hospice care.

An analysis of contextual information relevant to medical care unexpectedly volunteered to researchers by asthma patients.

PubMed

Black, Heather L; Priolo, Chantel; Gonzalez, Rodalyn; Geer, Sabrina; Adam, Bariituu; Apter, Andrea J

2012-09-01

To describe and categorize contextual information relevant to patients' medical care unexpectedly volunteered to research personnel as part of a patient advocate (PA) intervention to facilitate access health care, communication with medical personnel, and self-management of a chronic disease such as asthma. We adapted a patient navigator intervention, to overcome barriers to access and communication for adults with moderate or severe asthma. Informed by focus groups of patients and providers, our PAs facilitated preparation for a visit with an asthma provider, attended the visit, confirmed understanding, and assisted with post-visit activities. During meetings with researchers, either for PA activities or for data collection, participants frequently volunteered personal and medical information relevant for achieving successful self-management that was not routinely shared with medical personnel. For this project, researchers journaled information not captured by the structured questionnaires and protocol. Using a qualitative analysis, we describe (1) researchers' journals of these unique communications; (2) their relevance for accomplishing self-management; (3) PAs' formal activities including teach-back, advocacy, and facilitating appointment making; and (4) observations of patients' interactions with the clinical practices. In 83 journals, patients' social support (83%), health (68%), and deportment (69%) were described. PA assistance with navigating the medical system (59%), teach-back (46%), and observed interactions with patient and medical staff (76%) were also journaled. Implicit were ways patients and practices could overcome barriers to access and communication. These journals describe the importance of seeking contextual and medically relevant information from all patients and, especially, those with significant morbidities, prompting patients for barriers to access to health care, and confirming understanding of medical information.

An analysis of contextual information relevant to medical care unexpectedly volunteered to researchers by asthma patients

PubMed Central

Black, Heather L.; Priolo, Chantel; Gonzalez, Rodalyn; Geer, Sabrina; Adam, Bariituu; Apter, Andrea J.

2012-01-01

Objective To describe and categorize contextual information relevant to patients’ medical care unexpectedly volunteered to research personnel as part of a patient advocate intervention to facilitate access health care, communication with medical personnel, and self-management of a chronic disease like asthma. Methods We adapted a patient navigator intervention, to overcome barriers to access and communication for adults with moderate or severe asthma. Informed by focus groups of patients and providers, our Patient Advocates facilitated preparation for a visit with an asthma provider, attended the visit, confirmed understanding, and assisted with post-visit activities. During meetings with researchers, either for PA activities or data collection, participants frequently volunteered personal and medical information relevant for achieving successful self-management that was not routinely shared with medical personnel. For this project, researchers journaled information not captured by the structured questionnaires and protocol. Using a qualitative analysis, we describe 1) researchers’ journals of these unique communications, 2) their relevance for accomplishing self-management, 3) Patient Advocates’ formal activities including teach-back, advocacy, and facilitating appointment-making, and 4) observations of patients’ interactions with the clinical practices. Results In 83 journals, patients’ social support (83%), health (68%), and deportment (69%) were described. Patient Advocate assistance with navigating the medical system (59%), teach-back (46%), and observed interactions with patient and medical staff (76%) were also journaled. Implicit were ways patients and practices could overcome barriers to access and communication. Conclusions These journals describe the importance of seeking contextual and medically relevant information from all patients and especially those with significant morbidities, prompting patients for barriers to accessing care, and

The Effect of Medical Student Volunteering in a Student-Run Clinic on Specialty Choice for Residency.

PubMed

Brown, Ashley; Ismail, Rahim; Gookin, Glenn; Hernandez, Caridad; Logan, Grace; Pasarica, Magdalena

2017-01-09

 Student-run free clinics (SRFCs) are a recent popular addition to medical school education, and a subset of studies has looked at the influence of SRFC volunteering on the medical student's career development. The majority of the research done in this area has focused on understanding if these SRFCs produce physicians who are more likely to practice medicine in underserved communities, caring for the uninsured. The remainder of the research has investigated if volunteering in an SRFC influences the specialty choice of medical school students. The results of these specialty choice studies give no definitive answer as to whether medical students chose primary or specialty care residencies as a result of their SRFC experience. Keeping Neighbors in Good Health through Service (KNIGHTS) is the SRFC of the University of Central Florida College of Medicine (UCF COM). Both primary and specialty care is offered at the clinic. It is the goal of this study to determine if volunteering in the KNIGHTS SRFC influences UCF COM medical students to choose primary care, thereby helping to meet the rising need for primary care physicians in the United States.  A survey was distributed to first, second, and third-year medical students at the UCF COM to collect data on demographics, prior volunteering experience, and specialty choice for residency. Responses were then combined with records of volunteer hours from the KNIGHTS Clinic and analyzed for correlations. We analyzed the frequency and Pearson's chi-squared values. A p value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.  Our survey had a total response rate of 39.8%. We found that neither the act of becoming a KNIGHTS Clinic volunteer nor the hours volunteered at the KNIGHTS Clinic influenced the UCF COM student's choice to enter a primary care specialty (p = NS). Additionally, prior volunteering/clinical experience or the gender of the medical school student did not influence a student's choice to volunteer at

Volunteer Rehabilitation Technology: International Perspectives and Possibilities. Report of a Symposium Sponsored by the RESNA (ICAART) Conference (Montreal, Canada, June 27, 1988). Monograph Number Forty-Two.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tobias, Jim, Ed.; Woods, Diane E., Ed.

Symposium papers describe programs which use volunteers to provide rehabilitation technology services. George Winston describes Australia's Technical Aid to the Disabled (TAD), focusing on volunteer recruitment and selection, legal liability, volunteer insurance, advantages and limitations of the volunteer approach, and the TAD organization,…

Motivations of German Hospice Volunteers: How Do They Compare to Nonhospice Volunteers and US Hospice Volunteers?

PubMed

Stelzer, Eva-Maria; Lang, Frieder R

2016-03-01

We examined reasons of volunteering for hospice and nonhospice organizations in a study with 125 volunteers (22-93 years) from the United States and Germany. Motives of US and German hospice volunteers revealed similarities and few differences. Hospice volunteers are involved because they seek to help others, seek new learning experiences, seek social contacts, or seek personal growth. The US hospice volunteers reported motives related to altruistic concerns, enhancement, and social influence as more influential, while German hospice volunteers rated career expectations as being more important. Comparison of German hospice with nonhospice volunteers revealed stronger differences: German hospice volunteers scored higher on altruistic motives, while German nonhospice volunteers yielded higher scores on self-serving motives. Findings contribute to improved understanding of volunteering motivation and of activating or retaining hospice volunteers. © The Author(s) 2014.

42 CFR 418.78 - Conditions of participation-Volunteers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 42 Public Health 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Conditions of participation-Volunteers. 418.78 Section 418.78 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICARE PROGRAM HOSPICE CARE Conditions of Participation: Patient Care Non-Core...

Life Improvement, Life Satisfaction and Care Arrangement Among AIDS Orphans in Rural Henan, China

PubMed Central

Zhao, Qun; Li, Xiaoming; Fang, Xiaoyi; Stanton, Bonita; Zhao, Guoxiang; Zhao, Junfeng; Zhang, Liying

2009-01-01

The Chinese government’s response to the increasing number of children orphaned in the HIV epidemic included setting up AIDS orphanages and supporting community-based group homes for double orphans (children who lost both parents to HIV). The impact of these strategies, compared to traditional kinship care, on children’s outcomes has not been studied in China. The purpose of this study was to compare perceived life improvement and life satisfaction among double orphans in 3 main care arrangements (group home, AIDS orphanage, kinship care) in 2 rural Chinese counties. Participants included 176 children from 4 orphanages, 30 from 8 group homes, and 90 from kinship households. Findings indicated that children living in government-supported group homes were more likely to report greater life improvement and positive attitudes toward their current lives than children in orphanages and kinship care. Results suggested that perceived life improvements may have resulted from access to basic needs in extremely poor communities. PMID:19286124

A new corps of trained Grand-Aides has the potential to extend reach of primary care workforce and save money.

PubMed

Garson, Arthur; Green, Donna M; Rodriguez, Lia; Beech, Richard; Nye, Christopher

2012-05-01

Because the Affordable Care Act will expand health insurance to cover an estimated thirty-two million additional people, new approaches are needed to expand the primary care workforce. One possible solution is Grand-Aides®, who are health care professionals operating under the direct supervision of nurses, and who are trained and equipped to conduct telephone consultations or make primary care home visits to patients who might otherwise be seen in emergency departments and clinics. We conducted pilot tests with Grand-Aides in two pediatric Medicaid settings: an urban federally qualified health center in Houston, Texas, and a semi-rural emergency department in Harrisonburg, Virginia. We estimated that Grand-Aides and their supervisors averted 62 percent of drop-in visits at the Houston clinic and would have eliminated 74 percent of emergency department visits at the Virginia test site. We calculated the cost of the Grand-Aides program to be $16.88 per encounter. That compares with current Medicaid payments of $200 per clinic visit in Houston and $175 per emergency department visit in Harrisonburg. In addition to reducing health care costs, Grand-Aides have the potential to make a substantial impact in reducing congestion in primary care practices and emergency departments.

The impact of international service on the development of volunteers' intercultural relations.

PubMed

Lough, Benjamin J; Sherraden, Margaret Sherrard; McBride, Amanda Moore; Xiang, Xiaoling

2014-07-01

Approximately one million people from the United States perform international volunteer service each year, representing a significant flow of ideas, people, resources, and aid across international borders. This quasi-experimental study assesses the longitudinal impact of international volunteer service on volunteers' intercultural relations, international social capital, and concern about international affairs. Using linear mixed regression models that control for a counterfactual comparison group of individuals that did not travel abroad, international volunteers are more likely to report significant increases in international social capital and international concern two to three years after returning from service. Results indicate that intercultural relations may also continue to increase years after returning from service. International service may be a useful approach to helping people gain skills and networks that are needed in an increasingly global society. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Co-Learning With Home Care Aides and Their Clients: Collaboratively Increasing Individual and Organizational Capacities

PubMed Central

MURAMATSU, NAOKO; MADRIGAL, JESSICA; BERBAUM, MICHAEL L.; HENDERSON, VIDA A.; JURIVICH, DONALD A.; ZANONI, JOSEPH; MARQUEZ, DAVID X.; MADRID, KATYA CRUZ

2015-01-01

Changes in health care provide unprecedented opportunities for collaboration across research, education, and practice for the common goal of enhancing the well-being of older adults and their caregivers. This article describes how a pilot project, “Promoting Seniors’ Health with Home Care Aides,” has synergistic education, research and practice effects that enhance individual and organizational capacities. This pilot is an innovative partnership with home care aides to deliver a safe physical activity program appropriate for frail seniors in a real-life public home care program. The intervention and research occur in older adults’ homes and thus provide rare opportunities for the research team and partners to learn from each other about dynamics of home care in older adults’ life contexts. Co-learning is essential for continuous quality improvement in education, research and practice. We propose to establish “Teaching Home Care” to ensure ongoing co-learning in gerontology and geriatrics. PMID:25671492

Volunteering and Volunteers: Benefit-Cost Analyses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Handy, Femida; Mook, Laurie

2011-01-01

This article examines the phenomenon of volunteering from a benefit-cost perspective. Both the individual making a decision to volunteer and the organization making a decision to use volunteer labor face benefits and costs of their actions, yet these costs and benefits almost always remain unarticulated, perhaps because the common perception of…

Patient Decision Aids Improve Decision Quality and Patient Experience and Reduce Surgical Rates in Routine Orthopaedic Care: A Prospective Cohort Study.

