I came across a couple interesting articles recently about seniors that are stepping up in their golden years to volunteer. By doing so, they are not only staying active, but living longer lives!
According to a Wall Street Journal article, "At a time of increased need and declining resources, volunteers age 55 and over are stepping in to fill the gaps," said Wendy Spencer, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service.
It continues, "As the leading edge of the boomer generation reaches the traditional retirement age of 65, non-profits and communities should be poised to take advantage of this extraordinary wave of human capital that has the potential to transform our nation," said Dr. Erwin Tan, Director of Senior Corps at the Corporation for National and Community Service. "America's baby boomers are the largest, healthiest, best-educated generation in history, and they can leave an incredible legacy through service to others."
In addition to helping others, older volunteers are also helping themselves by living active, healthy lives through volunteering. A growing body of research points to mental and physical health benefits associated with volunteering, including lower mortality rates, increased strength and energy, decreased rates of depression, and fewer physical limitations. Volunteers aged 55 to 85 years who participated in two or more volunteer activities per week had a 63% lower mortality rate than non-volunteers. With nearly one in every five Americans projected to be age 60 or older by 2030, a great opportunity exists to engage older Americans in service to meet critical community needs while contributing to longer, healthier lives.
To top it all off, their gift has a real economic impact as well: 18.7 million older adults contributed on average more than three billion hours of service in their communities per year between 2008 and 2010. The yearly economic benefit of this service to the nation equals more than $64 billion. Way to go!
No comments:
Post a Comment