About this PairWISE Volunteer role at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
PairWISE volunteer mentors may include parents, guardians, other adult caregivers of pediatric patients. Mentors are trained by PairWISE staff to provide one-on-one support to other caregivers (mentees).
Mentors can only communicate with their mentees through virtual means of communication (i.e. phone calls, text, email, and/or video calls). In-person and/or social meetings are outside the scope of this program’s guidelines and the volunteer’s role.
Goal: Caregivers of patients (mentees) will feel supported in navigating the medical system, aware of possible resources, and less isolated in their child’s illness experience. Mentees will experience decreased anxiety, greater sense of control, and increased satisfaction in their overall experience of patient family-centered care. Mentors will provide insight, guidance, and empathy from the perspective of someone who has walked a similar path and can relate to their child’s treatment and illness experience.
Activities
- Provide a reliable and safe space for your mentee(s) to ask questions and express their emotions
- Listen to the concerns and challenges your mentee(s) share with you
- Offer a calm, empathetic, and supportive presence
- Be flexible and sensitive to the unique needs of your mentee(s) and their families, with attention to cultural, religious, and personal differences
- Discuss symptoms and/or side effects that your mentee(s) child experienced
- Talk about what to expect from surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, or other treatments
- Discuss the challenges of caregiving for a child with significant medical needs
- Identify supportive resources and available programs
- Discuss how to communicate their child’s diagnosis and treatment plan with their child, siblings, and other loved ones, etc.
- Talk about issues your child(ren) faced given their age/developmental stage during treatment
- Discuss the impact of their child’s diagnosis on your mentee’s family as whole – e.g., siblings, partner/spouse, extended family, etc.
- Discuss workplace issues – e.g., advocating for remote work, reducing work hours, etc.
- Provide insight related to issues unique to survivorship
- Maintain confidentiality at all times
- Respond in a timely manner to PairWISE program administrator’s outreach regarding matches with mentees
Limitations
- Do not give medical advice, opinions, or assumptions regarding a patient's illness, diagnosis, or treatment options.
- Volunteers should refer patients to their physician if they have questions about their current treatment plan, protocol, and medications.
At Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, we work every day to create an innovative, caring, and inclusive environment where every patient, family, and staff member feels they belong. As relentless as we are in our mission to reduce the burden of cancer for all, we are equally committed to diversifying our faculty, staff, and volunteers. Cancer knows no boundaries and when it comes to hiring the most dedicated and diverse professionals, neither do we. If working in this kind of organization inspires you, we encourage you to apply.