Healthy Ageing

As we end our look at healthy ageing for a while, consider the idea of volunteering. The look ends with the idea of how important it is to volunteer. So as you look forward to retirement consider making volunteering one of your commitments.

Back in 2011, the Ministry of Health for British Columbia looked at what the literature said about healthy ageing. Here is some of what was in this report which was called Planning for Healthy Ageing A Literature Review, written by Eleanor Kallio, Senior Policy Analyst, Research, Knowledge Translation and Library Services Branch, Planning and Innovation Division, Ministry of Health, Victoria, British Columbia, published in 2011

Volunteering

Approximately one-third of Canadians age 65 and older volunteer; and they volunteer more hours than other age groups. This is an example of a productive ageing activity. Older adults have knowledge, skills and abilities, which they can give if barriers are removed, and opportunities made known. Volunteering offers many benefits: it helps keep people connected with communities, is associated with longevity, and increases both happiness and satisfaction. 

The reasons older adults volunteer are both personal and altruistic: to benefit the community and feel a sense of belonging, to have social interaction and mental stimulation, to feel useful, and occupy free time. For volunteering to be long-lasting and satisfying, a good and enjoyable fit is important. One should establish volunteering earlier in life, or opportunities in later life may be lost, due to declining health.