Rural nurses’ perceptions of a volunteer program in an acute setting: Volunteers delivering person-centred care for patients with dementia and delirium

Community volunteers were recruited and trained to deliver person-centred care to patients with dementia or delirium in an acute hospital setting, in a small rural Australian hospital. The volunteer program was grounded in action research methodology, and modelled on a previous research project. As a form of evaluation, interviews were conducted with nursing staff eight weeks after implementation of the volunteer program to explore their opinions. Data were analysed through a collaborative process and findings revealed strong benefits from the perspectives of the nursing staff. These benefits included overall improved patient care and improved time management for nursing tasks.