PubMed

Sepucha, Karen; Atlas, Steven J; Chang, Yuchiao; Dorrwachter, Janet; Freiberg, Andrew; Mangla, Mahima; Rubash, Harry E; Simmons, Leigh H; Cha, Thomas

2017-08-02

Patient decision aids are effective in randomized controlled trials, yet little is known about their impact in routine care. The purpose of this study was to examine whether decision aids increase shared decision-making when used in routine care. A prospective study was designed to evaluate the impact of a quality improvement project to increase the use of decision aids for patients with hip or knee osteoarthritis, lumbar disc herniation, or lumbar spinal stenosis. A usual care cohort was enrolled before the quality improvement project and an intervention cohort was enrolled after the project. Participants were surveyed 1 week after a specialist visit, and surgical status was collected at 6 months. Regression analyses adjusted for clustering of patients within clinicians and examined the impact on knowledge, patient reports of shared decision-making in the visit, and surgical rates. With 550 surveys, the study had 80% to 90% power to detect a difference in these key outcomes. The response rates to the 1-week survey were 70.6% (324 of 459) for the usual care cohort and 70.2% (328 of 467) for the intervention cohort. There was no significant difference (p > 0.05) in any patient characteristic between the 2 cohorts. More patients received decision aids in the intervention cohort at 63.6% compared with the usual care cohort at 27.3% (p = 0.007). Decision aid use was associated with higher knowledge scores, with a mean difference of 18.7 points (95% confidence interval [CI], 11.4 to 26.1 points; p < 0.001) for the usual care cohort and 15.3 points (95% CI, 7.5 to 23.0 points; p = 0.002) for the intervention cohort. Patients reported more shared decision-making (p = 0.009) in the visit with their surgeon in the intervention cohort, with a mean Shared Decision-Making Process score (and standard deviation) of 66.9 ± 27.5 points, compared with the usual care cohort at 62.5 ± 28.6 points. The majority of patients received their preferred treatment, and this did not differ

Factors Important to Success in the Volunteer Long-Term Care Ombudsman Role

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nelson, H. Wayne; Hooker, Karen; DeHart, Kimberly N.; Edwards, John A.; Lanning, Kevin

2004-01-01

This study found that the satisfaction of one state's largely older volunteers' altruistic, affiliation, and self-improvement motives corresponded to increased organizational loyalty and better performance across several dimensions. Younger volunteers served for shorter periods and were more highly motivated by the "self-improvement" need.…

Cumulative effects of HIV illness and caring for children orphaned by AIDS on anxiety symptoms among adults caring for children in HIV-endemic South Africa.

PubMed

Kuo, Caroline; Cluver, Lucie; Casale, Marisa; Lane, Tyler

2014-06-01

Adults caring for children in HIV-endemic communities are at risk for poor psychological outcomes. However, we still have a limited understanding of how various HIV impacts--including caregiver's own HIV illness, responsibilities of caring for a child orphaned by AIDS, or both--affect psychological outcomes among caregivers. Furthermore, few studies have explored the relationship between stigma, HIV, and psychological outcomes among caregivers of children in HIV-endemic communities. A cross-sectional survey conducted from 2009 to 2010 assessed anxiety among 2477 caregivers of children in HIV-endemic South Africa. Chi-square tested differences in anxiety among caregivers living with HIV, caregivers of a child orphaned by AIDS, and caregivers affected with both conditions. Multivariate logistic regressions identified whether the relationship between HIV impacts and anxiety remained after controlling for socio-demographic co-factors. Mediation analysis tested the relationship between stigma, HIV, and anxiety. The odds of meeting threshold criteria for clinically relevant anxiety symptoms were two and a half times greater among caregivers living with HIV compared to nonaffected caregivers. The odds of meeting threshold criteria for clinically relevant anxiety symptoms were greatest among caregivers living with HIV and caring for a child orphaned by AIDS. Exposure to AIDS-related stigma partially mediated the relationship between HIV and anxiety. Interventions are needed to address caregiver psychological health, particularly among caregivers affected with both conditions of living with HIV and caring for a child orphaned by AIDS.

Cumulative Effects of HIV Illness and Caring for Children Orphaned by AIDS on Anxiety Symptoms Among Adults Caring for Children in HIV-Endemic South Africa

PubMed Central

Cluver, Lucie; Casale, Marisa; Lane, Tyler

2014-01-01

Abstract Adults caring for children in HIV-endemic communities are at risk for poor psychological outcomes. However, we still have a limited understanding of how various HIV impacts—including caregiver's own HIV illness, responsibilities of caring for a child orphaned by AIDS, or both—affect psychological outcomes among caregivers. Furthermore, few studies have explored the relationship between stigma, HIV, and psychological outcomes among caregivers of children in HIV-endemic communities. A cross-sectional survey conducted from 2009 to 2010 assessed anxiety among 2477 caregivers of children in HIV-endemic South Africa. Chi-square tested differences in anxiety among caregivers living with HIV, caregivers of a child orphaned by AIDS, and caregivers affected with both conditions. Multivariate logistic regressions identified whether the relationship between HIV impacts and anxiety remained after controlling for socio-demographic co-factors. Mediation analysis tested the relationship between stigma, HIV, and anxiety. The odds of meeting threshold criteria for clinically relevant anxiety symptoms were two and a half times greater among caregivers living with HIV compared to nonaffected caregivers. The odds of meeting threshold criteria for clinically relevant anxiety symptoms were greatest among caregivers living with HIV and caring for a child orphaned by AIDS. Exposure to AIDS-related stigma partially mediated the relationship between HIV and anxiety. Interventions are needed to address caregiver psychological health, particularly among caregivers affected with both conditions of living with HIV and caring for a child orphaned by AIDS. PMID:24901465

Dementia buddying as a vehicle for person-centred care? The performance of a volunteer-led pilot on two hospital wards.

PubMed

Preston, Claire; Burch, Sarah

2018-01-01

Objectives To understand and explain whether a dementia buddies pilot introduced into two adjacent mental health hospital wards in England was achieving its aim of enhancing person-centred care. Methods The research used a cultural lens to evaluate the dementia buddies pilot. It comprised 20 in-depth semi-structured interviews with staff, volunteers and carers in the two wards where the pilot was introduced. Results The pilot's ability to deliver positive outcomes depended on its compatibility with the culture of the ward and it performed better in the ward where a person-centred culture of care already existed. In this ward, the pilot became a catalyst for improved experience among patients, carers and staff, whereas in the second ward, the pilot faced resistance from staff and achieved less. Conclusions This finding underlines the benefit of focusing on workplace culture to understand the performance of volunteer-led initiatives. It also shows that existing ward culture is a determining factor in the capacity for dementia buddy schemes to act as vehicles for culture change.

Use of Video Decision Aids to Promote Advance Care Planning in Hilo, Hawai'i.

PubMed

Volandes, Angelo E; Paasche-Orlow, Michael K; Davis, Aretha Delight; Eubanks, Robert; El-Jawahri, Areej; Seitz, Rae

2016-09-01

Advance care planning (ACP) seeks to promote care delivery that is concordant with patients' informed wishes. Scalability and cost may be barriers to widespread ACP, and video decision aids may help address such barriers. Our primary hypothesis was that ACP documentation would increase in Hilo after ACP video implementation. Secondary hypotheses included increased use of hospice, fewer deaths in the hospital, and decreased costs in the last month of life. The city of Hilo in Hawai'i (population 43,263), which is served by one 276-bed hospital (Hilo Medical Center), one hospice (the Hospice of Hilo), and 30 primary care physicians. The intervention consisted of a single, 1- to 4-h training and access to a suite of ACP video decision aids. Prior to implementation, the rate of ACP documentation for hospitalized patients with late-stage disease was 3.2 % (11/346). After the intervention, ACP documentation was 39.9 % (1,107/2,773) (P < 0.001). Primary care providers in the intervention had an ACP completion rate for patients over 75 years of 37.0 % (1,437/3,888) compared to control providers, who had an average of 25.6 % (10,760/42,099) (P < 0.001). The rate of discharge from hospital to hospice for patients with late-stage disease was 5.7 % prior to the intervention and 13.8 % after the intervention (P < 0.001). The average total insurance cost for the last month of life among Hilo patients was $3,458 (95 % CI $3,051 to 3,865) lower per patient after the intervention when compared to the control region. Implementing ACP video decision aids was associated with improved ACP documentation, greater use of hospice, and decreased costs. Decision aids that promote ACP offer a scalable and cost-efficient medium to place patients at the center of their care.

Reasons for starting and continuing to volunteer for hospice.

PubMed

Planalp, Sally; Trost, Melanie

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to find out from hospice volunteers how they first heard of opportunities to volunteer, what motivated them to volunteer when they first began, and why they continue. A total of 351 volunteers from 3 states in the western United States participated in a questionnaire study. Three open-ended questions addressed how they heard of hospice, why they started, and why they continued. Their intentions to continue were also measured on rating scales. Responses to the open-ended questions were coded with acceptable intercoder reliability. Findings were that volunteers heard of opportunities through hospice and health care contacts, personal contacts, print and electronic sources, and other nonhospice organizations. They began volunteering primarily to be of service and because of a personal experience with the death of someone to whom they were close. Most volunteers chose to continue because they found it personally rewarding, helpful to others, or both, but many reported that they continue because of the quality of their own hospice organization and its staff. Demographic influences were noted but were generally small.

