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New academic research features CHAS care volunteer.

One of our nursing volunteers, Kim Martin, is featured in a new publication: 'The Changing Face of Volunteering in Hospice and Palliative Care'. Co-edited by our former Director of Organisational Development (and now academic), Ros Scott, it's definitely worth a read.

Kim provided a case study and demonstrates our volunteer opportunities are wide-ranging, even include contributing to international research!

Kim provided a case study and demonstrates our volunteer opportunities are wide-ranging, even include contributing to international research!

'The Changing Face of Volunteering in Hospice and Palliative Care' looks at the complexities around volunteering in hospice and palliative care in different countries. It covers how and why volunteering is changing, including contributions of authors from Western and Eastern Europe, North America, Australia, Africa, and India. It reflects on the influence of culture and organisational contexts, in addition to management approaches, legislative, and political influences, highlighting factors that contribute to the success of volunteering.

The book highlights the factors that contribute to the success of volunteering models, showing possibilities for change and allowing readers to find new ideas for innovative practice in their own setting.

In her case study, Kim describes the work she does and the value she gets from volunteering with CHAS:

‘I volunteer twice a week at Rachel House, providing nursing support. I help the nursing team with lots of different tasks, such as helping with the children's personal care, housekeeping, and playing with siblings. It’s nice being able to work with lots of different members of staff and getting to know them better, as well as the children and families, of course. It means for a little while, I am able to help families who are going through some really challenging times. I feel honoured to be allowed in by the families, and to share their happy moments too – and there are many of them in Rachel House. Volunteering here also gives me the opportunity to refresh and strengthen my previous support work skills, with the added bonus of working with a really supportive, great bunch of people. It's a difficult job to do day in and day out and I think the atmosphere here at Rachel House is that of a family, with every area working together and supporting each other in order to provide the best level of care.

No matter how inconsequential something may seem to the outside world, it can mean so much more in Rachel House. Simple things like asking a family member if they’d like a cup of tea, or how they slept, means a lot to those who very rarely have time to focus on themselves. It may sound cliché, but my experience of volunteering is that whatever I give to the role I'm rewarded tenfold, and if I could do it more often I would!'

You can buy the book online here.

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