Volunteering May Prolong Longevity

While volunteering has been shown to provide a multitude of health benefits for the volunteer, an Arizona State University (Arizona, USA) team finds that older adults with functional limitations may reap life-extending benefits from volunteerism. Morris Okun and colleagues analyzed data collected from 916 community-dwelling American adults, ages 65 years and older.   The researchers focused on the relationships among functional limitations (physical constraints causing difficulties with everyday tasks), volunteering and mortality. The team found that people with functional limitations benefit from volunteering in terms of longevity, as compared to people without functional limitations.  Noting that volunteering older people feel more useful, the researchers explain that: “Volunteering buffers the association between functional limitations and mortality. We conclude that although it may be more difficult for older adults with functional limitations to volunteer, they may receive important benefits from doing so.”