University of Twente Student Theses

Goed voorbereid op een zinvol gesprek : een ontwerpgericht onderzoek naar wat nodig is om vrijwilligers toe te rusten voor participatie in een bezoekdienst waarin het gesprek met ouderen over levensvragen centraal staat

Jonge, A. de (2010) Goed voorbereid op een zinvol gesprek : een ontwerpgericht onderzoek naar wat nodig is om vrijwilligers toe te rusten voor participatie in een bezoekdienst waarin het gesprek met ouderen over levensvragen centraal staat.

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Abstract:	Introduction: People of all ages are looking for meaning in their lives and ask themselves life questions. With aging and changing circumstances, these questions may have a different meaning. There is a group of elderly people who do not know how to find answers and therefore get trouble in life. Because there often is no place for these people in the regular mental health care, various interventions are developed to help these people. Volunteers often participate in these interventions, which are often supported by the Wet Maatschappelijke Ondersteuning. GGNet has started a visiting service in which volunteers visit elderly people who struggle with life questions to give them the opportunity to talk about these questions. It’s intended that this visiting service at any time will be run entirely on the strength of volunteers. Volunteers have to be prepared for these conversations and this study investigates what this preparation should be containing. The aim of this research is to achieve a first step towards a training method that can prepare the volunteers for their work in the ‘Bezoekdienst bij levensvragen’. Method: In the first part of this study, seven existing training methods that have something to do with meaning and/or helping other people (55+) and/or are meant for participation by volunteers, are analysed. This involved the use of an analysis scheme that is based on the 7S-model by McKinsey, which describes information on the goal, vision, content, organizational factors and the garget group of organisations. By filling in a custom analysis grid (adjusted to training methods), the main similarities and differences between the various aspects could be identified. This study also investigates which parts of the existing methods are suitable and/or relevant to the training of volunteers for the visiting service. Based on this analysis, a concept training method has been developed. In the second part of this study, a focus group composed of professionals in the field of elderly people, meaning in life and/or volunteers, discussed this concept method. The focus group made their views on the draft method and recommendations that can provide an improvement of the concept. Results: The most important findings that emerged from the analysis of existing methods is that the vision and goal of a training method determine the contents of the method. The analysis shows that the common goal of the existing methods is that the volunteer knows how he can ‘be there’ for someone. The method should be focussed on the volunteer to learn how to do that. Therefore, skills must be learned and knowledge must be broadened. The skills and knowledge must be tailored to the target group of the method. The analysis gave a lot of information, cues and relevant factors, which can be used in the new concept. The suitable and relevant elements are used in a concept method that met the demands of GGNet. Several other elements are added to fit with the goal of the visiting service and the ideas of GGNet. In the second part of this study, the focus group gave their view on the concept method. According to the focus group, the method was a step in the right direction, but the method was still to much composed for the training of volunteers as counsellors. According to the focus group, the method was not clear about the fact that ‘being there’ for others and providing a listening ear was more important than ‘do’ something for others or give them a helping hand. How the views of the focus group can be used in the training method remains unclear because there are still many questions remain about what a volunteer needs when it comes to being there for someone: give little information so that the volunteer will not be affected too much and can be there as a neighbour, or give a lot of information so that the volunteer knows what he might encounter and learn how he can react in certain situations. Conclusion On the basis of the results of the analysis of the existing methods and the recommendations of the focus group, it can be concluded that training volunteers is a right thing to do. The information must be given to the volunteer in a way that he knows how to have a conversation, how he should listen and how he can let the story of the other be what it is, without wanting to change something about it. It would be a great effect of the visiting service when it shows that the other is feeling better after the visits because he can talk about his questions, but it is not a goal in itself.
Item Type:	Essay (Master)
Faculty:	BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences
Subject:	77 psychology
Programme:	Psychology MSc (66604)
Link to this item:	https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/66245
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