OLKA’s Activities
OLKA Service Desks
OLKA service desks provide information about the different types of support offered by non-profit organizations and healthcare services. OLKA points provide opportunities for face-to-face conversations and
- information on peer support and provision of peer support
- information on the types of support non-profit organizations and hospitals offer
- theme days organized by non-profit organizations and hospital units.
OLKA coordinates volunteer work in the participating hospitals. Unhurried encounters are at the core of hospital volunteer activities. Volunteers bring joy, support, and hope to hospital patients and their loved ones.
Volunteers operate on the agreed cooperation wards, at OLKA service desks, and
in hospital lobbies. Volunteer work includes a range of activities, such as providing peer and hospice support, lending people a listening ear, playing with child patients, and helping people find where they need to be in the hospital lobby. Peer support persons have first-hand experience of an illness or disability, but other roles are open to volunteers without first-hand experience of an illness or disability. The purpose of volunteers is not to replace the trained professionals working in hospitals.
Volunteering in a Hospital
Online Service
Vertaistalo is an online service that offers peer support for patients and their family members. The site offers practical tips, contact details of the peer support services of different patient organizations, other people’s experiences, and peer videos.
