Volunteering and seniors: so much to give, so much to gain

While retirement is often a much-anticipated life milestone associated with relaxation, freedom to travel and more time spent with loved ones, many older adults who have bid their final farewell to the workplace find themselves unsure of what to do with all the newfound time on their hands.

Whether young or old, volunteerism presents a host of benefits to well-being and offers a balanced approach to aging in a meaningful and satisfying way.

Improved health

Seniors who volunteer have been found to have decreased stress and lower blood pressure than their non-volunteer peers. Additionally, staying active through volunteering has been shown to improve cognitive health. In one study, researchers found that individuals aged 51 and older who were involved in formal volunteering showed improved working memory and processing over time.

The positive physical and mental health benefits that result from serving others are important contributors to well-being in older age.

Social connections

Volunteering is an excellent way to forge and maintain ties to others in the community. With over a quarter of seniors living alone and at risk of social isolation, volunteering is a way to fulfill the human need for social contact while simultaneously lowering the risk of depression, anxiety and a host of other ailments.

Additionally, one study revealed that time spent with friends and time spent in social activities were associated with longevity among seniors age 70 and over. Serving others through volunteering gives context to our lives through connections to others.

Learning new things

Aside from simply being interesting and fun, learning new things has been shown to improve neuroplasticity in the brain — a phenomenon that can help prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s disease symptoms even when as many as all other risk factors are otherwise present.

In a 2009 study of nuns, researchers discovered that even in a brain that shows all the physical signs of Alzheimer’s disease, the presence of symptoms can be prevented by growing new synapse connections in the brain, which increases one’s cognitive reserve.

The best way to increase cognitive reserve is not by engaging in activities that only require you to retrieve information you already know, but by challenging the brain to learn new material — such as taking up a foreign language, reading a book, meeting new people or by taking a class on a topic you know little about.

Volunteering in an area that requires you to learn new skills is a simple and fun way to build cognitive reserves while at the same time reaping the health and social benefits that come with serving alongside others.

Giving back

At the heart of all volunteering is the simple yet profound feeling of giving back. Service to others is linked to greater life satisfaction and happiness, as those who volunteer are helping others who rely on them.

No matter how many hours spent volunteering or how few, giving one’s time inevitably enhances one’s sense of purpose in life.

Promoting Senior Wellness is provided by The Hickman, a Quakeraffiliated licensed personal care home in West Chester. Call 484760-6300 for a tour. Visit www.thehickman.org for more information. Our volunteers are a valued part of life here at The Hickman. Not only do we welcome many compassionate volunteers from the community, we also offer numerous opportunities for our own residents to engage in acts of service — such as creating pins to raise money for Ukraine relief efforts, assembling centerpieces and decor for holiday events, collecting donations for food drives and spending intergenerational time with children from neighboring West Chester Friends School.

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