The Effect of Medical Student Volunteering in a Student-Run Clinic on Specialty Choice for Residency

PubMed Central

Ismail, Rahim; Gookin, Glenn; Hernandez, Caridad; Logan, Grace; Pasarica, Magdalena

2017-01-01

Introduction: Student-run free clinics (SRFCs) are a recent popular addition to medical school education, and a subset of studies has looked at the influence of SRFC volunteering on the medical student’s career development. The majority of the research done in this area has focused on understanding if these SRFCs produce physicians who are more likely to practice medicine in underserved communities, caring for the uninsured. The remainder of the research has investigated if volunteering in an SRFC influences the specialty choice of medical school students. The results of these specialty choice studies give no definitive answer as to whether medical students chose primary or specialty care residencies as a result of their SRFC experience. Keeping Neighbors in Good Health through Service (KNIGHTS) is the SRFC of the University of Central Florida College of Medicine (UCF COM). Both primary and specialty care is offered at the clinic. It is the goal of this study to determine if volunteering in the KNIGHTS SRFC influences UCF COM medical students to choose primary care, thereby helping to meet the rising need for primary care physicians in the United States. Methods: A survey was distributed to first, second, and third-year medical students at the UCF COM to collect data on demographics, prior volunteering experience, and specialty choice for residency. Responses were then combined with records of volunteer hours from the KNIGHTS Clinic and analyzed for correlations. We analyzed the frequency and Pearson’s chi-squared values. A p value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Our survey had a total response rate of 39.8%. We found that neither the act of becoming a KNIGHTS Clinic volunteer nor the hours volunteered at the KNIGHTS Clinic influenced the UCF COM student’s choice to enter a primary care specialty (p = NS). Additionally, prior volunteering/clinical experience or the gender of the medical school student did not influence

Swimming for the Handicapped: A Manual for the Aide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Priest, Louise

Presented is the American National Red Cross Swimming for the Handicapped Program manual designed for volunteer aides. The program's aims, scope, and value are described in the introduction. It is noted that the nonswimming aides can play a vital role in transportation, dressing room assistance, record keeping, and as safety assistants, while…

Volunteers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clarke, Susan; And Others

1992-01-01

Four articles discuss the recruitment and use of volunteer workers in junior and senior high school libraries. Topics addressed include written policies; communicating ideas with the staff; program flexibility; volunteer program evaluation; scheduling; Friends of Libraries groups; and the use of volunteers for booktalks. (LRW)

The effects of nationality differences and work stressors on work adjustment for foreign nurse aides.

PubMed

Huang, Fen Fen; Yang, Hsieh Hua

2011-08-17

The main purpose of this study was to discuss the nationality differences of foreign nurse aides and the effect of work stressors influencing work adjustment. And of helping them adapt to Taiwanese society, we summarized the difficulties that foreign nurse aides face in Taiwan. The subjects included 80 foreign nurse aides from the Philippines, Indonesia, and Vietnam who worked in long-term care facilities in Tao Yuan County. We recruited volunteers at the participating facilities to complete the anonymous questionnaires. The return rate of the questionnaire was 88.75%. The validated instruments of Hershenson's (1981) and Schaefer and Moos (1993) were adopted to measure work stressors and work adjustment, respectively. A forward-backward translation process was used in this study. Indonesian foreign nurse aides respect their work, and are better workers than Vietnamese and Filipino nurse aids in many respects, which shows how the nationality of the foreign nurse aides might affect work adjustment. The stress created from patient care tasks influenced the foreign nurse aides' personal relationships at work and also affected their attitude when they performed their tasks. In addition, pressure from their supervisors might have affected their work skills, work habits, personal relationships, self-concepts or work attitudes. Moreover, a heavy workload and improper scheduling might have affected the personal relationships and work attitudes of the foreign nurse aides. It was found that work stressors had a significant correlation with work adjustment. The results of the present study indicate that training programs are important factors for work adjustment among foreign nurse aides. Furthermore, celebration and leisure activities could be provided to release them from work stressors. More effort should be put into improving the working environment, namely providing a more supportive and enriching atmosphere. Based on these findings, we have a better understanding of how

Indicator development methodology for volunteer tourism in host communities: creating a low-cost, locally applicable, rapid assessment tool

Treesearch

Christopher A. Lupoli; Wayde C. Morse; Conner Bailey; John Schelhas

2015-01-01

Two prominent critiques of volunteer tourism are that it is a top-down imposed form of development treating host communities as passive recipients of international aid, and that the impacts of volunteer tourism in host communities are not systematically evaluated. To address this we identified a pre-existing participatory methodology for assessing community...

An environmental scan of advance care planning decision AIDS for patients undergoing major surgery: a study protocol.

PubMed

Aslakson, Rebecca A; Schuster, Anne L R; Miller, Judith; Weiss, Matthew; Volandes, Angelo E; Bridges, John F P

2014-01-01

Patients who undergo major surgery are at risk for perioperative morbidity and mortality. It would be appropriate to initiate advance care planning with patients prior to surgery, but surgeons may experience difficulty initiating such conversations. Rather than focus on changing clinician behavior, advance care planning decision aids can be an innovative vehicle to motivate advance care planning among surgical patients and their families. The purpose of this paper is to describe a study protocol for conducting an environmental scan concerning advance care planning decision aids that may be relevant to patients undergoing high-risk surgery. This study will gather information from written or verbal data sources that incorporate professional and lay perspectives: a systematic review, a grey literature review, key informant interviews, and patient and family engagement. It is envisioned that this study will generate three outcomes: a synthesis of current evidence, a summary of gaps in knowledge, and a taxonomy of existing advance care planning decision aids. This environmental scan will demonstrate principles of patient-centered outcomes research, and it will exemplify a pioneering approach for reviewing complex interventions. Anticipated limitations are that information will be gathered from a small sample of patients and families, and that potentially relevant information could also be missing from the environmental scan due to the inclusion/exclusion criteria. Outcomes from the environmental scan will inform future patient-centered research to develop and evaluate a new decision aid.

Disinfection of reusable elastomeric respirators by health care workers: a feasibility study and development of standard operating procedures.

PubMed

Bessesen, Mary T; Adams, Jill C; Radonovich, Lewis; Anderson, Judith

2015-06-01

This was a feasibility study in a Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center to develop a standard operating procedure (SOP) to be used by health care workers to disinfect reusable elastomeric respirators under pandemic conditions. Registered and licensed practical nurses, nurse practitioners, aides, clinical technicians, and physicians took part in the study. Health care worker volunteers were provided with manufacturers' cleaning and disinfection instructions and all necessary supplies. They were observed and filmed. SOPs were developed, based on these observations, and tested on naïve volunteer health care workers. Error rates using manufacturers' instructions and SOPs were compared. When using respirator manufacturers' cleaning and disinfection instructions, without specific training or supervision, all subjects made multiple errors. When using the SOPs developed in the study, without specific training or guidance, naïve health care workers disinfected respirators with zero errors. Reusable facial protective equipment may be disinfected by health care workers with minimal training using SOPs. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Volunteer Magic: Finding and Keeping Library Volunteers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thelen, Laurie

2001-01-01

Offers suggestions for a successful volunteer program in a school setting. Topics include recruitment strategies, including advertising for parents, grandparents, other groups, and students; training programs for adult volunteers and for students; how to keep volunteers; how to afford rewards; and helpful resources. (LRW)

We can only be healthy if we love ourselves: Queer AIDS NGOs, kinship, and alternative families of care in China.

PubMed

Miller, Casey James

2016-01-01

In this article, I draw from recent developments in the anthropological literatures on kinship and care to complicate and extend analyses of Chinese queer NGOs and AIDS activism. By highlighting the practical, moral, and political dimensions of daily life and work within Chinese queer NGOs, I argue that they constitute what I call "alternative families of care" by serving as important sources of material and emotional support and care for queer men, including increasing numbers of HIV-positive men who have sex with men, in a social climate that is still largely unsupportive and hostile toward both queerness and people living with HIV/AIDS. I also show how HIV/AIDS prevention and care are additionally regarded by many Chinese queer activists as an important political strategy for demonstrating the responsibility of queer men in the face of the AIDS crisis, achieving greater recognition from the government and society, and eventually attaining increased rights, including same-sex marriage.

Volunteer recruitment: the role of organizational support and anticipated respect in non-volunteers' attraction to charitable volunteer organizations.

PubMed

Boezeman, Edwin J; Ellemers, Naomi

2008-09-01

In 3 experiments the authors examined how specific characteristics of charitable volunteer organizations contribute to the recruitment of new volunteers. In line with predictions, Study 1 revealed that providing non-volunteers with information about organizational support induced anticipated feelings of respect, which subsequently enhanced their attraction to the volunteer organization. However, information about the current success of the volunteer organization did not affect anticipated pride (as among those who seek paid employment) and in fact caused potential volunteers to perceive the organization as being in less need for additional volunteers. Study 2 further showed that information about support from the volunteer organization is a more relevant source of anticipated respect and organizational attraction than support from co-volunteers. Study 3 finally showed that information about task and emotional support for volunteers contributes to anticipated respect and organizational attractiveness and that this increases the actual willingness of non-volunteers to participate in the volunteer organization. Interventions aimed at attracting volunteers and avenues for further research are discussed.

Increasing Access to Oral Health Care for People Living with HIV/AIDS in the U.S.: Baseline Evaluation Results of the Innovations in Oral Health Care Initiative

PubMed Central

Fox, Jane E.; Tobias, Carol R.; Bachman, Sara S.; Reznik, David A.; Rajabiun, Serena; Verdecias, Niko

2012-01-01

Objectives We provide an overview of the Health Resources and Services Administration HIV/AIDS Bureau's Special Projects of National Significance Innovations in Oral Health Care Initiative, describe the models developed by the 15 demonstration sites and associated evaluation center, and present initial descriptive data about the characteristics of the multisite evaluation study sample. Methods Baseline data were collected from May 2007–August 2009 for 2,469 adults living with HIV/AIDS who had been without dental care, except for emergency care, for 12 months or longer. Variables included sociodemographic characteristics, HIV status, medical care, history of dental care and oral health symptoms, oral health practices, and physical and mental health quality of life. Descriptive statistics of baseline variables were calculated. Results The study sample included 2,469 adults who had been HIV-positive for a decade; most were engaged in HIV care. The majority (52.4%) of patients had not seen a dentist in more than two years; 48.2% reported an unmet oral health-care need since testing positive for HIV, and 63.2% rated the health of their teeth and gums as “fair” or “poor.” Conclusions This study is the largest to examine oral health care among people living with HIV/AIDS in more than a decade. The need for access to oral health care among members of this HIV-positive patient sample is greater than in the general population, following previous trends. Findings from our study reinforce the necessity for continued federal and statewide advocacy and support for oral health programs targeting people living with HIV/AIDS; findings can be extended to other vulnerable populations. PMID:22547872

Using Volunteers to Help Expectant Mothers and Their Infants.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Landolt, Terry

1985-01-01

Describes new Appalachian Regional Commission model health care program linking expectant mothers/infants with volunteers familiar with available resources to provide prenatal medical care, assistance in modifying personal habits potentially harmful to unborn infants, nutritional supplements and advice, and social service assistance. Includes 1982…

Is volunteering a public health intervention? A systematic review and meta-analysis of the health and survival of volunteers.

