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The Role of Volunteer Services at Cancer Centers

  • Cancer Pain (DA Marcus, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Pain and Headache Reports Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Volunteer services can be effectively used to provide valuable supportive services to patients with cancer and their family. Providing companionship, a sense of self-worth, information, and respite care are among the important services typically provided by volunteers through outpatient, inpatient, and hospice services. Supportive benefits have been linked with reduced symptoms and may even enhance survival. Offering inpatient and outpatient respite services provides needed relief for family caregivers. Complementary therapies may also be provided through volunteer services, with research studies consistently showing benefits from Reiki and animal-assisted therapy offered through volunteer care.

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Conflict of Interest

Dr. Dawn Marcus serves as a Section Editor for Current Pain and Headache Reports.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anesthesiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Suite 400, Pain Medicine, Centre Commons Building, 5750 Centre Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, USA

    Dawn A. Marcus

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  1. Dawn A. Marcus
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Correspondence to Dawn A. Marcus.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Cancer Pain

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Marcus, D.A. The Role of Volunteer Services at Cancer Centers. Curr Pain Headache Rep 17, 376 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11916-013-0376-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11916-013-0376-1

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