title: Volunteering in dementia care - a Norwegian phenomenological study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The number of people suffering from dementia will increase dramatically in the future, and this will be a great challenge and concern for health care services. It is assumed that volunteers will strengthen community health care services more in the future than they do today.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to elucidate lived experiences of working as a volunteer in an activity center with adapted activities for home-dwelling people with early stage dementia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Qualitative interviews were implemented in a group of nine female volunteers from an activity center in southern Norway. The interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed with a descriptive phenomenological method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Volunteering in an activity center for home-dwelling people with early stage dementia was reported to provide experiences of being useful and feeling satisfied with performing a good job. It was an advantage for the volunteers to have had experiences from life in general, but also as a health professional or as being the next of kin of a dementia sufferer. It was important for the volunteers to focus on the dementia sufferer and show caring behavior, and interaction with and the appreciation of the health care professionals were also important. The volunteers were motivated by being able to have influence and participate in the planning of the work, to be a part of the social setting, and to learn. However, for some volunteers it was difficult to adjust to an appropriate role.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In order to promote volunteering in a caring context, mutual trust and freedom should be emphasized. Being conscious of important volunteer characteristics like their experiences, knowledge, and caring behavior, as well as a focus on the staff showing appreciation and providing feedback, may be the difference between success and failure.
authors.affiliation: Center for Caring Research - Southern Norway, Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences, University of Agder, Grimstad, Norway.
authors.forename: Ulrika
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Söderhamn
authors.forename: Bjørg
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Landmark
authors.forename: Live
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Aasgaard
authors.forename: Hilde
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Eide
authors.forename: Olle
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Söderhamn