Table 3.
Volunteer Activities by Settinga
| Volunteers working with inpatients | (N) N=128 | Volunteers working with day care patients | (N) N=154 | Volunteers working in patients' homes | % (N) N=54 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Serving meals and/or drinks | 90 (115) | Serving meals and/or drinks | 94 (144) | Giving emotional care to patients (e.g., sitting and talking) | 80 (43) |
| Greeting patients and visitors to the hospice or palliative care unit | 86 (110) | Greeting patients and visitors to the hospice or palliative care unit | 92 (141) | Giving emotional care to patients' families | 70 (38) |
| Giving emotional care to patients (e.g., sitting and talking) | 86 (110) | Sharing a hobby or activity with patients (e.g., music or poetry) | 92 (141) | Sharing a hobby or activity with patients (e.g., music or poetry) | 57 (31) |
| Sharing a hobby or activity with patients (e.g., music or poetry) | 75 (96) | Giving emotional care to patients (e.g., sitting and talking) | 90 (138) | Running errands for patients (e.g., shopping or collecting prescriptions) | 54 (29) |
| Giving emotional care to patients' families | 75 (96) | Driving | 86 (132) | Driving | 52 (28) |
| Driving | 73 (94) | Beauty therapy or hairdressing | 68 (104) | Assisting patients with social outings | 46 (25) |
| Beauty therapy or hairdressing | 68 (87) | Assisting patients with social outings | 54 (83) | Escorting patients to hospital appointments | 44 (24) |
| Sitting with patients in the last hours of life | 48 (62) | Giving emotional care to patients' families | 50 (76) | Serving meals and/or drinks | 43 (23) |
| Escorting patients to hospital appointments | 44 (56) | Escorting patients to other hospice facilities (e.g., gym) | 34 (52) | Sitting with patients in the last hours of life | 28 (15) |
| Running errands for patients (e.g., shopping or collecting prescriptions) | 38 (48) | Escorting patients to hospital appointments | 27 (42) | Giving advice and information to patients | 24 (13) |
| Assisting patients with social outings | 31 (39) | Running errands for patients (e.g., shopping or collecting prescriptions) | 23 (36) | Escorting patients to other hospice facilities (e.g., gym) | 20 (11) |
| Giving advice and information to patients | 23 (29) | Giving advice and information to patients | 20 (31) | Beauty therapy or hairdressing | 22 (12) |
| Giving physical care to patients (e.g., turning, lifting, and bathing) | 14 (18) | Giving physical care to patients (e.g., turning, lifting, and bathing) | 7 (4) |
a
Percentage of hospices/units with volunteers undertaking each activity, ranked by volunteer percentage within setting.