Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Re-Conceptualizing The Information Use Environment: Enablers Of And Constraints To Human Information Behavior In Hospice Care Volunteerism In The Southeastern Appalachian Region, Sheri L. Edwards

Doctoral Dissertations

Hospice care has seen an explosive growth in the last decade, with 42% of all deaths in 2010 in the US occurring under the care of a hospice program. A central aspect of hospice care is (unpaid) volunteer work, which is unique among other types of volunteer work in that it is strictly regulated by the Medicare hospice benefit, in which 94% of all hospices currently participate. As a cost-saving measure, Medicare requires that at least 5% of total patient care hours are undertaken by volunteers. However, hospice care faces a number of challenges, including a rapidly aging society that …