"Now I get what's important" - Shifting philosophies of hospice society staff and trained volunteers involved in peer-facilitated Advance Care Planning workshops for the public

Abstract

Objective: Community-led approaches can increase public engagement in Advance Care Planning (ACP). Better understanding of the experiences and perspectives of community staff and volunteers who host and facilitate community-led, peer-facilitated ACP workshops is valuable when considering the spread of these approaches.

Methods: Content analysis of qualitative data from community-based hospice societies delivering ACP workshops to the public in British Columbia: one-on-one interviews with 5 organizational representatives and focus groups with 13 peer facilitators.

Results: Three main categories emerged: 1) ACP is about 'Living well'; 2) Transitioning focus from legal forms to conversations; 3) Benefits to all involved.

Conclusions: Community staff and volunteers acknowledge the role they could play in promoting ACP in their communities. They recognize the benefits to the facilitators and public participants from following a community-led approach that emphasizes the importance of ACP conversations over the completion of relevant legal forms. Additional potential benefits of this approach, as reported by the organizational representatives, are increased volunteer engagement, more community partnerships, and an enhanced organizational profile.

Practice implications: This community-led model can be a meaningful and approachable way to engage the public in ACP. Hospice societies are well positioned in the community to incorporate ACP workshops into their programming.