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2

Recruitment and Retention of Volunteer Lay Leaders: Results of

the Follow-Up Survey

Prepared by:Tamara H. Herrick

MaineHealth’s Partnership for Healthy Aging

Presented by:Laura Gottfried, LCSW

MaineHealth’s Partnership for Healthy Aging

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Overview

• Purpose of the Follow-Up Survey • Sample Description• Results• Conclusions/Lessons Learned

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Purpose of the Follow-Up Survey

• To gather information about recruitment and retention from the volunteers’ perspective.

• To use this information to help sites improve their recruitment and retention efforts.

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Methods• All Living Well for Better Health and MOB/VLL

Master Trainers and program coordinators were asked for leaders/coaches contact information.

• Two surveys were created using Survey Monkey.

• Survey was sent to all leaders/coaches via email and postal service.

• Data were collected, stored, and tabulated in Survey Monkey.

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Sample Description

• 133 LW leaders identified• At least one respondent from all but three of the 22 host

organizations (86% of sites) responded to the survey.• 130 MOB/VLL coaches identified

• At least one respondent from all but 6 of the 24 host organizations (75% of sites) responded to the survey.

• Response Rates:• 51 LW leaders completed the survey (38% response

rate)• 51 MOB/VLL coaches completed the survey (39%

response rate)

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Results: Leader Characteristics

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Leader Characteristics

• 51 Living Well for Better Health Leaders responded to the survey request.

• 51 MOB/VLL coaches responded to the survey request.

• 62% of Living Well Leaders had a chronic health condition.

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Leader Characteristics: Gender

8

92

4

96

0

20

40

60

80

100

Female Male

MOB/VLL

Living Well

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Leader Characteristics: Age Groups

2

16

56

18

80

4147

102

0

20

40

60

80

100

Under 25 25-50 51-65 66-75 Over 75

MOB/VLL

Living Well

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Leader Characteristics: Cross-Trained, Stipend, Paid Staff

18

712

29

4

57

0

20

40

60

80

100

Cross Trained Stipend Paid Staff

MOB/VLL

Living Well

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Leader Characteristics: Health Rating

0

10

38

52

28

64

26

0

20

40

60

80

100

Poor Fair Good Excellent

MOB/VLL

Living Well

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Leader Characteristics: How did you hear about MOB/VLL?

8%

6%

6%

21%

12%

21%

18% 8%Newsletter

Newspaper

RSVP

Word of Mouth

AAA

HMP

Employer

Other

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Leader Characteristics: What Motivated You?

27

7 8 4 8

58

2814

30

822

93

0

20

40

60

80

100

Help Others Help Themselves

Course Content

Previous Class Experience

Working with Seniors

Sr. Housing Employee

Required by employer

Other

MOB/VLL

Living Well

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Results: Class Experiences

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MOB Class Experiences: What Did You Like Best?

31%

6%

27%

8%

13%

8%

7%

Seeing participants gain confidence

Getting to know participants

Watching people becomeempowered

Watching participants becomingmore physically active

Helping participants be less fearful offalling

Have not led class

Other

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LWfBH Class Experiences: What Did You Like Best?

29%

14%3%

33%

7%14%

Seeing participants gainconfidence in managingtheir chronic conditionsGetting to knowparticipants

Watching people makehealthy lifestyle changes

Helping people learn howto help themselves

Have not facilitated class

Other

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Class Experiences: What was Most Challenging?

