Hospital volunteer programs for older people: a systematic scoping review

Rosemary Saunders*, Francine Antoinette Ocampo, Renée Graham, Angela Christiansen, Michelle Gay, Karla Seaman

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

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Abstract

Introduction: Volunteers play an important role in supporting patients in hospitals, especially older adult patients who may have increased care needs. This systematic scoping review aimed to synthesise evidence related to qualitative evaluations of hospital-based therapeutically oriented volunteer programs for older patients from the perspective of clinicians (nurses, doctors, and allied health professionals), and stakeholders (patients, families, and volunteers). Methods: Nine databases were searched from January 2002 to November 2022. Of the 549 articles identified, 15 were included in the final review. Results: The evidence demonstrated that clinicians, patients, families, and volunteers could all see the benefits of volunteer programs for hospitalised older adults. Conclusion: The benefits of volunteer support for older adults in hospital to patients, nurses, family members and volunteers outweighs the challenges. As volunteers provide support to older adult patients alongside nurses the incorporation of volunteers into care teams needs to be considered.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)185-191
Number of pages7
JournalGeriatric Nursing
Volume61
Early online date16 Nov 2024
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2025

Bibliographical note

Copyright the Author(s) 2024. Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher.

Keywords

  • Hospitals
  • Older patient
  • Scoping review
  • Volunteers

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