Sustaining Engagement in Volunteer Activities for Older Adults

Abstract

Sustaining engagement in volunteering opportunities is important for older adults to maintain an active lifestyle. We conducted an observation and interview study with older adults who volunteer in a water monitoring group to investigate the role of sustained volunteering participation on healthy aging. Our findings suggest sustained engagement is influenced by role choice and role change over time. We found that supporting older adults as they age through these two factors allowed them to actively contribute to their health and well-being for many years. We suggest taking participation roles into consideration when designing technologies that promote older adult's health and well-being.