To be truly alive: motivation among prison inmate hospice volunteers and the transformative process of end-of-life peer care service.
Some US prisons are meeting the growing need for end-of-life care through inmate volunteer programs, yet knowledge of the motivations of inmate caregivers is underdeveloped. This study explored the motivations of inmate hospice volunteers from across Louisiana State (n = 75) through an open-ended survey, a grounded theory approach to analysis, and comparison of responses by experience level and gender. Participants expressed complex motivations; Inter-related themes on personal growth, social responsibility and ethical service to vulnerable peers suggested that inmate caregivers experience an underlying process of personal and social transformation, from hospice as a source of positive self-identity to peer-caregiving as a foundation for community. Better understanding of inmate caregiver motivations and processes will help prisons devise effective and sustainable end of life peer-care programs.
College of Nursing, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA kristin.cloyes@nurs.utah.edu.
Kristin G
KG
Cloyes
Oregon Health and Sciences University, Portland, OR, USA.
Susan J
SJ
Rosenkranz
Mercy Medical Center, Dyersville, IA, USA.
Dawn
D
Wold
College of Nursing, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
Patricia H
PH
Berry
College of Nursing, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
Katherine P
KP
Supiano
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001293:Attitude to Death; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D017051:Hospice Care / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008145:Louisiana; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D010379:Peer Group; D011329:Prisoners / Q000523:psychology*; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000523:psychology*; D014481:United States; D014838:Volunteers / Q000523:psychology*
end of life; hospice volunteer; peer-care; prison hospice