PubMed

Jenkinson, Caroline E; Dickens, Andy P; Jones, Kerry; Thompson-Coon, Jo; Taylor, Rod S; Rogers, Morwenna; Bambra, Clare L; Lang, Iain; Richards, Suzanne H

2013-08-23

Volunteering has been advocated by the United Nations, and American and European governments as a way to engage people in their local communities and improve social capital, with the potential for public health benefits such as improving wellbeing and decreasing health inequalities. Furthermore, the US Corporation for National and Community Service Strategic Plan for 2011-2015 focused on increasing the impact of national service on community needs, supporting volunteers' wellbeing, and prioritising recruitment and engagement of underrepresented populations. The aims of this review were to examine the effect of formal volunteering on volunteers' physical and mental health and survival, and to explore the influence of volunteering type and intensity on health outcomes. Experimental and cohort studies comparing the physical and mental health outcomes and mortality of a volunteering group to a non-volunteering group were identified from twelve electronic databases (Cochrane Library, Medline, Embase, PsychINFO, CINAHL, ERIC, HMIC, SSCI, ASSIA, Social Care Online, Social Policy and Practice) and citation tracking in January 2013. No language, country or date restrictions were applied. Data synthesis was based on vote counting and random effects meta-analysis of mortality risk ratios. Forty papers were selected: five randomised controlled trials (RCTs, seven papers); four non-RCTs; and 17 cohort studies (29 papers). Cohort studies showed volunteering had favourable effects on depression, life satisfaction, wellbeing but not on physical health. These findings were not confirmed by experimental studies. Meta-analysis of five cohort studies found volunteers to be at lower risk of mortality (risk ratio: 0.78; 95% CI: 0.66, 0.90). There was insufficient evidence to demonstrate a consistent influence of volunteering type or intensity on outcomes. Observational evidence suggested that volunteering may benefit mental health and survival although the causal mechanisms remain

Lanreotide inhibits human jejunal secretion induced by prostaglandin E1 in healthy volunteers.

PubMed

Sobhani, I; René, E; Ramdani, A; Bayod, F; Sabbagh, L C; Thomas, F; Mignon, M

1996-02-01

1. Somatostatin inhibits hormonal secretions in the gastrointestinal tract. Somatostatin analogues are used in the treatment of VIPome-related watery diarrhoea. In addition, more than 10% of patients with AIDS suffer from diarrhoea likely due to the increased intestinal secretion of water and ions. However, the direct effect of somatostatin on the flux of water and ions in the intestine has not been, so far, analyzed in vivo. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of lanreotide, a somatostatin analogue, on the movements of water and ions in the jejunum in man. 2. Accordingly, 10 healthy volunteers (age 18-35 years, mean 27) and two patients with AIDS (26 and 33 years) suffering from water diarrhoea (> 800 ml day-1) underwent intestinal perfusion using a four lumen tube with proximal occluding balloon. The segment tested was 25 cm long. The jejunum was infused by an isotonic control saline solution containing polyethylene glycol (PEG) as nonabsorbable marker. Basal jejunal secretions were measured in all subjects. Prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) was administered intraluminally to stimulate jejunal secretion in healthy volunteers. The effect of intravenous lanreotide on the jejunal PGE1-induced secretions of water and electrolytes was analysed in healthy subjects and on the basal secretions in AIDS patients. Each period was analyzed on the basis of three (10 min) successive intestinal juice collections after 20-30 min equilibration time. The antisecretory effect of lanreotide was evaluated in each subject as the difference between fluxes compared to the control period. 3. In healthy volunteers, PGE1 induced secretion of H2O, Na+, K+ and Cl- in the jejunum and lanreotide reduced significantly PGE1-induced response. In both AIDS patients basal fluxes of water and ions were reduced by lanreotide in a dose-dependent manner. 4. Somatostatin can reduce stimulated-jejunal secretion of ions and water in normal subjects and may improve water diarrhoea in AIDS

Why Volunteer? Understanding Motivations for Student Volunteering

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holdsworth, Clare

2010-01-01

The profile of volunteering in English Higher Education (HE) has been enhanced in recent years through various initiatives that have not only funded activities, but have sought to expand the range of volunteering opportunities available to students and recognise the contribution that volunteering can make to students' employability. This expansion…

[Caring for women with HIV/AIDS: an interactionist analysis from the perspective of female healthcare professionals].

PubMed

Porto, Tainara Serodio Amim Rangel; Silva, Carla Marins; Vargens, Octavio Muniz da Costa

2014-06-01

The aim of this study was to know the meanings attributed by female health professionals to the process of caring for women with HIV, considering their vulnerability in the context of feminization of HIV/AIDS. It is a qualitative study based on the grounded theory method and symbolic interactionism, conducted in two public maternity hospitals in Rio de Janeiro, from November 2009 to April 2010. Data were collected by means of semi-structured interviews with twelve female health professionals. The core category that emerged was "Speaking as a Professional and Thinking about Caring" which focused on the meaning of care, and the integration of two categories, the first being the concerns of being a woman/professional caring for women with HIV and the second being the meanings of professional care provided to women with the virus. It was concluded that the professionals still maintained the former perception of HIV/AIDS, contributing to increased gender vulnerability to HIV, discrimination and prejudice.

Children with HIV/AIDS: A Sourcebook for Caring. A Guide for Establishing Programs for Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allbritten, Dorothy J.

This manual is intended for administrators and professional caregivers who wish to provide comprehensive health care to children with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection, the cause of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Chapter 1, an overview, examines the societal and economic issues that affect care and treatment of children…

College Students' Volunteering: Factors Related to Current Volunteering, Volunteer Settings, and Motives for Volunteering

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, Erin W.; Warta, Samantha; Erichsen, Kristen

2014-01-01

Research has not explored the types of settings that college students prefer to volunteer for and how these settings might be influenced by personal factors (e.g., demographic, academic major, volunteering motivation, religiosity). Students from a Midwestern university (N = 406, 71.9% female) completed a survey that inquired about their…

Relationship between health promotion volunteer experience and medical costs: Hoken-hodouin activities in Suzaka, Nagano.

PubMed

Imamura, Haruhiko; Murakami, Yoshitaka; Okamura, Tomonori; Nishiwaki, Yuji

2017-01-01

Objectives This study demonstrated the relationship between experience as a health promotion volunteer (Hoken-hodouin) and medical costs in Japan. The study area was Suzaka City (March 2016 population: 51,637) in Nagano Prefecture, Japan, where a total of about 300 women have been engaged and trained as health promotion volunteers since 1958.Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2014 using a self-administered questionnaire, which included items on experiences as a health promotion volunteer, age at engagement, leadership status, and satisfaction with the experience. Eligible study participants were all residents of Suzaka aged 65 years or over. Medical cost data from April 2013 to March 2014 were collected for women aged 65-74 years who were beneficiaries of the Japanese National Health Insurance (n=2,304). Medical consultation rates and costs for treatment at outpatient and inpatient clinics were analyzed as outcomes. Adjustments were made for age, marital status, educational level, cohabitation status, equivalent income, alcohol use, smoking status, awareness about a healthy diet, and walking time per day.Results Of the 2,304 study participants, 1,274 (55.3%) had experience as health promotion volunteers. Poisson regression analysis revealed that volunteers' experience was positively associated with outpatient care rates (adjusted relative risk [RR]=1.04; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.02-1.07), and negatively associated with inpatient care rates (RR=0.74; 95% CI=0.56-0.98). Multivariate regression analysis revealed that the adjusted geometric means of outpatient and inpatient care costs were 7% and 23% lower, respectively, among participants with volunteer experience than that among those with no volunteer experience (140,588-151,465 JPY for outpatient costs; 418,457-539,971 JPY for inpatient costs). These associations were stronger among participants who began health promotion volunteer at age 60 years or more, those who had leadership roles

Volunteer Services.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Little (Arthur D.), Inc., Washington, DC.

This report presents important issues involved in the use of volunteers in the juvenile justice system. Chapter I discusses volunteer program designs, organizational structure, potential program applications, and public relations. Chapter II reviews the volunteer: who he is, his motives for volunteering, and suggestions for recruiting, screening,…

Nurse led home-based care for people with HIV/AIDS.

PubMed

Wood, Elizabeth M; Zani, Babalwa; Esterhuizen, Tonya M; Young, Taryn

2018-03-27

Home-based care is used in many countries to increase quality of life and limit hospital stay, particularly where public health services are overburdened. Home-based care objectives for HIV/AIDS can include medical care, delivery of antiretroviral treatment and psychosocial support. This review assesses the effects of home-based nursing on morbidity in people infected with HIV/AIDS. The trials studied are in HIV positive adults and children, regardless of sex or setting and all randomised controlled. Home-based care provided by qualified nurses was compared with hospital or health-facility based treatment. The following electronic databases were searched from January 1980 to March 2015: AIDSearch, CINAHL, Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials, EMBASE, MEDLINE and PsycINFO/LIT, with an updated search in November 2016. Two authors independently screened titles and abstracts from the electronic search based on the study design, interventions and types of participant. For all selected abstracts, full text articles were obtained. The final study selection was determined with use of an eligibility form. Data extraction was performed independently from assessment of risk of bias. The results were analysed by narrative synthesis, in order to be able to obtain relevant effect measures plus 95% confidence intervals. Seven studies met the inclusion criteria. The trial size varied from 37 to 238 participants. Only one trial was conducted in children. Five studies were conducted in the USA and two in China. Four studies looked at home-based adherence support and the rest at providing home-based psychosocial support. Reported adherence to antiretroviral drugs improved with nurse-led home-based care but did not affect viral load. Psychiatric nurse support in those with existing mental health conditions improved mental health and depressive symptoms. Home-based psychological support impacted on HIV stigma, worry and physical functioning and in certain cases depressive symptoms

Build Trust Index for Volunteered Geographic Information: A Case Study of Safecast

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xin, Y.; Cervone, G.

