Volunteering and Aging

1 In the next two decades, the number of Americans age 55 or older will swell from 76 million to 110 million as the large baby-boom generation continues to age. Older Americans’ health and well-being is important for the entire society, and the longer they can live independently, the lower the social costs will be for the society as a whole. This e-newsletter provides an overview of demographic characteristics of older volunteers and highlights recent findings from research affiliates of NIA-supported centers specializing in the demography, economics, and epidemiology of aging. Whether older Americans can delay or prevent disability associated with advanced age will depend in part on how they spend their time after retirement. A growing body of research suggests that older adults who are engaged in social and community activities maintain mental and physical health longer than other older adults (Musick and Wilson 2008). Volunteer activities are one way of remaining socially active after retirement (Luoh and Herzog 2002). Beyond potential health benefits for the volunteers, nonprofit organizations, governments, and community groups see boosting volunteering among the increasing older population as furthering several complementary goals, including: n Providing services to those in need in a time of diminishing government resources. n Helping run nonprofit organizations including churches, community groups, and political parties, and nurturing a new generation of leaders. n Strengthening civil society by engaging more people in the community (Morrow-Howell 2010).