Being a volunteer: motivations, fears, and benefits of volunteering in an intervention program for people with dementia and their families

ProFamilies-dementia, a program designed to support families caring for a person with dementia, included a component of meaningful occupation (MO) provided by volunteers. This study aimed to explore the volunteers’ motivations and fears and evaluate the benefits of their involvement. Meaningful occupation involved six volunteers and three people with dementia and their families. Data were gathered through semistructured interviews. Main findings suggest that volunteers were motivated by altruistic values while fearful of inadequate performance; they perceived an increased sense of competence, but reported some disappointment about the limited professional growth; and families reported that they wanted greater opportunities for interaction with the volunteer