2017-12-01

Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI), defined as geographic information contributed voluntarily by amateurs, have grown exponentially nowadays with the aid of ubiquitous GPS-enabled telecommunication technologies. VGI projects, like Wikimapia, OpenStreetMap, Flickr and Safecast have shown remarkable success on leveraging citizen science to increase our knowledge about the geographic world. However, in spite of its growing popularity, VGI is still facing the most challenging problem of ensuring data quality. In this study, we proposed a methodology to filter outliers in Safecast measurements through cross-reference among volunteers. Based on the outliers filtered, a trust index is generated for each volunteer. The results are validated using official radiation measurements surveyed by Department of Energy. The validation shows that removing the outliers filtered by our methodology, Safecast measurements yield a better correlation with official measurements.

Volunteers in Education: Materials for Volunteer Programs and the Volunteer.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Washington, DC. Office of Citizen Participation.

This publication contains materials which have been developed, adapted, and utilized by school volunteer programs. Under program operation and coordination, there are: (1) plans for recruiting, speaking, and youth tutoring youth; and (2) sample application, request, and evaluation forms and guidelines for reading volunteers, school volunteer…

Institutional Facilitation in Sustained Volunteering among Older Adult Volunteers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tang, Fengyan; Morrow-Howell, Nancy; Hong, Songiee

2009-01-01

As more nonprofit organizations rely on older adult volunteers to provide services, it is important to retain volunteers for an extended period of time to ensure service quality and the beneficial outcomes of volunteering. Nonprofit organizations are positioned to facilitate older adult volunteers' role performance. Based on an institutional…

[The participation of seniors in volunteer activities: a systematic review].

PubMed

Godbout, Elisabeth; Filiatrault, Johanne; Plante, Michelle

2012-02-01

Volunteer work can be a very significant form of social participation for seniors. It can also provide seniors with important physical and psychological health benefits. This explains why occupational therapists and other health care professionals, as well as community workers who are concerned with healthy aging, appeal to seniors to volunteer in health promotion and community support However, the recruitment and ongoing involvement of seniors as volunteers is often challenging. A systematic review of the literature was undertaken to enlighten practitioners working in this domain. The objective was to identify factors that influence seniors' participation in volunteer work. Six bibliographic databases were searched using key words. A total of 27 relevant papers were retrieved and allowed an identification of a series of factors that could influence seniors' participation in volunteer work, namely personal factors, environmental factors, and occupational factors. This analysis leads to practical guidelines for facilitating the recruitment and maintenance of seniors' engagement in volunteer work.

We care don't we? Social workers, the profession and HIV/AIDS.

PubMed

Hall, Nigel

2007-01-01

The HIV/AIDS epidemic has impacted all levels of society from the individual to the macro-economic. The continuing spread of infection around the world means that traditional methods of care and support are put under extreme pressure and many families lose their capacity to cope. Social workers are involved in providing care, counseling and support to those affected, and in developing programmes and other interventions to prevent the spread of the disease. Prevention and behaviour change are vital, but access to treatment is an ethical imperative, particularly in developing countries where the epidemic is most prevalent. Social work is a profession uniquely situated to demonstrate leadership in multi-sectoral collaboration in responding to this pandemic. Consequently this paper briefly reviews the scale and current nature of the epidemic and then considers how social workers can help build more compassionate policies at an international level. Social workers can help to create awareness of the negative effects of poverty, tackle gender inequity, help build more effective coalitions and partnerships, and work with other concerned groups and organisations to end stigma and discrimination. Using case examples the paper considers how social workers can help develop caring strategies that improve the lives of those living with HIV and AIDS.

The role of prehealth student volunteers at a student-run free clinic in New York, United States.

PubMed

Shabbir, Syed H; Santos, Maria Teresa M

2015-01-01

The medical student-run Einstein Community Health Outreach Clinic provides free healthcare to the uninsured adult population of New York, the United States. During the summer, prehealth student volunteers are recruited to assist with clinic operations. We designed a survey study to identify the baseline characteristics of the volunteers between June and August of 2013 and 2014 in order to evaluate the influence of working in a medical student-run free clinic on their education, impressions, and career goals. A total of 38 volunteers (response rate, 83%) participated in the study. The volunteers were demographically diverse and interested in primary care specialties and community service. After the Einstein Community Health Outreach program, the volunteers showed an improved understanding of the healthcare process and issues relevant to uninsured patients. They also developed favorable attitudes towards primary care medicine and an increased level of interest in pursuing careers in primary care.

Burden experienced by community health volunteers in Taiwan: a survey

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Volunteers in Taiwan complement the delivery of health services by paid health professionals. However, in doing so, community health volunteers experience burdens associated with their activities. The reasons for these burdens and degree to which they are experienced are explored in this paper. Our study adds to international research regarding the burden experienced by volunteers. This project is the first to assess how community health volunteers in Taiwan experience burden. Methods The 20 item Burden on Community Health Volunteer (BCHV) instrument, specifically designed for this project, was administered to 435 volunteers attached to Community Health Promotion Development Centres in northern Taiwan. Results The overall burden experienced by volunteers is relatively low. However, a multivariate adjusted regression analysis revealed significant differences in volunteer burden depending on the number of people each volunteer served on average per week, as well as the volunteer’s marital status and their perceptions about personal health. Volunteers who served many people and who perceived their own health as poor experienced a higher level of burden. Those who were a widow or a widower felt less burdened than others. Conclusions The results of the study identify areas where burden is high and where strategies can be developed to reduce the level of burden experienced by community health volunteers in Taiwan. Community health volunteers in Taiwan complement the role of nurses and other health care providers so their retention is important to ongoing service delivery. PMID:23687966

Organizational factors and mental health in community volunteers. The role of exposure, preparation, training, tasks assigned, and support.

PubMed

Thormar, Sigridur Bjork; Gersons, Berthold P R; Juen, Barbara; Djakababa, Maria Nelden; Karlsson, Thorlakur; Olff, Miranda

2013-01-01

During disasters, aid organizations often respond using the resources of local volunteer members from the affected population who are not only inexperienced, but who additionally take on some of the more psychologically and physically difficult tasks in order to provide support for their community. Although not much empirical evidence exists to justify the claim, it is thought that preparation, training, and organizational support limit (or reduce) a volunteer's risk of developing later psychopathology. In this study, we examined the effects of preparation, training, and organizational support and assigned tasks on the mental health of 506 Indonesian Red Cross volunteers who participated in the response to a massive earthquake in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, in 2006. Controlling for exposure level, the volunteers were assessed for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, and subjective health complaints (SHCs) 6, 12, and 18 months post-disaster. Results showed high levels of PTSD and SHCs up to 18 months post-disaster, while anxiety and depression levels remained in the normal range. Higher levels of exposure as well as certain tasks (e.g., provision of psychosocial support to beneficiaries, handling administration, or handing out food aid) made the volunteers more vulnerable. Sense of safety, expressed general need for support at 6 months, and a lack of perceived support from team leaders and the organization were also related to greater psychopathology at 18 months. The results highlight the importance of studying organizational factors. By incorporating these results into future volunteer management programs the negative effects of disaster work on volunteers can be ameliorated.

Providing primary health care with non-physicians.

PubMed

Chen, P C

1984-04-01

The definition of primary health care is basically the same, but the wide variety of concepts as to the form and type of worker required is largely due to variations in economic, demographic, socio-cultural and political factors. Whatever form it takes, in many parts of the developing world, it is increasingly clear that primary health care must be provided by non-physicians. The reasons for this trend are compelling, yet it is surprisingly opposed by the medical profession in many a developing country. Nonetheless, numerous field trials are being conducted in a variety of situations in several countries around the world. Non-physician primary health care workers vary from medical assistants and nurse practitioners to aide-level workers called village mobilizers, village volunteers, village aides and a variety of other names. The functions, limitations and training of such workers will need to be defined, so that an optimal combination of skills, knowledge and attitudes best suited to produce the desired effect on local health problems may be attained. The supervision of such workers by the physician and other health professionals will need to be developed in the spirit of the health team. An example of the use of non-physicians in providing primary health care in Sarawak is outlined.

Can Schools Support HIV/AIDS-Affected Children? Exploring the 'Ethic of Care' amongst Rural Zimbabwean Teachers.

PubMed

Campbell, Catherine; Andersen, Louise; Mutsikiwa, Alice; Madanhire, Claudius; Nyamukapa, Constance; Gregson, Simon

2016-01-01

How realistic is the international policy emphasis on schools 'substituting for families' of HIV/AIDS-affected children? We explore the ethic of care in Zimbabwean schools to highlight the poor fit between the western caring schools literature and daily realities of schools in different material and cultural contexts. Interviews and focus groups were conducted with 44 teachers and 55 community members, analysed in light of a companion study of HIV/AIDS-affected pupils' own accounts of their care-related experiences. We conceptualise schools as spaces of engagement between groups with diverse needs and interests (teachers, pupils and surrounding community members), with attention to the pathways through which extreme adversity impacts on those institutional contexts and social identifications central to giving and receiving care. Whilst teachers were aware of how they might support children, they seldom put these ideas into action. Multiple factors undermined caring teacher-pupil relationships in wider contexts of poverty and political uncertainty: loss of morale from low salaries and falling professional status; the inability of teachers to solve HIV/AIDS-related problems in their own lives; the role of stigma in deterring HIV/AIDS-affected children from disclosing their situations to teachers; authoritarian teacher-learner relations and harsh punishments fuelling pupil fear of teachers; and lack of trust in the wider community. These factors undermined: teacher confidence in their skills and capacity to support affected pupils and motivation to help children with complex problems; solidarity and common purpose amongst teachers, and between teachers and affected children; and effective bridging alliances between schools and their surrounding communities-all hallmarks of HIV-competent communities. We caution against ambitious policy expansions of teachers' roles without recognition of the personal and social costs of emotional labour, and the need for significant

Evaluation of impact of social support and care on HIV-positive and AIDS individuals' quality of life: a nonrandomised community trial.

