TITLE:
Peeling Potatoes as Health Promotion? Self-Perceived Benefits of Volunteering among Older Adult Volunteers in a Norwegian Volunteer Centre
AUTHORS:
Anita Berg, Oddbjørn Johansen
KEYWORDS:
Health Promotion, Older Adults, Self-Perceived Benefits, Volunteering, Well-Being
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.5 No.4,
April
28,
2017
ABSTRACT: In recent years, voluntary work undertaken by older
people has been viewed as a possible way to link aging populations with
individual and societal needs related to healthy aging. Based on focus group
interviews, the study aims to clarify how
volunteering is maintained in older populations and examines how older
adults (aged 65+years) in a Norwegian volunteer centre perceived the benefits
of volunteering. The results of the study highlight the importance of the
volunteer centre as a place in which to
participate and be social, for a sense of belonging to a fellowship of
co-volunteers, and as an arena for personal growth and adaption to old age.
These aspects were described by the volunteers as health promoting.
Additionally, the context of the voluntary work, as the volunteer activities
and the way they were organized, was significant for their experiences. From
these findings, it is a need for in-depth studies of the dynamics of everyday
volunteer work in order to gain a better understanding of the relationship
between self-rated health benefits and the organizational contexts in which
older adults retain to work voluntarily.