Volunteering and Health among Older Adults.

Volunteering in later life has captured the attention of scholars, social scientists, policymakers, practitioners, and the public due to a growing body of research documenting the health, social, and economic benefits for older adults, families, communities, and society. There are a number of volunteer roles throughout the United States. Older adults volunteer for religious, educational, health-related, or other charitable organizations. In 2012, the Independent Sector (2010) valued volunteer time by adults aged 65+ at $40 billion annually and $62 billion annually for baby boomers. Others have demonstrated that volunteering helps older adults gain employment (Gonzales and Nowell 2016) and may reduce healthcare utilization (Kim and Konrath 2016).