By the time she turned 61, Amy Laskey had gained a lot of time. Previously, she had been working full time in municipal finance, raising a son and helping to take care of an elderly parent. But then her parent passed away, her child grew up, and she retired.
In place of those duties Laskey, now a 64-year-old retiree in New York City, started volunteering. She participates in conversation practice for an ESL class, ushers for classical music venues, and writes letters to incarcerated individuals. She also did financial coaching at a social services organization, which eventually turned into a part-time job.
When it comes to volunteering, older adults tend to dominate. Those 65 and older are two to three times more likely to volunteer than adults aged 25 to 34, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. As with Laskey, older adults are more likely to have spare time to dedicate to causes unrelated to work or family.
But volunteering is not just a way to fill time. A growing body of research shows that volunteering and maintaining a sense of purpose and meaning in life provides older adults with a wide array of benefits to their physical and mental health. The potential for volunteering to bolster so many aspects of health and wellbeing is heartening, experts say, especially given how issues of loneliness and health can often worsen in old age.
One of the biggest motivators driving Laskey to volunteer is how the activities put her into contact with people she would never have encountered otherwise. She observed that when working, it’s easy to get stuck moving between work and home and nothing else, and when retired it’s easy to slip into inertia at home. “It takes continual effort, and not necessarily in a bad way, to be out in the world,” she says.
AmeriCorps, the federal agency for national service and volunteerism, conducted a two-year survey to see how volunteer programs for seniors affected participants. “Eighty-eight per cent of those volunteers felt like they had fewer feelings of being isolated after two years of volunteering,” says Atalaya Sergi, national director of AmeriCorps Seniors. “Eighty-four per cent of the volunteers also reported stable or improving health after they volunteered for about two years.”
Philip Yates, a 61-year-old retiree in Peterborough, in the Canadian province of Ontario, volunteered to drive elders to medical appointments shortly after he moved to a new neighborhood. These individuals might not be able to drive or afford a car, or might be intimidated by going to appointments alone, he says, “so there’s a huge need”. While these drives are often short and not necessarily a way to socialize, Yates has learned more about his neighborhood and city through these small interactions. Hearing their stories also “keeps me grateful”, Yates says: “That sounds selfish or condescending, but it really does remind me of my good fortune.”
Laskey and Yates emphasized enjoying the feeling of usefulness and responsibility volunteering provides. These are two elements that contribute to a sense of purpose, which is one of the most overlooked aspects of wellbeing, says Eric Kim, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia who studies wellbeing in older adults. A sense of purpose is, in turn, a huge contributor to resilience, he says, because “when you have a ‘why’, you’re much more willing and able to endure all kinds of adversity and persist through hard tasks”.
In numerous studies of older adults, Kim and his colleagues have found that a higher purpose in life is linked to reduced risks of heart attacks and strokes, better grip strength and faster walking speed. In another study, they found that older adults who volunteer have reduced risk of mortality, more optimism and a lower sense of depression and loneliness. Other research has found that older adults who frequently volunteer are less likely to develop high blood pressure, and a recent study linked volunteering with slower biological ageing.
A sense of purpose doesn’t need to come from volunteering or a job to benefit your health, says Kim. Some individuals might find it in taking care of family members or cultivating a garden. “Purpose” doesn’t need to mean one overarching goal in life, he says. If you have a number of smaller ones, “all of these things can add up.”
The relationship between purpose and health, especially physical health, is probably a two-way street, says Kim. You might see physical health benefits from volunteering since it often requires getting out of the house and moving. But it’s also true that people in better physical health are more likely to be able to go out and nurture their interests and sense of purpose, he says.
Yet if a volunteer position is not a good fit, these benefits aren’t guaranteed. The difficulties some might experience while volunteering are the same as in a job, says Greg Olsen, director of the New York State Office for the Aging, which provides older New Yorkers with a variety of services and volunteer opportunities. Toxic colleagues, a micromanaging supervisor or a lack of suitability could make for a negative experience. The upside is that “there are thousands and hundreds of thousands of not-for-profits that will always accept a volunteer, because they’re all short-staffed,” he says. If one opportunity is not a good fit, there are plenty more to try.
Finding that good fit can be tricky, says Laskey: “You just have to try a lot of things.” Think of ways to use your knowledge or expertise, she adds. For her part, Laskey is good with numbers and happy to use those skills to help others. Yates Googles and calls local organizations like animal shelters to ascertain whether there are opportunities he will enjoy. “Look at what really interests you,” he says, otherwise “you’re not going to do it for long”.
A good way to start is with your interests or identities, says Kim. Volunteering can center around a hobby, like a sports league, or, around ethnic, religious or LGBTQ+ identities – like through church or other specialized organizations. Sergi also points out that “just about every community has an organization in their town, city, county, that is tasked with volunteerism.” Local libraries can often put you in touch with those organizations, as can groups like the AARP.
For anyone still unsure and hesitant to start, Sergi recommends dipping your toe in with a low-commitment opportunity, like assisting at a one-day event. After that, “you can decide if you want something that’s more long term”, she says. Bring a friend or family member along, too, if you need support.
Regardless of what you end up doing, your time and effort can make a difference. “Whatever your background is, no matter where you’ve come from or what you’ve come through, no matter your education level, you have something to give that your community needs,” Sergi says.
