The Compassionate Communities Connectors model for end-of-life care: implementation and evaluation
Objectives: This pilot project aimed to develop, implement and evaluate a model of care delivered by community volunteers, called Compassionate Communities Connectors. The Connectors’ principal task was to support people living with advanced life-limiting illnesses or palliative care needs by enhanc...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
SAGE Publishing
2022-11-01
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| Series: | Palliative Care and Social Practice |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/26323524221139655 |
| _version_ | 1797987961113935872 |
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| author | Samar M. Aoun Robyn Richmond Kerry Gunton Kerrie Noonan Julian Abel Bruce Rumbold |
| author_facet | Samar M. Aoun Robyn Richmond Kerry Gunton Kerrie Noonan Julian Abel Bruce Rumbold |
| author_sort | Samar M. Aoun |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objectives: This pilot project aimed to develop, implement and evaluate a model of care delivered by community volunteers, called Compassionate Communities Connectors. The Connectors’ principal task was to support people living with advanced life-limiting illnesses or palliative care needs by enhancing their supportive networks with Caring Helpers enlisted from the local community. Methods: The project was undertaken in Western Australia, 2020–2022. A mixed methods research design incorporated a prospective cohort longitudinal design with two cross-sectional measurements, pre- and post-intervention. The primary outcome was the effect of the intervention on social connectedness. Secondary outcomes were the effect of the intervention on unmet practical or social needs and support from social networks, and the self-reported impact of the programme on social wellbeing such as coping with daily activities, access to formal services, community links, social activity and reducing social isolation. Results: Twenty Connectors were trained but 13 participated; 43 patients participated but 30 completed the study. Over half of these patients lived alone and 80% of their needs were in the social domain. There were significant improvements in social connectedness, reflected in reduced social isolation, better coping with daily activities and a two-fold increase in supportive networks. The programme was able to address gaps that formal services could not, particularly for people who lived alone, or were socially isolated in more rural communities that are out of the frequent reach of formal services. Conclusions: This project led to an ongoing programme that has been incorporated by the health service as ‘business as usual’, demonstrating rapid translation into practice. It has laid solid grounds for community capacity building with successful measurable outcomes in line with reports on similar programmes. Ongoing work is focused on replication in other communities to help them establish a similar model of care that better integrates formal and informal networks. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T07:55:21Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e2e57995e9b743a6b5752af117898938 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2632-3524 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T07:55:21Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Palliative Care and Social Practice |
| spelling | doaj.art-e2e57995e9b743a6b5752af1178989382022-12-22T04:35:57ZengSAGE PublishingPalliative Care and Social Practice2632-35242022-11-011610.1177/26323524221139655The Compassionate Communities Connectors model for end-of-life care: implementation and evaluationSamar M. AounRobyn RichmondKerry GuntonKerrie NoonanJulian AbelBruce RumboldObjectives: This pilot project aimed to develop, implement and evaluate a model of care delivered by community volunteers, called Compassionate Communities Connectors. The Connectors’ principal task was to support people living with advanced life-limiting illnesses or palliative care needs by enhancing their supportive networks with Caring Helpers enlisted from the local community. Methods: The project was undertaken in Western Australia, 2020–2022. A mixed methods research design incorporated a prospective cohort longitudinal design with two cross-sectional measurements, pre- and post-intervention. The primary outcome was the effect of the intervention on social connectedness. Secondary outcomes were the effect of the intervention on unmet practical or social needs and support from social networks, and the self-reported impact of the programme on social wellbeing such as coping with daily activities, access to formal services, community links, social activity and reducing social isolation. Results: Twenty Connectors were trained but 13 participated; 43 patients participated but 30 completed the study. Over half of these patients lived alone and 80% of their needs were in the social domain. There were significant improvements in social connectedness, reflected in reduced social isolation, better coping with daily activities and a two-fold increase in supportive networks. The programme was able to address gaps that formal services could not, particularly for people who lived alone, or were socially isolated in more rural communities that are out of the frequent reach of formal services. Conclusions: This project led to an ongoing programme that has been incorporated by the health service as ‘business as usual’, demonstrating rapid translation into practice. It has laid solid grounds for community capacity building with successful measurable outcomes in line with reports on similar programmes. Ongoing work is focused on replication in other communities to help them establish a similar model of care that better integrates formal and informal networks.https://doi.org/10.1177/26323524221139655 |
| spellingShingle | Samar M. Aoun Robyn Richmond Kerry Gunton Kerrie Noonan Julian Abel Bruce Rumbold The Compassionate Communities Connectors model for end-of-life care: implementation and evaluation Palliative Care and Social Practice |
| title | The Compassionate Communities Connectors model for end-of-life care: implementation and evaluation |
| title_full | The Compassionate Communities Connectors model for end-of-life care: implementation and evaluation |
| title_fullStr | The Compassionate Communities Connectors model for end-of-life care: implementation and evaluation |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Compassionate Communities Connectors model for end-of-life care: implementation and evaluation |
| title_short | The Compassionate Communities Connectors model for end-of-life care: implementation and evaluation |
| title_sort | compassionate communities connectors model for end of life care implementation and evaluation |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/26323524221139655 |
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