Volunteers improve the health and well-being of the elderly

Source/Disclosure Disclosure: Kim reports working as a consultant with AARP and the United Health Group. Please see the survey for relevant financial information for all other authors. Add topics to email alerts Get an email when a new article is posted Enter your email address to receive an email when a new article is posted .. Apply The request could not be processed. Please try again later. If you continue to experience this issue, please contact us customerservice@slackinc.com.. Return to Healio More than 100 hours of volunteering per year was associated with health benefits for adults over 50, including a reduced risk of death, according to a study published in American Journal of Preventive Medicine.. "Human beings are essentially social creatures." Dr. Eric S. Kim The Department of Social Behavior and Harvard University's Chang Public Health School of Likmushen Center for Health and Well-being said in a press release. "Perhaps this is the reason Our mind and body You will be rewarded for giving it to others. " See also: Kim ES, etc. This is J Prev Med. 2020; doi: 10.1016 / j.amepre.2020.03.004. Kim and colleagues surveyed data from 12,998 participants in a nationally representative study of health and retirement in adults over the age of 50 in the United States. Survey participants were asked last year how much time they spent volunteering in religion, education, health, and other charities. The researchers evaluated multiple outcomes of physical health, wellbeing, psychological well-being and distress, and social factors during a 4-year follow-up period. They reduced the risk of death by 44% (OR 0.56; 95% CI, 0.44-0.71) and the risk of disability by 17% (OR 0.83; 95%) in adults volunteering for 100 hours or more per year. CI, 0.71-0.96) Compared to those who did not volunteer. Kim et al. did not identify an association with the risk of other physical health outcomes such as diabetes, chronic illness, cancer, or hypertension. Participants who volunteered more than 100 hours a year were 12% (OR 1.12; 95% CI, 1.03-1.23) of those who did not volunteer to do physical activity frequently. Regarding psychological factors, Kim et al. found that patients with 100+ hours of volunteer activity were optimistic, purposeful, had less depressive symptoms, and were hopeless compared to those who were not volunteering. .. We also found that participants who volunteered for 100 hours or more per year had a low sense of loneliness and were 29% less likely to report no contact with friends (OR 0.71; 95% CI, 0.62-0.8). It was. “Our result is that volunteering for the elderly not only strengthens the community, Enrich our lives In his press release, Kim strengthens his ties with others, makes him feel a sense of purpose and happiness, and protects us from feelings of loneliness, depression, and despair. "Regular altruistic activity reduces our risk of death, even if our studies have no direct impact on a wide range of chronic illnesses." Add topics to email alerts Get an email when a new article is posted Enter your email address to receive an email when a new article is posted .. Apply The request could not be processed. Please try again later. If you continue to experience this issue, please contact us customerservice@slackinc.com.. Return to Healio Pictures Credit

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