Why Not Volunteer to Live Longer?

America has a tradition of volunteerism. Indeed, many organizations would come to a standstill without the donation of skills and sweat that senior volunteers make. As baby boomers approach their anticipated retirement age, many will feel they should carry on working, in view of the present global financial situation. Others will be counting the days until they can spend all their time on the golf course, or cruising, or just vegetating. Not many will have made the early decision to volunteer, but its a choice that should be considered more often.

A presentation at the recent American Geriatrics Society meeting described results from the Health and Retirement Study that started in 2002. The participants were 6,360 retirees over 65, 60% of them women. There were 1,766 volunteers in the study. The average age of the participants was 78.

Among the volunteers, 12% died during the study period, compared with a 26% mortality in the non-volunteers. This difference persisted after adjustments made for socio-economic status, health conditions, depression, and so on. The chief researcher, Dr Sei Lee, believes several factors play a role in the ‘benefit’ of volunteering: the social networking involved in many forms of volunteering, apparent self-efficacy (a belief in your own abilities), and being physically, mentally and socially active.

My wife and I both volunteer – she to a greater extent than I. But we find it has its own rewards that are hard to define. To my mind, better than riding in a golf cart, four hours a day.