By Meghan Streit
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE
When you volunteer your time to teach schoolchildren to read, feed homeless families, or raise money for your church, the people you help clearly benefit from your generosity.
But did you know that when you volunteer, you might see unexpected improvements in your own health?
Mounting evidence shows that regular volunteer work can keep older adults physically, mentally, and emotionally healthy. From the motivation to stay active to the social connection with other people to the sense of pride that comes from contributing to the community, volunteers can get a lot out of giving.
Searching for meaning
“Over time, when people are retired they realize that they have a lot of time in their days,” says Stefanie Weiss, spokeswoman for Experience Corps, a national program that connects retirees with volunteer opportunities in schools. “People also realize that they’re spending a lot of that time watching television, and they want to do something more meaningful,” Weiss says.
Experience Corps began in the mid-1990s, and today the program has about 2,000 older adults volunteering in schools in 20 different cities. The volunteers complete a twoweek training program before they are dispatched to local schools to help children learn to read.
Weiss says the students and the teachers see immediate benefits from the presence of the volunteers, and over time the volunteers themselves start to reap the rewards of their good deeds.
Help others to help yourself
Weiss says participants in an initial pilot study reported increased mobility, fewer falls, reduced medication, and decreased depression. “The results are pretty astounding,” she says.
Beyond the obvious physical health benefits, volunteers also see improvements in their mental health.
“Many of them are in a time in their lives where friends move and their social circles tend to shrink,” Weiss says of the volunteers. “So being in a school with a team of adults is a crucial experience.”