The role of volunteers at the end of life: the results of the EU Horizon 2020 iLIVE Study

The role of volunteers at the end of life: the results of the EU Horizon 2020 iLIVE Study

Professor John Ellershaw, University of Liverpool, UK

Pioneering in its scope, the international iLIVE Volunteer Study is the first of its kind in the realm of palliative care volunteering in acute hospitals. Spanning five countries - Spain, Norway, Slovenia, the Netherlands, and England - this nested intervention study focused on the integral role of volunteers in end-of-life care within hospital settings and sought to develop and assess an international volunteer training program tailored to provide crucial support for dying patients and their families.  The primary objectives of the project included the development of a European Core Curriculum to guide the implementation of end-of-life care volunteer services in hospitals; an examination of the impact of volunteer services on patient distress and quality of life; an exploration of the perspectives of both volunteers and…