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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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The perceived benefits of participating in voluntary activities among older people
— do they differ by volunteer characteristics? | | Author(s) | Sheelah Connolly, Eamon O'Shea |
| Journal title | Activities, Adaptation and Aging, vol 39, no 2, April-June 2015 |
| Publisher | Taylor and Francis, April-June 2015 |
| Pages | pp 95-108 |
| Source | http://www.tandfonline.com |
| Keywords | Voluntary work [elderly] ; Participation ; Quality of life ; Well being ; Social surveys ; Ireland. |
| Annotation | Previous research has linked volunteering with a catalogue of well-being indicators; however, it is unclear whether all volunteers derive the same benefit. In Ireland, the Third Age - an older people's organisation and social enterprise - organises voluntary work opportunities for older and younger people on a number of nationwide volunteering programmes. This article examines the perceived benefits of volunteering among older people (age 55+) participating in either the Senior Help Line of Failte Isteach programme, with the aim of determining whether the benefits differ by volunteer characteristics. The study found that volunteers reported a wide range of benefits emerging from their volunteering, including increased socialisation and self-worth. There was some evidence to suggest that benefits vary by volunteer characteristics with the older-old, the less educated, and the retired reporting the greatest benefit. In addition, different subgroups may benefit in different ways. Recognizing and responding to the potential benefits of volunteering to different groups is important in the recruitment and retention of volunteers. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-150710201 A |
| Classmark | GHH: TMB: F:59: D:F:5HH: 3F: 763 |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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