Abstract
The purpose of this study was : (1) to reveal the impact on volunteers of long-term changes in the citizen participation-type home palliative care policies and the system of an organization that implemented the system; and (2) to clarify how the system benefits the organization. The survey targeted Organization A, which implemented the citizen participation-type home palliative care system. I carried out participant observation and interviews. Changes in Organization A's policies and the implemented system over three phases resulted in altered volunteer characteristics and types of volunteer activities, as activities became rooted in the community. Furthermore, the system generated networks, norms of reciprocity and trust, which are characteristics of social capital. This benefited Organization A by facilitating the interaction between the community and the organization, which is key to the practice of home palliative care.