15

23

4

1012

29

10 10

15

3036

6

0

10

20

30

40

50

Facilitate notLead

Making Time Class Prep Coordinating Have not ledclass

Other

Per

cen

t

MOB/VLLN=47 LW N=33

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Class Experiences: Confidence in Facilitating Class

37

0

68

26

6

64

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Totally/Very Confident Confident/SlightlyConfident

Not at All Confident

Per

cent MOB/VLL

LW

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Class Experiences: Confidence in Answering Health-Related Questions

40

0

79

15

6

60

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Totally/Very Confident Confident/SlightlyConfident

Not at All Confident

Per

cent MOB/VLL

LW

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MOB Class Experiences: Confidence Leading Exercises and Assisting with Home Safety Checklist

86

14

0

87

13

00

20

40

60

80

100

Totally/VeryConfident

Confident/SlightlyConfident

Not at all confident

Per

cen

t

LeadingExercises

Assitingwith HomeSafetyChecklist

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LWfBH Class Experiences: Confidence Leading Action Planning and Assisting in Problem Solving

75

19

6

68

26

6

0

20

40

60

80

100

Totally/VeryConfident

Confident/SlightlyConfident

Not at all confident

Per

cen

t

LeadingActionPlanning

Assisting inProblemSolving

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Class Experiences: How Much has Leading MOB/VLL Influenced the Following:

2 2 0 0

28

53

19

5970

47

79

41

73

0

27

0

20

40

60

80

100

Sense of Accomplishment

Feel that you Have a Purpose

Can make a Positive Difference

Feeling about Your Health

Confidence in Managing Your Health

Pe

rce

nt

It's Worse

No Change

It's Better

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Class Experiences: How Much has Leading LWfBH Influenced the Following:

0 3 0 0

28

56

2634

72

44

71 66 64

0

36

0

20

40

60

80

100

Sense of Accomplishment

Feel that you Have a Purpose

Can make a Positive Difference

Feeling about Your Health

Confidence in Managing Your Health

Pe

rce

nt

It's Worse

No Change

It's Better

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Results: Support Received

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Support Received: Were Coach/Lay Leader Expectations Made Clear to You Prior to Training?

8498

0

20

40

60

80

100

Yes

Per

cent MOB/VLL (N=44)

LW (N=43)

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Support Received: Do You Receive Feedback?

58

78

0

20

40

60

80

100

Yes

Per

cent MOB/VLL (N=45)

LW (N=43)

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Support Received: How Would You Rate the Support?

10 8

36

46

6

17

31

46

0

20

40

60

80

100

Poor Fair Good Excellent

MOB/VLL (N=39)

Living Well (N=35)

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Support Received: How Often do You Attend Meetings?

139

13

24

40

27

14

44

33

0

10

20

30

40

50

Qua

rterly

Semi-A

nnual

ly

Don't Atte

nd

Not Offe

red

Oth

er

MOB/VLL (N=45)

Living Well (N=43)

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Barriers to My Continuation as a Lay Leader or Coach

2 4

42

3336

2 2

40

3328

0

10

20

30

40

50

Stipen

d

Reim

burs

emen

t

Time

None

Oth

er

MOB/VLL (N=43)

Living Well (N=43)

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Conclusions/ Lessons Learned

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Words From a Living Well for Better Health Lay Leader

“As a master trainer for Matter of Balance I am all to aware of training coaches and then now having a class to place them with soon after their training. Lose of interest and enthusiasm occur and life happens. It would be nice if the system could work together better in having a class awaiting the lay leaders soon after their training. The first class is always the hardest and getting your feet wet soon after training is the key.”

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Words From a MOB/VLL Coach

“I think that newly trained persons should be scheduled as soon as possible in assisting with a class to not lose motivation or remembering the training instead of being put on a waiting list for when needed.”

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Conclusions/ Lessons Learned

• There are differences between MOB and LWfBH volunteer lay leaders

• Lay Leaders from both programs have similar motivations for becoming leaders

• AAAs play an important role in recruiting new volunteer lay leaders.

• Ongoing engagement of MT with leaders and having classes to put people into is critical.

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Living Well for Better Health and MOB/VLL Contacts

• Laura Gottfried at gottfl@mainehealth.org

• Healthy Choices at http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/oes/healthychoices/index.shtml

• Stanford University at http://patienteducation.stanford.edu/programs/cdsmp.html

• NCOA – (National Council on Aging) http://www.healthyagingprograms.org/