Pilgrim Project

Purpose & History

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Service

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Pilgrim Training

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Matching

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Information

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Matching

The heart of The Pilgrim Project is the matching process.

On one hand we have individuals who are motivated to extend themselves as volunteers to care for persons who are terminally ill.

On the other hand we have individual who suffer from one or another form of terminal illness and who have come to a point in their lives where they are willing to consider having a volunteer enter their lives and accompany them during their latter days of life.

Two coordinators out of our office in Dorval, Quebec, are responsible for the delicate task of matching up a volunteer and a patient. In the computer there is a form for both the volunteer and the patient. On the form are factors that we have found to be important in the task of matching. They include language, geographical location, and level of need. There is also room for any preferences either of them has, for example, a particular volunteer might prefer to work with elderly women.

Additionally, in making their decision, the coordinators relies on their personal assessment of the volunteers, all of whom they have interviewed. Equally, the coordinators have to trust the impression they receive from the briefing they get about the case from the individual, the family, the social worker, or whoever has facilitated the referral.

The initial meeting of the volunteer and the patient varies according to the circumstances. Sometimes there is an introduction by a social worker or a nurse. Sometimes, the patient and family are completely prepared to receive the volunteer. Sometimes, the volunteer feels confident enough to present him or herself at the door.