Exploring the barriers and facilitators to volunteering as an intervention for those with long‐term neurological conditions : how make therapeutic volunteering possible?

Abstract

tle:8a3710a0-5af3-4875-9690-5e19ffcdd8d8:afee126f-04b2-41a9-a6dd-b29b7c6c20ab:1Background. Volunteering may have therapeutic benefits, but little is known about its requirements and potential for people with neurological conditions (pwNC). Design. Two separate focus groups were conducted in Darmstadt, Germany: one group consisting of six pwNC and another group consisting of four health care professionals and three volunteering service providers. The focus groups were audio-recorded, transcribed and data were managed using NVivo12. The thematic analysis was applied. Results. Four main themes were identified: (1) Impact of volunteering, (2) Individualisation, (3) Developmental space and (4) Funded supported volunteering. Conclusion. According to the findings, volunteering can be used as a strategy to enhance physical, mental and social well-being in disease management for people with long-term neurological conditions