老人諮詢志工角色與功能

The Roles and Functions of Volunteer Counselors to the Elderly

台灣目前的老人諮詢服務中心，多由少數社工或護理專業人員，督導大量志工提供服務，故志工在老人諮詢服務的角色與功能甚為重要。而就目前我國老人諮詢服務現況，整理歸納老人諮詢志工的角色包括： 1.直接服務： 電話諮詢者、電訪員、接案者、信函輔導者及資源轉介者。2.間接服務：資源募集者、督導者及受督導者。3.行政庶務：行政佐理人員及網站管理者。4.決策諮詢：顧問及專家。5.社會倡導：教育者、代言人及公關行銷者。6.管理：志工隊幹部及計畫行動者。總而言之，他們的功能是透過電話、面談等方法，針對諮詢者提出相關老人經濟、醫療、居住、社會參與以及生與死的尊嚴等方面的問題。並透過主動問安及推廣教育等外展性服務，進行資源的倡導與轉介。志工的角色與功能亦日趨多元與全方位發展中。

In Taiwan's current counseling centers for the elderly, large numbers of volunteers are supervised by only a few social workers or nurses, so the roles and functions of these volunteers are very important. A neat summary of the services provided by the volunteers would include: (1) Direct services: telephone counseling, telephone interviewing, case handling, mail counseling, resource provision. (2) Indirect services: fundraising, supervision. (3) Administration: administrative assistance, management of institutional web sites. (4) Strategic consultancy: consultancy, provision of expertise. (5) Advocacy: service as educators and spokespersons; public relations and marketing. (6) Management: team leadership, plan implementation. To sum up, their functions are, by means of telephone and face-to-face contact, to provide information to the elderly about finances, medical services, housing, citizenship, the dignity of life and death, and related issues, as well as to serve as advocates for the provision of resources - such as educational courses - and to facilitate such provision. Indeed, the roles and functions of volunteer counselors become more diverse and more comprehensive by the day.