Duke Palliative Care Volunteer Program
Duke Palliative Care developed a Volunteer Program, Palliative Partners in early 2023. The volunteer program, which will be one of only a handful nationally, is being spearheaded by Karen Kuehnle, LCSW, a former Duke Personal Assistance Service counselor whose family and friends have been touched by the Duke Palliative Care program.
Meet our Volunteers
We are excited to welcome Rose Warner to the Palliative Partners volunteer corp! Rose became interested in palliative care after her husband was a patient of Dr. Chris Jones, and her daughter, Lindsay, and dear family friend, Karen, started working with Dr. Jones to put together a volunteer program. Having worked as a nurse in nursing homes and hospitals, Rose brings not only the caregiver experience, but also a provider experience to the team. She helps with patient phone call reminders and patient education. She enjoys engaging with patients to help them understand how palliative care can be helpful to them and their caregivers. Rose is a talented artist, enjoys spending time with her two grandchildren, and will never turn down a game of pickle ball!
Patient Reminder Calls Increase Access
The Duke Palliative Partners volunteer corp reaches out to every new in-person and virtual outpatient prior to their first appointment. The calls are currently made by three passionate and experienced palliative care volunteers – Karen Kuhnle, Lindsay Warner, and Rose Warner. The volunteers call the patients two to three days prior to their appointments to remind them of the day, time, location and provider. They ensure the patients are aware of the appointment and ask if they are planning on attending. They also spend time educating the patients about palliative care and the extra layer of support that it provides for symptom management and improving quality of life. In addition, they remind the patients that their caregivers or family members are welcome and encouraged to attend the appointments as it can be supportive for them too.
Dr. Jones first had the idea that volunteers could be engaged to help with reminder calls when he noted that many of the new patients referred by their medical team did not fully understand what palliative care was or the purpose of their appointment. This uncertainty often led to patients missing appointments and leaving coveted new patient appointments unfilled at the last minute. With a 1-2 month wait for new patients, he saw the opportunity to reduce missed appointments with patient reminder calls. This strategy has been a success, and fewer appointments are left unattended, allowing more patients access to the valuable service.
Enhanced Patient Experience
Volunteers reaching out prior to appointments allow patients to see that the department is working to help them to get as much benefit as possible from their care. The volunteers are able to help patients reschedule or make virtual appointments for their convenience. Patients have commented that they had considered not keeping their appointments, but after speaking to the volunteers, they chose to attend and had time to consider their biggest concerns and goals to discuss with their provider. Providers have also had positive feedback, sharing that patients were coming into the appointments with more knowledge about what palliative care could offer.
“During my father’s treatment at the Duke Brain Tumor Center we were referred to Dr. Jones at Duke Palliative Care, and through him we received remarkable support that made a difference in both my father’s and my family’s quality of life. I was so touched by the care that I reached out to Dr. Jones to see what I could do to help the providers or the patients and their families. I was trained to help with patient education and reminder calls. It has been a touching and rewarding experience. When calling patients, caregivers are often at their sides as they answer their phones. I discuss the basics of when and where the appointments are as well as the general philosophy of palliative care for patients and caregivers. In the world of auto text messages, patients are overwhelmingly appreciative of the calls. After receiving reminder calls, more patients attend their appointments as scheduled or can be rescheduled or changed to virtual appointments as needed. Oftentimes, patients and caregivers remark that they did not understand why the appointments had been made and were thankful to learn more about palliative care and how it can be an extra layer of support for them and their family. Having caregiver experience myself, I am able to empathize and connect with patients and caregivers in a way to gently help them understand what palliative care can offer. It has been a rewarding and special experience to give back in this way.”
