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Description
The aim of the project is to develop a mobile application that would support the administration and coordination of volunteer work involved in working with palliative care, including hospice patients with special needs, which often also represent groups of vulnerable societies.
As the volunteer movement grows in popularity, more and more people become volunteers, which in turn significantly ups the importance of the volunteer coordinator role and their workload. As the workload grows, it is much harder to adequately supervise the volunteers and their work and the capacity for the effectiveness of volunteer work is lowered, and this includes activities which would popularize volunteer work to a wider portion of society, as well as work with society, educating the society of the topic, as well as breaking the stigma of the topics of hospice care and the end of life.
A large proportion of patients with palliative care are at home, where local governments attract home carers as much as possible, which, unfortunately, because of low pay and lack of specific knowledge, care services cannot be provided with adequate quality.
Volunteers do not have healthcare obligations and commitments, but they can devote their time and attention to a patient who often needs to be heard. The presence of volunteers makes it possible for the patient to feel as a part of society, while enjoying a dignified attitude in the ill-fated and powerless manner of the end of their life. In order to ensure optimal support for palliative care and hospice patient care, an effective IT solution (mobile application) is needed for planning, organising and accounting of available volunteer resources, thereby ensuring the availability of adequate qualifications for volunteers in line with the needs of the patient and the specific nature of the care to be provided.
Summary of project results
The capacity project "Development of Mobile Application for Volunteer Coordination" for Foundation Hospiss LV aimed to address several key challenges in managing volunteer support. Volunteer contributions were essential for providing palliative and hospice care services, where they assisted patients in the final stages of life, supported families and caregivers, and helped raise awareness and funds. The organization relied on approximately 70 volunteers whose tasks involved supporting charity projects critical to the foundation''s mission. However, volunteer coordination and administration were managed manually, using phone calls, text messages, and emails, which required significant involvement from coordinators to plan and assign daily activities. As Hospiss LV''s activities grew, the increasing number of volunteers intensified the administrative burden, limiting the organization''s capacity to expand its services. A streamlined solution was needed to enable efficient planning, organizing, and tracking of volunteer activities, as manual processes restricted scalability and hindered the foundation''s operational capacity.
The project "Development of Mobile Application for Volunteer Coordination" facilitated the creation of a mobile app to support the management of human resources and tasks for Foundation Hospiss LV. A service agreement was established with a software development company to create an iOS-compatible app, while a test version on Android was initially used for volunteer coordination. The app was tailored specifically to the needs of Hospiss LV, incorporating relevant features and information to streamline volunteer administration. Training sessions were conducted to familiarize administrative staff with the app, allowing for testing, feedback, and continuous improvements in the tool''s functionality. The app was utilized to coordinate various volunteer activities, including patient visits, therapeutic exercises, reading sessions, and social activities, enhancing the psycho-emotional well-being of terminally ill patients. Additionally, the app facilitated the organization of events, supporting tasks such as planning and logistics, making volunteer management more efficient and increasing the organization''s capacity to serve its mission.
The project "Development of Mobile Application for Volunteer Coordination" achieved the full development of a mobile app designed to streamline volunteer work, strengthen organizational sustainability, and increase capacity in the palliative and hospice care field for Foundation Hospiss LV. The digitalization of volunteer management allowed the foundation to coordinate tasks more efficiently, reducing resource use and administrative burden. The app enables communication with volunteers about available tasks, specifies required activities and deadlines, and provides feedback channels, enhancing the alignment between volunteers'' skills and task requirements. This digital tool significantly improved the efficiency of volunteer resource management, allowed better task monitoring, and facilitated the foundation’s expansion of activities and new initiatives, bolstering its ability to meet care needs effectively.