PubMed

Li, Xing-Ming; Yuan, Xiao-Qing; Wang, Jun-Jie; Zhang, Wan-Ying; Zhou, Yang; Liu, Gu-Ning

2017-02-01

Our study was conducted to further investigate the model of social support and care for People Living with HIV/AIDS(PLHA), to explore their role in People Living with AIDS's quality of life (QOL) as reference for improving nursing policies for AIDS. Social support and care are the most important factors impacting the QOL of People Living with HIV/AIDS, but most studies conducted upon the influence of social support and QOL of People Living with HIV/AIDS are mainly based on cross-sectional design. Our study was a nonrandomised controlled community intervention study. The participants diagnosed as People Living with HIV/AIDS at Beijing You An Hospital received a comprehensive social support care from December 2013 to December 2014. To evaluate the impact of social support and care model on People Living with HIV/AIDS, our study analysed the different dimension scores of social support scale and quality of life before and after the intervention. Correlation between the net benefit value of social support and that of QOL from various dimensions were analysed. There were significant differences in the score of objective support and usage of support (all p = 0·02) for social support. Net values of objective support score and usage of support were 0·25 and 0·19, respectively, after intervention. There were significant differences in physiological function, role physical, general health, vitality, social function, mental health, health transition and total score of quality of life (all p < 0·05). The canonical correlation analysis of net values of social support and QOL indicated that the first and second canonical correlation were statistically significant, with correlation coefficients of 0·53 (p = 0·00) and 0·21 (p = 0·04). Social support and care intervention model can effectively improve perceived subjective feeling on social support and QOL condition for People Living with HIV/AIDS. And strategies to improve social support and care intervention

Exploring Relationships Among Occupational Safety, Job Turnover, and Age Among Home Care Aides in Maine.

PubMed

Butler, Sandra S

2018-02-01

As the U.S. population ages, the number of people needing personal assistance in the home care setting is increasing dramatically. Personal care aides and home health workers are currently adding more jobs to the economy than any other single occupation. Home health workers face physically and emotionally challenging, and at times unsafe, work conditions, with turnover rates ranging from 44 percent to 65 percent annually. As part of a mixed-method, longitudinal study in Maine examining turnover, interviews with 252 home care aides were analyzed thematically. Responses to interview questions regarding the job's impact on health and safety, the adequacy of training, and the level of agency responsiveness were examined. Emergent themes, indicating some contradictory perspectives on workplace safety, quality of training, and agency support, were compared across three variables: job termination, occupational injury, and age. Implications for increasing occupational safety and job retention are discussed.

Palliative Care Questions and Answers (Hospice Care Comparison)

MedlinePlus

... usually there is a team including doctors, nurses, social workers and chaplains, similar to the hospice team. A team – doctor, nurse, social worker, chaplain, volunteer, home health aide and others. For ...

Helping Hands; Giving Volunteer Leaders a Place in the Extension Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Strow, Helen A.

The document is a guide for extension workers, to aid them in identifying and training local volunteer leaders, thereby adding a broader dimension to the extension worker's efforts and enabling him to increase by many times the number of families he is able to reach. Leadership is defined, the importance of leaders explained, and methods for…

Working with Volunteers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rowland, Virginia; And Others

1990-01-01

This special section features research concluding that volunteers find the time because they believe they have more time to help (Rowland); an extension program using volunteer master teachers (Feather); use of volunteer marketing professionals (Fromer); retaining volunteers through leadership training (Balliette, Smith); "problem" volunteers and…

Volunteer motivators for participating in HIV vaccine clinical trials in Nairobi, Kenya

PubMed Central

Mutua, Gaudensia N.; Sajabi, Rose; Nyasani, Delvin; Mureithi, Marianne W.; Anzala, Omu A.

2017-01-01

Background 1.5 million Kenyans are living with HIV/AIDS as per 2015 estimates. Though there is a notable decline in new HIV infections, continued effort is still needed to develop an efficacious, accessible and affordable HIV vaccine. HIV vaccine clinical trials bear risks, hence a need to understand volunteer motivators for enrolment, retention and follow-up. Understanding the factors that motivate volunteers to participate in a clinical trial can help to strategize, refine targeting and thus increase enrolment of volunteers in future HIV vaccine clinical trials. The health belief model classifies motivators into social benefits such as ‘advancing research’ and collaboration with science, and personal benefits such as health benefits and financial interests. Method A thematic analysis was carried out on data obtained from four HIV clinical trials conducted at KAVI-Institute of Clinical Research in Nairobi Kenya from 2009 to 2015. Responses were obtained from a Questionnaire administered to the volunteers during their screening visit at the research site. Results Of the 281 healthy, HIV-uninfected volunteers participating in this study; 38% were motivated by personal benefits including, 31% motivated by health benefits and 7% motivated by possible financial gains. In addition, 62% of the volunteers were motivated by social benefits with 20% of who were seeking to help their family/society/world while 42% were interested in advancing research. Conclusion The majority of volunteers in the HIV vaccine trials at our site were motivated by social benefits, suggesting that altruism can be a major contributor to participation in HIV vaccine studies. Personal benefits were a secondary motivator for the volunteers. The motivators to volunteer in HIV clinical trials were similar across ages, education level and gender. Education on what is needed (including volunteer participation) to develop an efficacious vaccine could be the key to greater volunteer motivation to

Volunteer motivators for participating in HIV vaccine clinical trials in Nairobi, Kenya.

PubMed

Nyaoke, Borna A; Mutua, Gaudensia N; Sajabi, Rose; Nyasani, Delvin; Mureithi, Marianne W; Anzala, Omu A

2017-01-01

1.5 million Kenyans are living with HIV/AIDS as per 2015 estimates. Though there is a notable decline in new HIV infections, continued effort is still needed to develop an efficacious, accessible and affordable HIV vaccine. HIV vaccine clinical trials bear risks, hence a need to understand volunteer motivators for enrolment, retention and follow-up. Understanding the factors that motivate volunteers to participate in a clinical trial can help to strategize, refine targeting and thus increase enrolment of volunteers in future HIV vaccine clinical trials. The health belief model classifies motivators into social benefits such as 'advancing research' and collaboration with science, and personal benefits such as health benefits and financial interests. A thematic analysis was carried out on data obtained from four HIV clinical trials conducted at KAVI-Institute of Clinical Research in Nairobi Kenya from 2009 to 2015. Responses were obtained from a Questionnaire administered to the volunteers during their screening visit at the research site. Of the 281 healthy, HIV-uninfected volunteers participating in this study; 38% were motivated by personal benefits including, 31% motivated by health benefits and 7% motivated by possible financial gains. In addition, 62% of the volunteers were motivated by social benefits with 20% of who were seeking to help their family/society/world while 42% were interested in advancing research. The majority of volunteers in the HIV vaccine trials at our site were motivated by social benefits, suggesting that altruism can be a major contributor to participation in HIV vaccine studies. Personal benefits were a secondary motivator for the volunteers. The motivators to volunteer in HIV clinical trials were similar across ages, education level and gender. Education on what is needed (including volunteer participation) to develop an efficacious vaccine could be the key to greater volunteer motivation to participate in HIV vaccine clinical trials.

Can biomedical and traditional health care providers work together? Zambian practitioners' experiences and attitudes towards collaboration in relation to STIs and HIV/AIDS care: a cross-sectional study

PubMed Central

Kaboru, Berthollet Bwira; Falkenberg, Torkel; Ndubani, Phillimon; Höjer, Bengt; Vongo, Rodwell; Brugha, Ruairi; Faxelid, Elisabeth

2006-01-01

Background The World Health Organization's World health report 2006: Working together for health underscores the importance of human resources for health. The shortage of trained health professionals is among the main obstacles to strengthening low-income countries' health systems and to scaling up HIV/AIDS control efforts. Traditional health practitioners are increasingly depicted as key resources to HIV/AIDS prevention and care. An appropriate and effective response to the HIV/AIDS crisis requires reconsideration of the collaboration between traditional and biomedical health providers (THPs and BHPs). The aim of this paper is to explore biomedical and traditional health practitioners' experiences of and attitudes towards collaboration and to identify obstacles and potential opportunities for them to collaborate regarding care for patients with sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV/AIDS. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study in two Zambian urban sites, using structured questionnaires. We interviewed 152 biomedical health practitioners (BHPs) and 144 traditional health practitioners (THPs) who reported attending to patients with STIs and HIV/AIDS. Results The study showed a very low level of experience of collaboration, predominated by BHPs training THPs (mostly traditional birth attendants) on issues of safe delivery. Intersectoral contacts addressing STIs and HIV/AIDS care issues were less common. However, both groups of providers overwhelmingly acknowledged the potential role of THPs in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Obstacles to collaboration were identified at the policy level in terms of legislation and logistics. Lack of trust in THPs by individual BHPs was also found to inhibit collaboration. Nevertheless, as many as 40% of BHPs expressed an interest in working more closely with THPs. Conclusion There is indication that practitioners from both sectors seem willing to strengthen collaboration with each other. However, there are missed

Is volunteering a public health intervention? A systematic review and meta-analysis of the health and survival of volunteers

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Volunteering has been advocated by the United Nations, and American and European governments as a way to engage people in their local communities and improve social capital, with the potential for public health benefits such as improving wellbeing and decreasing health inequalities. Furthermore, the US Corporation for National and Community Service Strategic Plan for 2011–2015 focused on increasing the impact of national service on community needs, supporting volunteers’ wellbeing, and prioritising recruitment and engagement of underrepresented populations. The aims of this review were to examine the effect of formal volunteering on volunteers’ physical and mental health and survival, and to explore the influence of volunteering type and intensity on health outcomes. Methods Experimental and cohort studies comparing the physical and mental health outcomes and mortality of a volunteering group to a non-volunteering group were identified from twelve electronic databases (Cochrane Library, Medline, Embase, PsychINFO, CINAHL, ERIC, HMIC, SSCI, ASSIA, Social Care Online, Social Policy and Practice) and citation tracking in January 2013. No language, country or date restrictions were applied. Data synthesis was based on vote counting and random effects meta-analysis of mortality risk ratios. Results Forty papers were selected: five randomised controlled trials (RCTs, seven papers); four non-RCTs; and 17 cohort studies (29 papers). Cohort studies showed volunteering had favourable effects on depression, life satisfaction, wellbeing but not on physical health. These findings were not confirmed by experimental studies. Meta-analysis of five cohort studies found volunteers to be at lower risk of mortality (risk ratio: 0.78; 95% CI: 0.66, 0.90). There was insufficient evidence to demonstrate a consistent influence of volunteering type or intensity on outcomes. Conclusion Observational evidence suggested that volunteering may benefit mental health and survival

Buying a Hearing Aid

MedlinePlus

... hearing aids? Federal regulation prohibits any hearing aid sale unless the buyer has first received a physician’s ... care of your hearing aids and other helpful strategies. How should I begin wearing the aids? Start ...

Are Volunteer Satisfaction and Enjoyment Related to Cessation of Volunteering by Older Adults?

