Włączanie skazanych do wolontariatu opieki paliatywno-hospicyjnej na świecie i w Polsce. Dobre praktyki współpracy systemu penitencjarnego ze środowiskiem opieki paliatywno-hospicyjnej w Polsce

Abstract

W drugiej połowie XX wieku zostały szerzej rozpowszechnione zasady opieki paliatywno-hospicyjnej. Od tego momentu opieka paliatywna rozwija się wielokierunkowo. Interesującym kierunkiem realizowania ideałów hospicyjnych jest powstanie w różnych krajach programów łączących obszar więziennictwa z opieką paliatywno-hospicyjną i wolontariatem. Stany Zjednoczone dysponują bogatym doświadczeniem w więziennej opiece hospicyjnej realizując w ten sposób ideę sprawiedliwego dostępu do opieki paliatywnej grup marginalizowanych społecznie. Kolejnym pozamedycznym zadaniem hospicjów jest podejmowanie istotnych społecznie zagadnień związanych z sensem życia, wpływaniem na postawy wobec cierpienia i śmierci. Ten edukacyjny walor hospicjów został wykorzystany przez polski system penitencjarny w resocjalizacji osób pozbawionych wolności poprzez bezpośredni ich kontakt z osobami chorymi terminalnie. Poniższa analiza pozwoli zapoznać się z głównymi założeniami dotyczącymi współpracy zespołów opieki paliatywno- hospicyjnej z osobami odosobnionymi.

This article presents the main assumptions concerning cooperation of hospice-palliative care teams with convicts in the world and in Poland. In the United States, in the late 1980s, a system of prison hospice-palliative care has been created. Hospices inside prisons are conducted by interdisciplinary teams, in which convicts-volunteers play an important role, who are appropriately selected from prisoners and trained for their role. Similar initiatives of voluntary service among convicts inside the penitentiary institutions have been created in Europe as well. All parts benefit from these hospice volunteer programs: administration and healthcare systems in prisons, seriously ill patients and sentenced people who work as volunteers. Since 2002 in Poland continues experiment of new form of readaptation, started in Gdansk Hospice, regarding prisoners-volunteers prepared to help in hospice facility outside the penitentiary structure. Convicted by appropriate training receive skills of medical volunteers and participate in the care of seriously ill. These activities allow them to engage in social life towards the end of their sentence, as well as to work after leaving the penitentiary institutions. After the successful implementation of this project in Gdansk in years 2002-2007, in 2008-2009 the project has been implemented in 15 centers of detention and hospice-palliative care in Poland. In 2009, the project „WHAT – Volunteer hospice as a tool of acceptance and tolerance for those leaving the penitentiary establishments” was awarded the Council of Europe for the best design of the rehabilitation in Europe. In 2012, convicts trained to the voluntary service exercised direct assistance for critically ill patients in 30 hospices and more than 100 nursing homes in Poland. Research shows that the inclusion of convicts to the hospice team and their meeting with suffering and dying, improves their psychosocial functioning and their assessment of the meaning of life and plans after leaving the penitentiary facility. Successful experiment of reintegration of sentenced-volunteers to care at the end of life has been spotted by the European Association of Palliative Medicine, which published the report and a preliminary study of this form of care in its scientific journal – European Journal of Palliative Care. The full text of research and indications for further analysis of this topic was published in Palliative Medicine in Practice in 2013. This publication serves as information about a new category of tools – volunteering – in the system of criminalization of social rehabilitation, probation and probation.