As described in a previous article, retirement often brings a loss of identity, structure, social engagement, and purpose and meaning. I refer to these as major life bedrocks. What we gain when we retire is autonomy--freedom and control over how we spend our time. One of the keys to enjoying a happy and fulfilling retirement is to use our free time in a way that recaptures the major life bedrocks that are often lost when we leave work for the last time. Living your best retirement is the result of mastering two essential fundamentals: your money and your time.
A secure retirement typically does not happen by accident. Ideally, it is the result of a comprehensive and strategic financial plan, tailored to your needs and lifestyle. Likewise, your retirement life should be strategically planned and implemented.
Volunteering can often fill the void created at retirement by providing retirees with identity, structure, social engagement, and a sense of purpose. This article is the first of a two-part series on volunteering in retirement. In Part 1, we provide a research-based overview of the transition into retirement and the benefits of volunteering. In part 2, we will share a practical strategic framework to help you find an ideal volunteer experience. We will then offer ideas on how you can identify and choose the volunteer opportunities in your area that best match your skills and preferences. We will close with some real-life case studies of people who have made volunteering an integral part of their retirement life.
The Transition into Retirement
We often lose more than our salary and benefits when we retire. As an example, in an article discussing the challenges of retiring physicians, Cronan (2009) notes that letting go of pre-retirement life is often difficult. The study finds that physicians struggle with the loss of identity when they retire, as work provides “structure, community, and purpose” (p. 243). The author suggests that having an overarching purpose is critical to enjoying a rewarding retirement and that for many, finding that purpose is elusive. Greenfield and Marks (2004) note that retirement can result in what is known as role-identity absence. In addition to retirement, major role losses include divorce and death of a spouse or partner. Because roles provide identity and purpose, the move from full-time work to retirement can leave a sudden void. Their study suggests role identity absence is linked to reduced positive affect and a diminishment in one’s sense of purpose.
Benefits of Volunteering in Retirement
Several studies find a positive relationship between volunteering and a variety of health outcomes in older adults. A review of research articles on the benefits of volunteering concludes that both biological and psychological mechanisms are positively impacted in older adults (Anderson et al., 2014). Fisher and Schaffer (1993) use the word inoculation to describe how volunteering can shield older adults from some of the physiological and psychological decline that comes with aging.
Retirees who volunteer are healthier as studies show objective health improvements are linked to volunteering. After a year of volunteering in elementary schools, older adults show improved health measures, including faster walking and stair climbing speed, compared to their scores at the beginning of the year (Barron et al., 2009). Burr, Tavares, and Mutchler (2011) find older volunteers have a lower risk of hypertension and lower blood pressure readings than non-volunteers. Volunteering is found to reduce the risk of hip fractures for those over age 65 (Warburton & Peel, 2008). Van Willigen (2000) reports that improvements in health for volunteers aged 60 and older are more than double those of non-volunteers. Functional independence, as determined by instrumental and basic activities of daily living, also improved with volunteering in a study of adults over age 70 (Lum & Lightfoot, 2005).
In general, those who volunteer live longer, as volunteering is associated with a reduction in mortality rates. In a study of the effects of volunteering on individuals aged 65 and older, Musick, Herzog, and House (1999) find that volunteering in moderate amounts leads to a lower risk of mortality. This is especially true for older adults who are more isolated and have less social interaction. Moen, Dempster-McClain, and Williams (1992) find that participation in volunteer organizations can reduce female mortality. Controlling for a variety of variables, Okun, Yeung, and Brown (2013) find a 24% reduction in mortality risk associated with volunteering for adults aged 55 and older. The authors state, “It is no longer a question of whether volunteering is predictive of reduced mortality risk; rather our results suggest that the volunteering-mortality association is reliable, and that the magnitude of the relationship is sizeable” (p. 576).
Retirees who volunteer tend to be happier and enjoy improved emotional well-being than non-volunteers. Greenfield and Marks (2004) find that formal volunteering is linked with psychological well-being and positive affect. Older adults with chronic health issues show the strongest positive correlation between volunteering and resilience and positive affect (Okun et al., 2011). Anderson et al (2014) find a link between hours volunteered and a reduction in depression symptoms, improvement in affect, and higher levels of life satisfaction. Their study also finds that volunteering helps maintain cognitive functioning and may therefore reduce the signs of dementia. Gimenez-Nadal & Molina (2015) find a higher level of happiness for those who volunteered during the day compared with those who do not, concluding “that time spent on voluntary activities is utility-enhancing” (p. 1). Several other studies link volunteering to positive affect, greater life satisfaction, and happiness (Okun et al., 2011; Van Willigen, 2000).
