Availability of volunteerism in health care services and willingness for supporting families with caregiver's role

ABSTRACT

This study aimed at exploring the availability of volunteerism in community health-related services in Cairo Governorate. Volunteers' preferred fields/types/approaches of their services as well as their willingness and motivation to render community volunteering services for families enduring caregiver's role were investigated. Factors enhancing/hindering volunteering work as perceived by the study subjects and their suggestions for its promotion in the community were illustrated. A total of 188 volunteers and 97 health care professionals constituted the study sample. A self-administered questionnaire for health care professionals was used which aimed mainly at investigating the availability of volunteering services within the specific health sectors. A self-administered questionnaire for volunteers also was used. It consisted of four parts [socio- demographic data; volunteering previous experience; data related to directing volunteering work toward supporting families with care giver's role and/or working in hospitals; volunteer' opinions and perceived thoughts and suggestions to promote volunteering work in the community]. The results revealed that volunteerism activities in hospital settings were actually provided in different health sectors except private hospitals, but they still in charity, scattered, informal way. Availability and willingness for supporting families enduring caregiver's role with chronically disabled one was expressed by 22.8% of the volunteers. Their main reported motivating factors were willingness out of goodness, sense of duty towards others, followed by effective use of time and sharing as well as alleviating others suffering, respectively