Social isolation and loneliness are reported as having significant impacts on health, especially for older people. Policy concern has led to the creation of interventions to try and tackle these issues, including the funding of community-based support groups. The National Lottery Ageing Better Fund, 2015-2022 supported voluntary and community…

African Americans found ways to respond to the needs of their communities as volunteers when they were denied many services available to Whites citizens. Opportunities to volunteer were provided both formally and informally through churches, sororities, fraternities and other organizations. Many families would not have been able to afford care for…

Volunteer participation benefits societies and individuals. The objective of this study was to examine the roles of education and adult literacy in formal volunteering among a nationally representative sample of the U.S. middle-aged and older adults (45-74 years) by race and ethnicity (Whites, Blacks, Hispanics). Using cross-sectional data (n =…

Intergenerational programs bring together two or more generations and engage them in shared activities that inspire, educate, and advance their mutual well-being. Current literature on intergenerational programs involving elementary school children and older individuals describes benefits for both groups. However, most studies concentrate on the…

This study explores the learning of volunteer end of life caregivers (EOLCG). Using the profound learning framework, the researchers will use a grounded theory approach to generate transferable characterizations of how learning occurs for EOLCGs and what the content of that learning is. As a unique population of adult learners who perform an…

This dissertation describes the literate practices and layered technological strategies writers utilize in creating professional documents, particularly the literate activities, interaction with technologies and multimodal texts of senior writers in a workplace where many types of texts are produced and distributed as participants plan, manage,…

Older adults are at risk for mental health concerns, such as social isolation and suicide. Risk factors to suicide among older adults, such as loneliness and social isolation, may be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Gatekeepers in the community are a significant source of identification and referral of older adults at risk of mental and physical…

Volunteer participation benefits societies and individuals. The objective of this study was to examine the roles of education and adult literacy in formal volunteering among a nationally representative sample of the U.S. middle-aged and older adults (45-74 years) by race and ethnicity (Whites, Blacks, Hispanics). Using cross-sectional data (n =…

This study aimed to understand the behaviors of older adults in rural areas at all stages of active aging after participating in senior self-directed learning groups. This study adopted a qualitative research method and conducted one-on-one semi-structured interviews with six members of a senior learning center in a rural area. The themes…

The purpose of this study was to examine the experience of Senior Companions with telephone reassurance program training delivered via Zoom and the feasibility of using teleconferencing as a platform for training older adult volunteers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Volunteers were recruited from a local Senior Companion Program. We assessed…

"Dementia's Journey" explores the year-long process of a playwright working with a charity and its partners in writing a play focussing on experiences of dementia in a South Asian community, and how the need to tell an emotionally engaging and resonant story is balanced with the requirement to raise awareness of the issues involved. It…

Many science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) outreach programs focus on children, but relatively few efforts are dedicated to voting-age populations. These groups are important to reach because misinformation about science is widespread and difficult to detect, often interfering with informed voting on science-related issues. Science…

Intergenerational volunteerism is a global phenomenon that aids multiple generations. Considering the positive evidence of volunteering among older adults and their desire for engagement with children, it is important to explore older adult volunteers' experiences in intergenerational programs with a specific focus on the cultural and social…

This study explored the complex relationships between immigration, volunteering, and life-long learning among older adults. It investigated adult teaching and learning and active ageing from the perspective of immigrant volunteer instructors of English as additional language. Using a grounded theory method (GTM), comprising a combination of…

Objectives: Volunteering promotes well-being and may provide added purpose to life after retirement. Limited evidence exists regarding the characteristics and study adherence among those who participate in longitudinal studies while also volunteering outside the study. We assessed characteristics and adherence of older adults who volunteered…