By Debbie Hommel, ACC/MC/EDU, CTRS
One of the casualties of the Covid Pandemic was the volunteer program in our care community. No visitors, no families and no volunteers for well over a year became the norm. To this day, some communities still prohibit volunteers in the community. In many cases, we did not realize how important the volunteers were until they were gone. Church services, entertainers, bingo callers and crafts assistants, to name a few, enhanced our programs daily. Volunteers were a connection with the outside world and contributed to a feeling of normalcy in day-to-day living. It was all taken away during the pandemic.
Today, communities are beginning to open their doors again to volunteers. However, it is proving to be challenging to entice the volunteers back due to vaccine mandates and additional precautions. This requires the activity or life enrichment departments to update volunteer policies and protocols. The activity or life enrichment department may need to introduce targeted recruitment efforts to invite the volunteers back. These are challenging times for long term care community, in terms of staffing. If the volunteer program is organized appropriately, volunteers can complement staffing hours. Volunteers are able to provide the extra time and attention that paid staff does not have sometimes. It takes effort to find, train and retain volunteers. A good volunteer is worth their weight in gold but a weak volunteer program will not retain a good volunteer regardless of how selfless they may be. Here are five components of a good volunteer program that will keep your volunteers happy in their volunteer job.
- Preparation: Before opening your doors and involving volunteers in your program, a few systems should be in place. Someone needs to be designated responsible and that is often the activity department. Ensuring volunteer management responsibilities are noted within a job description is important. A budget should be established for volunteer purchases such as smocks (if going that route) and recognition which should be daily, not just yearly at an event. Policies and procedures should clearly define the scope of volunteer opportunities within the community, age range of suitable volunteers, and orientation and training to be offered to the volunteers. Forms to manage the volunteers should be created including an application, orientation checklist, volunteer handbook and sign in book. Finally, it is good practice to create a volunteer job list which clearly defines the volunteer opportunities within the community. This will be helpful in recruitment and placement of volunteers.
- Recruit: Attracting the right volunteer takes some effort. The days of people walking in the door and saying they want to help are gone. Creating some recruitment materials such as a simple brochure and flyer is easy today with computer programs. Creating an effective recruitment message, in a creative way, is more effective than just saying “we need volunteers because we don’t have enough staff”. Here is a sample appeal message seeking volunteers to assist with art programming: “A picture is worth a thousand words…. Help our elders express themselves through art. We need creative individuals to assist with our art program. Utilize your talents, make new friends, and discover the joy of making someone’s’ day.”
- Selection and Orientation: Volunteers like to be in a volunteer position that will meet their needs. A formal volunteer job list, which is defined in point #1, will assist in this endeavor. Be mindful in assisting the volunteer to accept the right position. All volunteers should receive orientation to the community and their job. Creating a volunteer handbook is an easy task and should provide the volunteer with necessary information. Obtaining a signed acknowledgement of receiving the booklet and initial orientation is recommended. Some volunteers would enjoy attending community in-services so consider keeping volunteers informed of training opportunities.
- Recognition: Volunteers are unpaid staff and do not receive monetary compensation for their time. This does not mean their time should not be respected and appreciated. Recognition should be offered daily and sincerely. Offering simple refreshment, ensuring basic comfort needs are met and taking an interest in the person goes a long way in the recognition department. Annual recognition events are nice but it is the day to day recognition that has the most value toward making someone feels they are appreciated.
If your volunteer program needs some help, consider completing the independent study program “Developing a Volunteer Program in Long Term Care” which offers six hours of continuing education.
“Volunteers are not paid – not because they are worthless,
but because they are priceless.”
Anonymous