A compassionate communities ’ programme to support volunteers to be carers at the end of life

IntroductionVolunteers are engaged in co-designing Compassionate Isle of Man along with the Programme Lead in Hospice Isle of Man. Volunteers sit on the Steering Committee which includes Third sector and statutory organisations and the Community Development Group to plan the project and also use their own lived experience to use and manage the Facebook site which informs the public about the programme.End of life care requires a sensitive approach and emotional preparation in order to support people in difficult times. Compassionate Isle of Man uses a bottom up approach which drives discussion and participation rather than more autocratic styles of organisation.   The aim of this study was to use this approach to develop a training package for volunteers and to support them to act as carers for those with life limiting illnesses in the community. A longer term aim is to evaluate the impact of this package on the volunteers’ wellbeing. MethodsThe training package was co-designed with 25 volunteers based on discussions about end of life care and their previous life experiences. It includes learning how to use social media, safety issues such as lone-working and reporting problems, loss and bereavement, adult and child protection, GDPR/confidentiality, and personal wellbeing. The volunteers are also trained in using personal protective equipment, patient mouth care and dementia awareness. A ‘WhatsApp’ group was set up to communicate with the volunteers and they are provi...
Source: International Journal of Integrated Care - Category: Nursing Source Type: research