We learned from international experience that volunteers play pivotal roles in end-of-life care. Their contribution to the quality of life of terminally ill patients and families has been recognized. End-of-life care is not the sole responsibility of professionals, but it matters to everyone. As our population ages rapidly, there is a pressing need to engage the community to build a caring environment to support the growing number of patients who face terminal illnesses. Volunteers make major contribution in end-of-life care because they are able to:
- provide more individualised services to patients and families
- facilitate person-centered psychosocial and spiritual care
- engage the community stakeholders in providing end-of-life care services
- help create a caring atmosphere in the community for supporting end-of-life patients and their families.
Although EoLC volunteers cannot replace health professionals, they can act as a supporting role to professionals. Therefore, JCECC aims to provide training to the public who are willing to give a hand to patients who face terminal illnesses. If you are interested in becoming EoLC volunteer, JCECC offers two types of volunteers:
- JCECC volunteers: will not attach to JCECC partnered NGOs, free to provide service at any organizations after training
- JCECC partnered volunteers: will attach to JCECC partnered NGOs and provide services to the relevant NGO after selection and training
