Why Do Senior Citizens Volunteer

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WHY DO SENIOR CITIZENS VOLUNTEER? 2 Senior Citizens Are Great Volunteers As a young person is there anything more depressing than thinking of yourself as a senior citizen? Young people think seniors are old and also think it will be a long time before they will even begin to think of themselves as old. Senior citizens are full of knowledge, show more patience and are very productive volunteers. Senior Citizens Volunteer for Many Reasons Seniors are not just people who have retired and are looking forward to doing nothing. They have a knowledge base that young people wish they had at a young age. They have learned lessons in life that only experience can provide and for this reason they volunteer. They give of their time unselfishly to help others, whether it be with after school activities, helping in a homeless shelter or giving of their time at a hospital. Seniors volunteer because they want to stay active; they need to feel needed and to fight off boredom. Staying active helps them to stay healthy and not become a couch potato. (Gordon 2013) "We found that volunteering remains a powerful predictor of decreased mortality among current U.S. retirees, even after extensive adjustment for possible confounding factors," They have been caregivers, and as empty nesters or as a widow or widower, they have that need to feel needed. After many years in the work force, some seniors find themselves becoming bored fast. They have that need to stay busy, as for some that is the way they lived their lives. Senior Volunteering Has a Positive Effect on Society Seniors that volunteer helping young children in after school programs are not only showing a child attention but are helping them with learning lessons. When seniors volunteer at a hospital they are
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