„Being there“
Abstract
Volunteer hospice teams are part of the nationwide Austrian concept of a ‘Graded Hospice and Palliative Care System’. This three-level system was commissioned by the Ministry of Health and developed by GÖG/ÖBIG, a national research and planning institute for health care, in joint cooperation with Hospice Austria
in 2004.
By the end of 2016, there were 3528 Hospice and Palliative Care volunteers in Austria. 2929 volunteers belonged to one of the 162 hospice teams and were involved in direct patient care, 599 volunteers were performing other tasks in their hospice teams or were working within coordinating organizations in their federal state (e.g. as board members, helping with fundraising, etc.). 86% of the volunteers were female. Volunteers contributed in total 405,204 hours. 256,325 (63%) of these were spent in direct patient care in all kinds of settings at home, in palliative care units, in day hospices, inpatient hospices and also in nursing homes.
Volunteers in direct patient care are required to undergo a training based on a standard curriculum developed
by Hospice Austria and are organized in teams with a (paid) coordinator.
Palliat Med Pract 2018; 12, 3: 131–134
Keywords: hospice careorganizationpalliative caretrainingvolunteers
References
- Gesundheit Österreich GmbH Abgestufte Hospiz- und Palliativversorgung für Erwachsene, Wien 2014 (2. Aktualisierte Auflage). https://www.bmgf.gv.at/cms/home/attachments/3/6/7/CH1071/CMS1103710970340/broschuere_hospiz-_und_palliativversorgung_1_12_2014.pdf.
- Radbruch L, Payne S, et al. White Paper on standards and norms for hospice and palliative care. European Journal of Palliative Care. 2009; 16(6): 278–289.
- Nemeth, C., Pochobradsky, E. Hospiz- und Palliativversorgung für Kinder, Jugendliche und junge Erwachsene (Graded System for Hospice and Palliative Care for children and young adults). GÖG/ÖBIG, Wien 2013. https://www.bmgf.gv.at/cms/home/attachments/3/6/7/CH1071/CMS1103710970340/hospiz-_und_palliativversorgung_fuer_kinder,_jugendliche_und_junge_erwachsene,_expertenkonzept_(2013).pdf .
- Gesundheit Österreich (ed) Prozesshandbuch Hospiz- und Palliativeinrichtungen (Handbook for quality of processes). Wien 2012. . https://www.bmgf.gv.at/cms/home/attachments/3/6/7/CH1071/CMS1103710970340/prozesshandbuch_hospiz-_und_palliativeinrichtungen_02-11-2012.pdf .
- www.hospiz.at, https://www.hospiz.at/fachwelt/qualitaetsmanagement/ .
- https://www.hospiz.at/fachwelt/qualitaetsmanagement/ .
- https://www.hospiz.at/statistik/ .
- http://www.hospiz.at/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/EA_CURRICULUM_NEU2011_final.pdf .
- http://www.hospiz.at/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/20130905_Curriculum_Kinder_DVHOEST_final.pdf .
- https://www.trauerbegleiten.at/anbieter-curriculum.
- The taskforce worked from 2014-2017. The results of a study on volunteers in Europe and of the „story project“ will be published later. The Taskforce was granted a second period (2017-2020) and will focus on training of volunteers and implementing the Charta. For more information about the taskforce please visit the EAPC Website www.eapcnet.eu.
- Goossensen A, Somsen J, Scott R, et al. Defining volunteering in hospice and palliative care in Europe: an EAPC White Paper. In EJPC 23(4. ; 2016: 184–191.
- http://bit.ly/EAPCVolunteeringCharter.
