Roles and Boundaries

Roles of End-of-Life Care Volunteers

The end-of-life care volunteers under the JCECC Project focus mainly on providing psychosocial support. However, depends on the programme design, some volunteers also provide other types of support to patients and families. In short, the roles and functions of EoLC volunteers encompass:

Psychosocial Care

• Companion and social support: visit to patients at home or hospitals, facilitating communication between patients and family members, group activities, accompany on outings
• Psychosocial-spiritual care: life review, wish actualization, leisure activities
• Family support: bereavement care to families

Volunteers of individual programme may also provide the following services:

• Practical support: Escorting to clinics, Help with shopping, housekeeping
• Funeral support: accompany families in arranging and attending funeral
• Physical activities: motivate and teach patients to do exercises to stay active

Boundaries of EoLC Volunteers

The role of volunteer positions between formal and informal helpers; They are neither helping professionals nor friends. Because of this ambiguous nature of their role, a well-defined set of role boundaries is essential to standardize their functions, code of ethics, behavior and attitudes. Role boundaries of volunteers are crucial for: (1) communicating realistic expectations on what volunteers can help to service recipients, (2) helping volunteers to have a clear understanding on their roles and responsibilities, and thus avoid over-committing to clients’ problems, (3) building a healthy helping relationship, (4) enhancing the quality and stability of volunteer services, and (5) protect service recipients and volunteers.

With reference to the guidelines for volunteer services published by the Social Welfare Department, general code of volunteer practices include the followings:

References:

Burbeck, R., Candy, B., Low, J., & Rees, R. (2014). Understanding the role of volunteer in specialist palliative care: a systematic review and thematic synthesis of qualitative studies. BMC Palliative Care, Vol.13 (3). doi:10.1186/1472-684X-13-3.

Claxton-Oldfield, S., Gibbon, L., & Schmidt-Chamberlain, K. (2011b) “When to say “Yes” and When to Say “No”: Boundary issues for hospice palliative care volunteers. American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, Vol. 28(6), 429-434.

社會福利署(2014). 義工運動義工服務參考指引. 香港特別行政區︰社會福利署.