PubMed

Okun, Morris; Infurna, Frank J; Hutchinson, Ianeta

2016-05-01

Previous research indicates that volunteer satisfaction and enjoyment do not exert direct effects on the cessation of volunteering by older adults. This study examined whether satisfaction with and enjoyment of volunteering indirectly affect volunteer cessation via hours volunteered. Our sample consisted of participants in the Americans' Changing Lives study (N = 380) who were 65 years old and older and who volunteered at Wave 1. Volunteer satisfaction, volunteer enjoyment, hours volunteered, and several covariates were assessed at Wave 1, and volunteer cessation was assessed 3 years later at Wave 2. Volunteer satisfaction and volunteer enjoyment were positively associated with hours volunteered, and more hours volunteered was associated with decreased likelihood of volunteer cessation. The indirect effects of volunteer satisfaction and volunteer enjoyment on volunteer cessation via hours volunteered were -.023 (p = .059) and -.036 (p = .015), respectively. The dynamics of volunteer cessation are important because a volunteer shortage is forecasted and because the benefits of volunteering may attenuate when volunteering stops. Future research should test the proposed causal sequence using longitudinal data with at least 3 waves. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Development of a Buddy Program Handbook for Dayspring AIDS Support Services (DASS).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McKinnon, Norma M.

Dayspring AIDS support services (DASS), a New England-based health organization, like many service organizations that rely on part-time and volunteer help, lacked the funds needed to improve and/or renew part-time staff and volunteer knowledge and skills. This paper describes an innovative way in which the professional development needs of DASS's…

The Importance of Volunteer Leaders: An Assessment of Volunteer Leader Competencies Following Volunteer Leader Identification and Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morrison, Carley Calico

2017-01-01

Volunteer leaders are an underutilized resource in nonprofit organizations. However, as volunteer directors are stretched to their capacity, others in the organization must provide leadership to volunteers. One way for nonprofit organizations to increase their capacity is to develop the leadership skills of identified volunteer leaders. Because…

Should desperate volunteers be included in randomised controlled trials?

PubMed Central

Allmark, P; Mason, S

2006-01-01

Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) sometimes recruit participants who are desperate to receive the experimental treatment. This paper defends the practice against three arguements that suggest it is unethical first, desperate volunteers are not in equipoise. Second clinicians, entering patients onto trials are disavowing their therapeutic obligation to deliver the best treatment; they are following trial protocols rather than delivering individualised care. Research is not treatment; its ethical justification is different. Consent is crucial. Third, desperate volunteers do not give proper consent: effectively, they are coerced. This paper responds by advocating a notion of equipoise based on expert knowledge and widely shared values. Where such collective, expert equipoise exists there is a prima facie case for an RCT. Next the paper argues that trial entry does not involve clinicians disavowing their therapeutic obligation; individualised care based on insufficient evidence is not in patients best interest. Finally, it argues that where equipoise exists it is acceptable to limit access to experimental agents; desperate volunteers are not coerced because their desperation does not translate into a right to receive what they desire. PMID:16943339

Should desperate volunteers be included in randomised controlled trials?

PubMed

Allmark, P; Mason, S

2006-09-01

Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) sometimes recruit participants who are desperate to receive the experimental treatment. This paper defends the practice against three arguments that suggest it is unethical first, desperate volunteers are not in equipoise. Second clinicians, entering patients onto trials are disavowing their therapeutic obligation to deliver the best treatment; they are following trial protocols rather than delivering individualised care. Research is not treatment; its ethical justification is different. Consent is crucial. Third, desperate volunteers do not give proper consent: effectively, they are coerced. This paper responds by advocating a notion of equipoise based on expert knowledge and widely shared values. Where such collective, expert equipoise exists there is a prima facie case for an RCT. Next the paper argues that trial entry does not involve clinicians disavowing their therapeutic obligation; individualised care based on insufficient evidence is not in patients best interest. Finally, it argues that where equipoise exists it is acceptable to limit access to experimental agents; desperate volunteers are not coerced because their desperation does not translate into a right to receive what they desire.

The Effect of Volunteering at a Student-Run Free Healthcare Clinic on Medical Students' Self-Efficacy, Comfortableness, Attitude, and Interest in Working with the Underserved Population and Interest in Primary Care.

PubMed

Tran, Kelvin; Kovalskiy, Aleksandr; Desai, Anand; Imran, Amna; Ismail, Rahim; Hernandez, Caridad

2017-02-23

The number of primary care physicians in the United States continues to lag behind the number of uninsured people. There has been a growing demand for medical students to improve their self-efficacy, comfortableness, attitude, and interest in working with the underserved and in primary care. This study aims to discern whether volunteering at a student-run, free healthcare clinic has a positive impact on these five variables of interest or not. A 95-item survey was distributed through Qualtrics Survey Software (Qualtrics, Provo, UT, USA) to medical students from the Class of 2018 and Class of 2019 at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine. They were recruited via emails, Facebook, and in-classroom announcements. Mean responses on a Likert-like scale to different survey items were collected and compared between two study cohorts: Keeping Neighbors In Good Health Through Service (KNIGHTS) Clinic volunteers and non-volunteers. Results from 128 students showed no significant differences in the means between the two cohorts (p-values were not significant). When volunteers were asked the survey item, "KNIGHTS Clinic positively influenced my attitude towards working with underserved patients," 62% strongly agreed, 26% agreed, 10% were neutral, and 2% disagreed. Based on the results, volunteering at KNIGHTS Clinic may not have a positive impact on the five variables of interest. However, the lack of significance may also be due to certain limitations of this study addressed elsewhere in this paper. With the majority of KNIGHTS Clinic volunteers agreeing that "KNIGHTS Clinic positively influenced […their] attitude towards working with underserved patients," there may be a positive impact of volunteering on volunteers' attitude towards working with the underserved.

Articulation Matrix for Home Health Aide, Nursing Assistant, Patient Care Assistant, Practical Nursing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Florida State Univ., Tallahassee. Center for Instructional Development and Services.

This document demonstrates the relationships among four Florida nursing education programs (home health aide, nursing assistant, patient care assistant, and practical nursing) by listing student performance standards and indicating which ones are required in each program. The 268 student performance standards are arranged in 23 areas of…

Challenges and opportunities in healthcare volunteer management: insights from volunteer administrators.

PubMed

Rogers, Sean E; Rogers, Carmen M; Boyd, Karen D

2013-01-01

Volunteer administrators from 105 hospitals in five states in the northeast and southern United States provided open-ended survey responses about what they perceived to be the most pressing challenges and opportunities facing healthcare volunteer management. Taken together, these 105 hospitals used a total of 39,008 volunteers and 5.3 million volunteer hours during a 12-month period between 2010 and 2011. A qualitative content analysis of administrator responses suggests that primary challenges include volunteer recruitment and retention, administrative issues, and operational difficulties brought about by the current economic crisis. Key opportunities include more explicitly linking the volunteer function to hospital outcomes and community impact, expanding volunteer recruitment pools and roles and jobs, and developing organizational support for volunteers and making the volunteer management function more efficient and effective.

From 'what' to 'how' -- capacity building in health promotion for HIV/AIDS prevention in the Solomon Islands.

PubMed

McPhail-Bell, Karen; MacLaren, David; Isihanua, Angela; MacLaren, Michelle

2007-09-01

This paper describes a capacity building process undertaken within the HIV/AIDS prevention project of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) in the Solomon Islands. ADRA HIV/AIDS has recently reoriented its project structure, moving beyond its awareness raising approach to incorporate health promotion frameworks, theories, strategies and assumptions. These have been used to inform project practice in project planning, delivery and evaluation. This paper shares what has worked and not worked in the capacity building process, including a project evaluation of the initial HIV/AIDS awareness raising project and the application of a number of capacity building strategies, including utilising a volunteer Australian Youth Ambassador for Development (AYAD) funded by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID). Existing and new projects are outlined. The underlying theme is that any capacity building exercise must include structural support (e.g. management, national frameworks) to ensure the incorporation of new initiatives and approaches. With time this enables ownership by counterparts and external partnerships to develop. The presence of an AYAD volunteer has been an effective strategy to achieve this. Reflections from the evaluators, the AYAD volunteer and the HIV/AIDS team are included.

Changing the food environment: the effect of trained volunteers on mealtime care for older people in hospital.

PubMed

Roberts, Helen C

2018-05-01

This review will describe the evidence for changing the hospital environment to improve nutrition of older people, with particular emphasis on the role of additional mealtime assistance. Poor nutrition among older people in hospital is well recognised in many countries and is associated with poor outcomes of hospital care including increased mortality and longer lengths of stay. Factors recognised to contribute to poor dietary intake include acute illness, co-morbidities, cognitive impairment, low mood and medication. The hospital environment has also been scrutinised with reports from many countries of food being placed out of reach or going cold because time-pressured ward and catering staff often struggle to help an increasingly dependent group of patients at mealtimes. Routine screening in hospital for people at risk of under nutrition is recommended. Coloured trays and protected mealtimes are widespread although there is relatively little evidence for their impact on dietary intake. Volunteers can be trained to sfely give additional mealtime assistance including feeding to older patients on acute medical wards. They can improve the quality of mealtime care for patients and nursing staff although the evidence for improved dietary intake is mixed. In conclusion, improving the nutrition of older patients in hospital is challenging. Initiatives such as routine screening, the use of coloured trays, protected mealtimes and additional mealtime assistance can work together synergistically. Volunteers are likely to be increasingly important in an era when healthcare systems are generally limited in both financial resources and the ability to recruit sufficient nursing staff.

Nurse Aide Education in Illinois.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shea, Mary Lou

Nurse aide education is an issue that governmental and health care agencies are addressing. Nurse aides are employed in numerous and varied health care agencies, such as hospitals, nursing homes, physician's offices, and private homes. Although there are no educational requirements for nurse aides in Illinois, there are a number of formal training…

76 FR 20215 - National Volunteer Week, 2011

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-12

... America A Proclamation America's story has been marked by the service of volunteers. Generations of... youth and caring for older Americans to supporting our veterans and military families and rebuilding... that we are our brother's keeper and our sister's keeper. Today, as many Americans face hardship, we...

Addressing refractive error visual impairment: volunteer organisations' alignment with Vision 2020 and public health principles.

