Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/734304
National Catholic Forester 14 We often talk about our spare time, our leisure time, our work time, and our lack of time! Time is precious and can't be re-captured once it is spent. So, we try to spend time wisely and well, whether we are earning a living or enjoying our leisure. Members of NCSF are encouraged to be volunteers during some of our precious time because it is part of our fraternal mind-set and mission. As it turns out, volunteering is also good for us! Research done over the past 20 years indicates that volunteering provides not just social benefits, but individual health benefits as well. In fact, those who volunteer have lower mortality rates, greater functional ability, and lower rates of depression later in life than those who do not volunteer. Older volunteers are most likely to receive greater health benefits from volunteering. Research has found that volunteering provides those age 60 or older with greater benefits than younger volunteers. These benefits include improved physical and mental health and greater life satisfaction. It is interesting that, while depression may serve as a barrier to volunteer participation in mid-life adults, it is a catalyst for volunteering among older adults. According to one study, when older adults volunteered in 1986, they experienced lower rates of depression in 1994. A "volunteering threshold." Researchers have found that there is a "volunteering threshold" for health benefits. That is to say, volunteers must be engaged in a certain amount of volunteering in order to derive health benefits from the volunteer activities. Once that threshold is met, no additional health benefits are acquired by volunteering more. The "volunteering threshold" has been defined in various studies as 1) volunteering with two or more organizations; 2) 100 hours or more of volunteer activities per year; and 3) at least 40 hours of volunteering per year. Greater life satisfaction. Evidence indicates that volunteering has a positive effect on social psychological factors, such as a personal sense of purpose and accomplishment, and enhances a person's social networks to buffer stress and reduce disease risk. Volunteering and physical well-being: part of a positive reinforcing cycle. A study of data from the Americans' Changing Lives survey found that those who volunteered in 1986 reported higher levels of happiness, life satisfaction, self-esteem, a sense of control over life, and physical health in 1989. Similarly, those in 1986 who reported higher levels of happiness, life satisfaction, self-esteem, a sense of control over life, and physical health were more likely to volunteer in 1989. Evidence suggests the possibility that the best way to prevent poor health in the future, which could be a barrier to volunteering, is to volunteer. A number of studies demonstrate that those individuals who volunteer at an earlier point experience greater functional ability and better health outcomes later in life, even when the studies control for other factors, such as socioeconomic status and previous illness. Volunteering Helps Our Health WHYVOLUNTEER ? WHYVOLUNTEER ? WHYVOLUNTEER ?