Volunteer increasingly takes on tasks of healthcare worker, a heavy burden for people like Jogien

Volunteers have been given more tasks in recent years. However, as the workload increases, they do not always set their boundaries. Jogien can relate to this. She is increasingly helping an elderly man with dementia who still lives at home and has no family left. It started with grocery shopping, but gradually he needs more and more care.

Aging population, budget cuts, and a shortage of staff: the pressure on healthcare is increasing, and this also affects the many volunteers in the Netherlands. “If I don’t do it, no one will.” Next week on EenVandaag, already available to watch here!

Work of a paid employee

Jogien is shopping at the Albert Cuyp market. She is matched with this elderly man with dementia and diabetes through Voor Elkaar in Zuid. “Recently, part of his foot was amputated. When he returned from rehabilitation, it was uncertain if his home care would resume on time. I made sure he received his insulin on time. I find myself helping him more often. For example, he asks me to make payments because he trusts me. But that shouldn’t become a habit!”

Henriëtte van der Meij, director of Volunteer Center Amsterdam, warns that in recent years too much is being asked of volunteers. “People start with small tasks, like grocery shopping. But as the need for help grows and becomes more complex, volunteers find it difficult to set boundaries.”

Waiting Lists in Healthcare

That problem has arisen in part due to the long waiting lists at professional care organizations. “There are more and more elderly people in the Netherlands,” Van der Meij explains. “But due to budget cuts and staff shortages, professional care cannot meet the growing demand for help. Volunteers then feel responsible to step in.”

 Thanks to: Jogien Bakker, volunteer at Voor Elkaar in Zuid, Maartje Gerretsen, coordinator Voor Elkaar in Zuid, Betsy de Vries from the PlusBus in Weesp.