Volunteer Services in Palliative Care by Third Age University Students

Volunteering is a type of support that provides high motivation and supports social participation during the active aging process without any financial reward. Volunteering services provided by an active older person not only provide free services to the community where needed but also help individuals feel valued by creating a social environment, thereby increasing their resilience. The aim of this study was to determine the views on volunteering in palliative care services among older individuals over the age of sixty who attend the Ege University of the Third Age [U3A] and outline the volunteer profile of older students after receiving palliative care training.

This study was conducted using a qualitative research method. The study population consisted of seventy students from the Ege U3A in İzmir who met the inclusion criteria. Before the training, the U3A students were given a brief pre-test about palliative care and volunteering, followed by 2-day, 16 h basic palliative care training. After the training, the students were asked to respond to written questions about volunteering in palliative care, and their responses were collected in their own handwriting. For the data analysis, a thematic content analysis was conducted using MAXQDA 20, a qualitative data analysis program.

In this study, the average age of the 70 University of the Third Age students were 67.47 (60-89) years. The participants were 75% women; 85% were married, 40% lived with their spouse, and 37.14% had been students at the University of the Third Age for 3 years. After the thematic analysis, six main themes emerged: physical and social support, educational support, medical/clinical support, financial support, spiritual support, and caregiving for pediatric patients.

In our study, it was clearly observed that older students enrolled in the Ege U3A, who had a high potential for volunteering, were willing to work voluntarily in palliative care within the limits of their physical abilities and resources. This research, which aimed to create a volunteer profile in palliative care, allowed older students to find suitable roles for themselves and increased their motivation to provide this unpaid service. Based on this, it aimed to establish an effective start and an encouraging practice for the development of a pilot study, which is needed for Türkiye.