["So I would have been sitting at home and moping...": How do older single people in need of support experience companionship by volunteers after discharge from hospital?]

Experiences of participants of a volunteer-supported walking intervention to improve physical function of nursing home residents - a mixed methods sub-study of the POWER-project

BACKGROUND

Regular physical activity improves physical health and mental well-being and reduces the risk of falling in older adults. The randomized controlled "Prevention by lay-assisted Outdoor-Walking in the Elderly at Risk" POWER-study investigates whether volunteer-supported outdoor-walking improves physical function and quality of life in older people living independently or in nursing homes. This sub-study explores the experiences of older participants and volunteers in relation to their physical and psychosocial well-being as well as the challenges faced by both groups. A further aim was to explore volunteers' experience with people living in nursing homes during the first pandemic lockdown (spring 2020).

METHODS

The sub-study was designed as mixed-methods approach consisting of 11 individual semi-structured guide-based interviews (nursing home residents), two focus group interviews (volunteers), and a cross-sectional questionnaire survey (volunteers). The interviews were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed by content analysis as described by Kuckartz. Topics addressed in the interviews were triangulated by means of a questionnaire. The quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.

RESULTS

Participants' evaluation of the intervention was generally positive. Nursing home residents appreciated the social interaction associated with the assisted walking, which motivated them to take part regularly, provided a sense of safety, and caused pleasure on both sides. The impact on physical health status of the nursing home residents of this sub-study varied to a large degree as reported in interviews: in some cases, an improvement in physical performance, a decrease in physical complaints, and an improvement in gait or independence was reported. If not, reference was made to previous or sudden illnesses and the advanced age of the participants. Despite the COVID-19-lockdown and the associated restrictions, about 60% of contacts were still possible and participants planned to continue the assisted walks after the lockdown.

CONCLUSION

Volunteers have a positive effect on the quality of life, mobility, and general health of nursing home residents. Even more than the improvement of physical performance, social interaction was seen as helpful. Despite their advanced age, the nursing home residents were curious and open to new contacts. When removing the identified barriers, it might be possible to integrate this program into the long-term everyday life of nursing homes.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

DRKS-ID: DRKS00015188, date of registration: 31.08.2018.

Trained volunteers to support chronically ill, multimorbid elderly between hospital and domesticity - a systematic review of one-on-one-intervention types, effects, and underlying training concepts

BACKGROUND

New approaches are needed to address the challenges of demographic change, staff shortages, and societal change in the care of the elderly. While volunteering has barely been established as a pillar of the welfare state in several countries, legislators and nonprofit or community-based organizations in some countries favor the increased integration of volunteers, as they can rely on many dedicated people. When caring for the multimorbid elderly, the transition from hospital to domesticity involves certain risks. Currently, no systematic knowledge exists on whether and how elderly benefit from volunteer support after a hospital stay. Objectives of this systematic review were to (1) identify evaluated approaches with trained volunteers supporting chronically ill, multimorbid elderly one-on-one at the interface between hospital and domesticity; (2) investigate the patient-related effectiveness of the approaches; (3) present the characteristics of the supporting volunteers; and (4) present the underlying teaching and training concepts for the volunteers.

METHODS

A systematic search of the following online databases was conducted in April 2017: the Cochrane Library, Medline (PubMed), CINAHL, and PsycINFO (Ebscohost). We included (cluster/quasi-) randomized controlled trials, controlled clinical trials and single-group pre-post design. An institutional search was conducted on eight national institutions from research and practice in Germany. Screening was conducted by one researcher, risk of bias was assessed. Study authors were contacted for study and training details.

RESULTS

We identified a total of twelve studies, eight of which evaluated treatment following hospital stay: psychosocial-coordinative support (n = 2), physical-cognitive activation (n = 4), and assistance with medication intake (n = 2). We saw short-term effects with small and medium effect sizes. Most volunteers were women aged between 45 and 61 years. Their training lasted 12-26 h and took place prior to first patient contact. During the intervention, volunteers could rely on permanent supporting structures.

CONCLUSIONS

Few studies exist that have evaluated one-on-one-volunteer support following hospitalization, and the effects are inconsistent. As such, further, well-designed studies are needed. The suitability and transferability of the interventions in country-specific settings should be examined in feasibility studies. Furthermore, an international discussion on the appropriate theoretical backgrounds of volunteer training is needed.