| Abstract: | Mothers of children who had died of cancer were successfully utilized as volunteers in a pediatric oncology clinic to provide emotional support and practical assistance to other children afflicted with the same disease and to their families. At the start of the program these volunteers were carefully interviewed to determine their willingness and their emotional ability to participate on a consistent basis. Following an eight-week training program with a psychiatrist, a social worker, and a nurse, they began working in a large pediatric oncology clinic one day a week. Over an 18-month period they have become valuable members of the oncology team by helping to improve communications, to alleviate frustrations, and in giving additional emotional support to the children and their families. |
