TAO/Handbook/Mutual Benefits of Volunteer Work

Mutual Benefits of Volunteer Work - For Older Adults and Online Communities

Introduction
This chapter describes the benefits of volunteer work for both older adults and online communities. These benefits can be recommended when a person is considering becoming a volunteer, or when an online community is reflecting upon the idea of engaging older volunteers.

Recommendations
Following mutual benefits of volunteer work can be recommended to older adults and online communities.

Benefits of volunteers work

Practical Background
Once retirement begins, many older adults reflect about their wishes for the next period in their life and question their place in society. Voluntary engagement could offer a response to such questions. Voluntary engagement is a possible way for older adults to “continue to experience themselves as productive, [can] expand their skills and experience themselves as competent (…), which in turn plays a role in the development of their identity” (Steinfort 2010, p.61). Moreover, a voluntary engagement does not only allow older adults to develop (a different form of) self-recognition, they are also recognized for it by others.

Literature references

 * Charles, S. T. & Carstensen, L. L. (2009). Social and Emotional Aging. Annual Review of Psychology, 61, 383-409.
 * Steinfort, J. (2010).Identität und Engagement im Alter. Eine empirische Untersuchung, Wiesbaden, VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften.