Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.3935/rsp.v9i3.158
The Social and Community Importance of Volunteerism in End-of-Life Care in America
Joanne E. Coury
; Department of Political Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo
Abstract
This paper assesses the significance of voluntarism in relation to the development of community and civic participation, as well as state-society relations in America. The focus is on volunteer activity in care for the terminally ill, and more particularly in hospice care. Following an examination of the nature of volunteering as individual behavior, there is an elaboration of how voluntarism draws from and, in turn, supports the building of community. The meaning of voluntarism means in the context of the American non-profit sector and its role in social policy is identified. This more general analysis is illustrated through a discussion of the special contribution of voluntarism to hospice care in the U.S., closing with an assessment of social policy implications.
Keywords
volunteering; voluntarism; philanthropy; hospice; community-building
Hrčak ID:
30105
URI
Publication date:
1.3.2002.
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