Conclusion
This article discussed research on both the impact of retirement on individuals and the wide range of benefits retirees experience from volunteering. In several studies, volunteering is found to predict better physical and emotional health, longer mortality, and greater life satisfaction. In Part 2, we will introduce a framework to help you find an ideal volunteer experience. We will also share several real-life case studies of retirees who have made volunteering an important and positive part of their retirement.
References for Parts 1 & 2
AARP. Retrieved from https://www.aarp.org/volunteer/.
Anderson, N. D., Damianakis, T., Kroger, E., Wagner, L. M., Dawson, D. R., Binns, M. A., Bernstein, S., Caspi, E., Cook, S. L., & The BRAVO Team (2014). The benefits associated with volunteering among seniors: A critical review and recommendations for future research. Psychological Bulletin. Advance online publication. http://dx.org/10.1037/a0037610
Barron, J. S., Tan, E. J., Yu, Q., Song, M., McGill, S, & Fried, L. P. (2009). Potential for intensive volunteering to promote the health of older adults in fair health. Journal of Urban Health: Bulleting of the New York Academy of Medicine, 86(4), 641-653.
Bradley, D. B., (2003). A reason to rise each morning: The meaning of volunteering in the lives of older adults, The American Society on Aging, 23(4), 45-50.
Brown, W. M., Consedine, N. S., & Magai, C. (2005). Altruism relates to health in an ethnically diverse sample of older adults. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B: Psychological and Social Sciences, 60, P143-P152.
Burr, J. A., Tavares, J., & Mutchler, J. E. (2011). Volunteering and hypertension risk in later life. Journal of Aging and Health, 23, 24-51.
Charity Navigator. Retrieved from https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=content.view&cpid=201
Center for Non-Profit Leadership. Retrieved from https://cvnl.galaxydigital.com/
Cnaan, R. A., Handy, F., & Wadsworth, M. (1996). Defining who is a volunteer: Conceptual and empirical considerations. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 25(3), 364-383.
Cronan, J. J. (2009). Retirement: It’s not about the finances! American College of Radiology, 6, 242-245.
Fisher, L. R. & Schaffer, K. B. (1993). Older volunteers: a guide to research and practice, Newbury Park, Ca.: Sage Publications.
Gimenez-Nadal, J. I., & Molina, J. A. (2015). Voluntary activities and daily happiness in the United States. Economic Inquiry, 1-16.
Greenfield, E. A., & Marks, N. F. (2004). Formal volunteering as a protective factor for older adults’ psychological well-being. Journal of Gerontology, 59B(5), S258-S264.
Lum, T. Y., & Lightfoot, E. (2005). The effects of volunteering n the physical and mental health of older people. Research on Aging, 27(1), January 2005, 31-55.
Moen, P., Dempster-McClain, D., & Williams, R. M. (1992). Successful aging: A life-course perspective on women’s multiple roles and health. American Journal of Sociology, 97(6), May 1992, 1612-1638.
Morrow-Howell, N. (2010). Volunteering later in life: Research frontiers. Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences, 65B(4), 461-469.
Musick M. A., Herzog, A. R., & House, J. S., (1999). Volunteering and mortality among older adults: Findings from a national sample. Journal of Gerontology, 54B(3), S173-180.
Okun, M. A., Rios, R., Crawford, A. V., & Levy, R. (2011). Does the relationship between volunteering and well-being vary with health and age? International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 72, 265-287.
Okun, M. A., Yeung, E. W., Brown, S. (2013). Volunteering by older adults and risk of mortality: A meta-analysis. Psychology and Aging, 28(2), 564-577.
Poulin, M. J. (2014). Volunteering predicts health among those who value others: Two national studies. Health Psychology, 33, 120-129.
Post, S. G. (2005). Altruism, happiness, and health: It’s good to be good. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 12(2), 66-77.
Van Willigen, M. (2000). Differential benefits of volunteering across the life course. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 55, S308-S318.
VolunteerMatch. Retrieved from https://www.volunteermatch.org/volunteers/gettingstarted/
Warburton, J., & Peel, N. M. (2008). Volunteering as a productive ageing activity: The association with fall-related hip fracture in later life. European Journal of Ageing, 5, 129-136.