Whether for religious, practical, business or altruistic reasons, volunteering has long been seen as the ultimate charitable act. Some people donate their time by volunteering in the physical sense, whether it’s building houses or cleaning up the beach. Others tutor and provide counseling, while still others work at and maintain charities and trusts that are the backbone of the nation volunteer armies. All are vital in keeping some of our most important institutions running and helping society nurture and support vulnerable populations.
Some even make the ultimate sacrifice, taking on the risks of being subjects in medical experiments designed to test new medications and procedures.
A Harvard research study of United States census data indicates that the number of volunteers in this country age 65 and over should increase by 50 percent over the next 13 years, rising from 2007’s total of just under 9 million to over 13 million by 2020. That trend is expected to extend into the future, as the youngest members of the Baby Boom won’t hit 65 until 2029.
What’s more, Baby Boomers are volunteering at much higher rates in their 40s and 50s than previous generations did at the same age. The rising tide of volunteerism seems to beget the urge to do more as well. The more hours per year spent in volunteer activity, the more likely the same people are to continue on year after year.
A good deed such as volunteering was once believed to be its own reward. But now there is evidence that the volunteer actually receives some health benefits from his or her participation in various charitable and goodwill activities.
NEW STUDY DETAILS BENEFITS
Insurer UnitedHealth Group and the Optum Institute, a research firm, released a study in 2013 that claimed volunteering lead to better physical, emotional and mental health. The report, “Doing Good for You: 2014 Health and Volunteering Study,” claimed that more than 75 percent of United States adults who volunteered made them feel physically healthier, while more than 77 percent said volunteering activities lowered levels of stress.
Employers also benefitted from employees who volunteered, the study claimed, noting that the employees who volunteered enjoyed better health and grew in their professional skills by volunteering.
Beyond feeling healthier and having less stress, volunteers also reported that they felt a purpose in their activities, connecting more deeply with their communities and others. They also felt more educated and engaged in managing their health.
The study surveyed more than 3,300 United States adults to obtain its results.
CLINICAL VOLUNTEERS
Without volunteers, medical research would not make as much progress in as timely a fashion. Some researchers claim that certain clinical studies would not be possible without volunteers.
Why do people take the risks of a clinical trial? They may have a personal stake, in that a disease may have affected a close friend or family member. They may have a personal interest in science or medicine and want to contribute to expanding the frontiers. Or they may simply have an interest in improving medical care for generations to come.
There is no shortage of clinical trials that need volunteers. There is even a national research volunteer registry, funded by the National Institutes of Health. ResearchMatch connects volunteers with research institutes that are seeking subjects across the country.
AGE MATTERS
The age when someone volunteers plays a role in how much of a health benefit is received by the act. One study of volunteers over age 60 found that older people had greater physical and mental health benefits than those people who volunteered in mid-life.
The study posited that the younger volunteers received less of a health bonus because they volunteer more out of a sense of obligation than anything else. Putting in time at a child’s school to avoid financial penalties or other voluntary but mandatory activities bring less fulfillment than those who engage in activities because of a sense of community purpose.
It is that sense of purpose that is believed by researchers to carry benefits. Patricia Boyle of the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center claims that having a greater purpose in life can lead to lower mortality rates among older adults.
Her study, published in Psychosomatic Medicine, claimed that high purpose people - those who derive meaning from experiences and are goal directed - were about half as likely to die during a five-year follow-up period than those who lacked such purpose.
"Volunteering provides many older people with a deep sense of meaning," Boyle claimed in her findings. "Working toward a goal and feeling like you are making a contribution to society likely increases one's sense of purpose in life, which we have found contributes to successful aging.”
Among Boyle’s other findings in her The Health Benefits of Volunteering: A Review of Recent Research:
- Those who suffer from chronic pain issues reported a reduction in pain intensity and had less disability after volunteering than those who also had chronic pain but did not volunteer;
- The despair and depression that often arrives following a heart attack were reduced among volunteers;
- Volunteers reported greater levels of personal happiness, self-esteem, and control and life satisfaction than non-volunteers.
It is clear from the multitude of studies that there are some very real health benefits to volunteering. There are plenty of opportunities at schools, hospitals, veterans’ homes, nursing homes and other institutions in your neighborhood. Do yourself - and others - some good and contact these agencies about giving back to your community.