PubMed

Pearce, Matthew G; Pearce, Nicole

2012-11-01

Eye care professionals have been making short visits to developing countries for decades in an effort to reduce visual impairment caused by refractive error. A 2006 survey revealed that volunteer organisations were not working within the Vision 2020 framework. Recommendations were made for volunteer organisations that would better align their work with accepted Vision 2020 and public health principles. This study re-evaluates the alignment of volunteer organisations with Vision 2020 and public health principles. To determine their philosophies and methods, a web-based survey was sent to 89 volunteer organisations identified from an internet search. The response rate was 48 per cent. Many (70.7 per cent) organisations exclusively mention direct service provision in their statement of purpose, often provided by student volunteers (75.6 per cent). A few (19.5 per cent) provide short training in refraction, not necessarily following best principles. The majority (82.1 per cent) dispenses recycled spectacles and many use medications not on national essential drug lists. Few attempt to follow aid effectiveness principles with only 26.8 per cent stating they follow Vision 2020 country plans. Overall, as in 2006, the work of these organisations is largely not in alignment with Vision 2020 and public health principles. Organisations interested in decreasing visual impairment due to refractive error in the developing world are encouraged to transition to organisations that not only recognise but also implement public health principles. This should include reprioritisation of their work to developing human resources and infrastructure, determining the burden and causes of disease, assisting in the training of mid-level personnel and providing professional and community education, collaborating via partnerships, discontinuing the use of recycled spectacles and inappropriate medications, and evaluating their outcomes. Following these recommendations as well as creating a better

Implementation of an Integrated Approach to the National HIV/AIDS Strategy for Improving Human Immunodeficiency Virus Care for Youths.

PubMed

Fortenberry, J Dennis; Koenig, Linda J; Kapogiannis, Bill G; Jeffries, Carrie L; Ellen, Jonathan M; Wilson, Craig M

2017-07-01

Youths aged 13 to 24 years old living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are less likely than adults to receive the health and prevention benefits of HIV treatments, with only a small proportion having achieved sustained viral suppression. These age-related disparities in HIV continuum of care are owing in part to the unique developmental issues of adolescents and young adults as well as the complexity and fragmentation of HIV care and related services. This article summarizes a national, multiagency, and multilevel approach to HIV care for newly diagnosed youths designed to bridge some of these fragmentations by addressing National HIV/AIDS Strategy goals for people living with HIV. Three federal agencies developed memoranda of understanding to sequentially implement 3 protocols addressing key National HIV/AIDS Strategy goals. The goals were addressed in the Adolescent Trials Network, with protocols implemented in 12 to 15 sites across the United States. Outcome data were collected from recently diagnosed youth referred to the program. Cross-agency collaboration, youth-friendly linkage to care services, community mobilization to address structural barriers to care, cooperation among services, proportion of all men who have sex with men who tested, and rates of linkage to prevention services. The program addressed National HIV/AIDS Strategy goals 2 through 4 including steps within each goal. A total of 3986 HIV-positive youths were referred for care, with more than 75% linked to care within 6 weeks of referral, with almost 90% of those youths engaged in subsequent HIV care. Community mobilization efforts implemented and completed structural change objectives to address local barriers to care. Age and racial/ethnic group disparities were addressed through targeted training for culturally competent, youth-friendly care, and intensive motivational interviewing training. A national program to address the National HIV/AIDS Strategy specifically for youths can

Psychiatric Aide II. Instructor's Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heimericks, Belinda K.

This instructor's guide is for a Psychiatric Aide II course intended to provide Psychiatric Aids Is who have demonstrated expertise in giving basic nursing care to the mentally ill with more advanced nursing interventions and techniques. (It is assumed that all nursing care the aides provide is under the direction of a Registered Nurse.)…

Palliative care volunteerism across the healthcare system: A survey study.

PubMed

Vanderstichelen, Steven; Houttekier, Dirk; Cohen, Joachim; Van Wesemael, Yanna; Deliens, Luc; Chambaere, Kenneth

2018-05-01

Volunteers fulfil several roles in supporting terminally ill people and their relatives and can positively influence quality of care. Healthcare in many countries faces resource constraints and some governments now expect communities to provide an increasing proportion of palliative care. However, systematic insights into volunteer presence, tasks and training and organisational challenges for volunteerism are lacking. Describe organised volunteerism in palliative direct patient care across the Flemish healthcare system (Belgium). A cross-sectional postal survey using a self-developed questionnaire was conducted with 342 healthcare organisations. The study included full population samples of palliative care units, palliative day-care centres, palliative home care teams, medical oncology departments, sitting services, community home care services and a random sample of nursing homes. Responses were obtained for 254 (79%) organisations; 80% have volunteers providing direct patient care. Psychosocial, signalling and existential care tasks were the most prevalent volunteer tasks. The most cited organisational barriers were finding suitable (84%) and new (80%) volunteers; 33% of organisations offered obligatory training (75% dedicated palliative care, 12% nursing homes). Differences in volunteer use were associated with training needs and prevalence of organisational barriers. Results suggest potential for larger volunteer contingents. The necessity of volunteer support and training and organisational coordination of recruitment efforts is emphasised. Organisations are encouraged to invest in adequate volunteer support and training. The potential of shared frameworks for recruitment and training of volunteers is discussed. Future research should study volunteerism at the volunteer level to contrast with organisational data.

3 CFR 8649 - Proclamation 8649 of April 7, 2011. National Volunteer Week, 2011

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 7, 2011 Proc. 8649 National Volunteer Week, 2011By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation America's story has been marked by the service of volunteers. Generations of selfless individuals... caring for older Americans to supporting our veterans and military families and rebuilding after...

Effectiveness of a training program to increase the capacity of health care providers to provide HIV/AIDS care and treatment in Swaziland.

PubMed

Kamiru, H N; Ross, M W; Bartholomew, L K; McCurdy, S A; Kline, M W

2009-11-01

Implementation of HIV care and treatment programs in sub-Saharan Africa is a complex undertaking that requires training of health care providers (HCPs). Many sub-Saharan African countries have introduced training programs to build human resources for health. Evaluation of the ongoing trainings is warranted so that programs can be improved. The purpose of this study was to evaluate Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative's (BIPAI) HCP training program in Swaziland. The specific aims were: (1) to assess coverage and delivery of the training program; and (2) to determine the impact of the training program on HCPs' knowledge about HIV and pediatric practices, attitudes toward HIV/AIDS patients, and self-efficacy to provide antiretroviral therapy (ART). The evaluation was a multimethod design with two types of data collection and analysis: (1) one-group pretest-posttest survey with 101 HCPs; and (2) semi-structured in-depth interviews with seven trainers from Baylor College of Medicine and 16 local HCPs in Swaziland. Quantitative data were analyzed using Stata Statistical Software version 8.2 for descriptive and multivariate analysis while factor analysis was done using Statistical Program for Social Sciences version 14. The transcribed interviews were analyzed using a didactic approach. Process evaluation showed that the training had good coverage, was delivered as intended, and improved as the work progressed. The training program led to a significant increase (p=0.0000) in HCPs' knowledge about HIV/AIDS, ART, and relevant clinical pediatrics practices between pretest (mean 68.7% SD 13.7) and post training (mean 84.0% SD 12.0). The training program also increased trainees' self-efficacy to provide ART and their attitudes toward AIDS patients (p=0.0000 and 0.02, respectively). In conclusion, BIPAI training program in Swaziland had good coverage of all health care facilities and HCPs in Swaziland. The training was effective in imparting knowledge and skills to

The HIV/AIDS epidemic in Indonesia: does primary health care as a prevention and intervention strategy work?

PubMed

Ibrahim, Kusman; Songwathana, Praneed; Boonyasopun, Umaporn; Francis, Karen

2010-04-01

The continuing increase in the number of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in Indonesia is impacting on society. Various policies and strategies have been adopted and implemented to tackle this epidemic including primary health-care (PHC) initiatives. This paper describes the current HIV/AIDS epidemic in Indonesia and highlights a range of prevention and intervention initiatives introduced to limit the spread and impact of this disease factors, such as the characteristics of high-risk groups, the decentralization policy in the health sector, and the lack of skilled human resources and supplies in health centres have been identified as influencing access to health-care services among high-risk groups. Revitalization of a PHC approach coupled with adequate fiscal, infrastructure and human resources if addressed will increase of PLWHA and other risk groups to health care.

Sex Trade and Health Care Utilization Among People Living with HIV/AIDS.

PubMed

Urada, Lianne A; Smith, Laramie R; Yore, Jennifer; Triplett, Daniel P; Hucks-Ortiz, Christopher; Raj, Anita

2018-05-10

People living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH) are more likely to have a history of trading sex, but little research has examined whether trading sex is associated with lower health care utilization amongst PLWH. This study assesses this association with PLWH (N = 583) recruited and surveyed from seven community sites in six US cities participating in a multi-site community-based HIV test and treat initiative. Participants were 90.6% Black or Latino, 30.4% homeless, and 9.0% (1 in 11) sold sex (past 90 days). Most reported receiving HIV clinical care (63.9%, past 6 months) and HIV case management (68.9%, past year), but 35.7% reported a missed health care appointment (past 3 months). In adjusted regression models, trading sex was associated with a missed health care appointment (OR = 2.44) and receiving psychological assistance (OR = 2.31), past 90 days, but not receipt of HIV care or supportive HIV services. Trading sex may compromise consistent health care utilization among PLWH.

Put a Face to a Name (Part A): The Effects of Photographic Aids on Patient Satisfaction, Clinician Communication, and Quality of Care

ClinicalTrials.gov

2014-04-04

Effects of Photographic Aids (Photos of Faces) on Patient Recall of Their Clinical Care Team; Effects of Photographic Aids (Photos of Faces) on Clinician-patient Communication; Effects of Photographic Aids (Photos of Faces) on Overall Patient Satisfaction

An Evaluation of Parent Aide Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Andrews, Mary P.; Swanson, Jane F.

A descriptive-comparative study was designed to document the service delivery functions and impacts of three different parent-aide programs ongoing in Michigan. The study took place over the period of summer 1978 to summer 1979. The programs involved in the study were the Genesee County Department of Social Services' Volunteer Services Parent-Aide…

Story sharing: enhancing nurse aide-resident relationships in long-term care.

PubMed

Heliker, Diane; Nguyen, Hoang Thanh

2010-10-01

National surveys often report nursing home deficiencies related to the preservation of residents' dignity and respectful care. Many nurse aides (NAs), who provide the majority of personal care, are unprepared to engage in empathic and meaningful relationships with residents. This article reports the findings of a pilot mixed method study comparing two interventions, Story Sharing (StS) and Communication Skills, on NA levels of mutuality, empathy, job attitude, and self-efficacy and resident levels of empathy and perceived caring behaviors. A quasi-experimental/interpretive phenomenological design was used. Total Mutuality and subscale (Shared Values, Affective Closeness, Shared Pleasurable Activities, Reciprocity) scores were significantly higher in the StS NA groups only, as were postintervention Empathy scores. Other trends are reported as well. StS is one approach toward helping NH staff and residents understand, respect, and connect with one another. Copyright 2010, SLACK Incorporated.