Some Common Problems Faced by Hospice Palliative Care Volunteers

Abstract

This paper examines 4 common problems that many hospice palliative care volunteers in Canada (and the United States) encounter, namely, being underutilized, being placed with a patient too late in the patient's illness, feeling undervalued by some members of the medical staff, and not being able to do more to help patients and their families. The implications of each of these problems are discussed along with suggestions for overcoming them. Finally, some ideas for future research are proposed.