Vigil volunteers – Substitutional Care work on the condition of Presence

Abstract

Caring for dying citizens in the citizens’ own homes and in nursing homes is central for Palliative Care in Danish municipalities. Vigil Volunteers increasingly offer their help to lift this welfare task. Based on a qualitative explorative study, two research questions are explored: (1) What characterizes the Vigil Volunteers’ work when they watch over a dying citizen? (2) What challenges and/or opportunities are linked to drawing boundaries between voluntary work and professional work in Palliative Care. The study combines 65 hours of participant observations and 16 qualitative interviews with volunteers, dying citizens’ next-of-kin and professionals. Four nursing homes and two groups of Vigil Volunteers gave access to observations and consent to participation. The empirical material was thematically analyzed. The theoretical framework was phenomenological Care Philosophy and a ‘boundary- work’ perspective inspired by Symbolic Interactionism. The study concludes that Vigil voluntary work is characterized by the use of senses, and time spent with the dying citizen provides important voluntary experience. The Vigil volunteers have a substitutional role for professionals who lack time, and for the citizens’ next-of-kin who need relief and support. Boundaries between voluntary and professional work are continually marked and maintained by both volunteers and professionals. Vigil Volunteers do however cross and expand these boundaries on the condition of presence to respond to citizens’ appeals for help and support in specific situations.