Compassionate community connectors: a distinct form of end-of-life volunteering

Noonan, Kerrie; Rumbold, Bruce; Aoun, Samar

doi:10.1080/09699260.2022.2090051

Cited by 6 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…While the workforce compliance components required by WACHS are absorbed into the existing hospital volunteer programme, the Connectors also fall under the SWCCN governance and risk management, models discussed in our previous publication. 4 …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A number of public health programmes have developed new models of volunteering and fresh understandings of the roles that volunteers and community members may have in supporting palliative care services. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7] Community development strategies build upon the current skills of community members and aim to reduce social isolation by enhancing and supplementing people's existing social networks. Connector is thus a useful description for this volunteer role, as the volunteers' focus is upon enhancing or re-connecting relationships within the dying persons' social networks, recruiting further contributors to those networks, and improving communication between all involved in providing care.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Compassionate Communities Connectors model for end-of-life care: implementation and evaluation

et al. 2022

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Objectives: This pilot project aimed to develop, implement and evaluate a model of care delivered by community volunteers, called Compassionate Communities Connectors. The Connectors’ principal task was to support people living with advanced life-limiting illnesses or palliative care needs by enhancing their supportive networks with Caring Helpers enlisted from the local community. Methods: The project was undertaken in Western Australia, 2020–2022. A mixed methods research design incorporated a prospective cohort longitudinal design with two cross-sectional measurements, pre- and post-intervention. The primary outcome was the effect of the intervention on social connectedness. Secondary outcomes were the effect of the intervention on unmet practical or social needs and support from social networks, and the self-reported impact of the programme on social wellbeing such as coping with daily activities, access to formal services, community links, social activity and reducing social isolation. Results: Twenty Connectors were trained but 13 participated; 43 patients participated but 30 completed the study. Over half of these patients lived alone and 80% of their needs were in the social domain. There were significant improvements in social connectedness, reflected in reduced social isolation, better coping with daily activities and a two-fold increase in supportive networks. The programme was able to address gaps that formal services could not, particularly for people who lived alone, or were socially isolated in more rural communities that are out of the frequent reach of formal services. Conclusions: This project led to an ongoing programme that has been incorporated by the health service as ‘business as usual’, demonstrating rapid translation into practice. It has laid solid grounds for community capacity building with successful measurable outcomes in line with reports on similar programmes. Ongoing work is focused on replication in other communities to help them establish a similar model of care that better integrates formal and informal networks.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Compassionate Communities Connectors model for end-of-life care: implementation and evaluation

et al. 2022

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“…Our previous article proposed that Connector volunteers undertake a distinct form of palliative care volunteering. 32 As with traditional volunteering models, Connectors provide support to isolated community members and support people living with advanced life limiting illnesses/palliative care needs. The traditional role and Connector role are however distinguished by the nature of this support.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A further key difference is that Connectors actively help community members build their social and care networks. 31,32…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Compassionate Communities Connectors programme presents a distinct form of volunteering without the professionalisation mentioned above. 31,32 The programme is an initiative of The South West Compassionate Communities Network (SWCCN) in Western Australia (WA) in partnership with the WA Country Health Service (WACHS). 31,33 The Connectors’ role is to mobilise existing community assets (civic organisations, informal support groups, individuals) and encourage them to contribute to the practical and social support needed by people with terminal illnesses in their community.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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‘The more you give, the better it is for you. You know the reward is greater than the effort’: the Compassionate Communities Connectors’ experience

et al. 2022

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Background: The Compassionate Communities Connectors programme is a volunteer-led initiative designed to enhance the social networks of families living with chronic or life-limiting illnesses. Specially trained volunteers supported existing members of the families’ social networks and also enlisted the support of community members, Caring Helpers, to address the social and practical needs of these families. The programme is an initiative of The South West Compassionate Communities Network in Western Australia, in partnership with the health service. Objective: To explore the experiences and views of Connectors implementing this model of care with a particular focus on its feasibility and acceptability from their perspective. Methods: Semi-structured telephone interviews were undertaken with 11 Connectors covering their experience with 37 patients/family carers (March 2021 to April 2022). A deductive content analysis was used in analysing interview transcripts. Results: Six themes captured the Connectors’ view of their role and its impact on their clients and themselves: Mutual benefits from connection and reciprocity; It is ok to ask for and receive help; Sense of community as being ‘part of a village’; Making a difference in social connectedness; Frustrations when not achieving everything you want to; Reflecting on the difference with traditional volunteering. These themes are complemented by a social network mapping example and a vignette demonstrating the increase both in connections and interaction between these connections and the process by which such changes took place. Conclusion: Volunteering as a Connector has been a positive and feasible experience for fostering a sense of community among participants, developing relationships with other community members, seeing the difference that the Connector role makes in the lives of those involved in the enhanced network and fostering growth in Connectors’ emotional capacity and compassion. The work is challenging but rewarding and differs in several respects from traditional volunteering, particularly in the agency Connectors can bring to their role. A public health approach based on a close partnership between health services and communities/civic institutions is the optimal practice model.

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The Compassionate Communities Connectors programme: experiences of supported families and referring healthcare providers

et al. 2023

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Background and Aim: Comprehensive evaluations that include the experience of patients and service providers are vital if interventions are to be translated into the standard practice of health services and allow formal networks to work as partners with informal community networks. However, published evaluations are limited in the palliative care volunteering literature. The objective of the study is to explore the experiences and views of both patients and their family carers who received support and their referring healthcare providers concerning their participation in the Compassionate Communities Connectors programme, in the south-west region of Western Australia. Connectors identified and addressed gaps in community and healthcare provision by accessing resources and mobilising social networks of people with life-limiting illnesses. The perspectives of patients, carers and service providers concerning the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention were sought. Methods: Semistructured interviews were undertaken with 28 patients/families and 12 healthcare providers, resulting in 47 interviews in total (March 2021-April 2022). An inductive content analysis was used in analysing interview transcripts to identify key themes. Results: Families greatly appreciated the support and enablement received from the Connectors. Healthcare providers were impressed with the high level of resourcefulness exhibited by the Connectors and perceived a great need for the programme, particularly for those socially isolated. Three themes captured the patients’/families’ perspectives: connector as an advocate, increasing social connectedness and taking the pressure off families. Healthcare providers’ perspectives were captured in three themes: reducing social isolation, filling a gap in service provision and building the capacity of the service. Conclusions: Perspectives of patients/families and healthcare providers demonstrated the mediating role of Connectors. Each group saw the Connectors’ contribution through the lens of their particular interests or needs. However, there were indications that the connection was shifting the way each group understood and practised care, encouraging or restoring agency to families and reminding healthcare providers that collaborating beyond the boundaries of their roles actually enhances the whole ecology of care. Using a Compassionate Communities approach to mobilise health and community sectors has the potential to develop a more holistic approach that addresses the social, practical and emotional domains of care.

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Compassionate community connectors: a distinct form of end-of-life volunteering

Cited by 6 publications

References 25 publications

The Compassionate Communities Connectors model for end-of-life care: implementation and evaluation

The Compassionate Communities Connectors model for end-of-life care: implementation and evaluation

‘The more you give, the better it is for you. You know the reward is greater than the effort’: the Compassionate Communities Connectors’ experience

The Compassionate Communities Connectors programme: experiences of supported families and referring healthcare providers

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