Lifelong Benefits
Volunteer projects have been put in place to benefit those in need, but those who receive the help provided are not the only ones who benefit. Volunteer projects provide both age specific and universal benefits. Older adults may receive more benefits pertaining to their health, whereas teenagers expand their social skills and learn to be more respectful. All age groups are able to give back to others and receive the positive effects associated with their service. Since volunteering can provide benefits to both those who volunteer and those who receive the help, volunteer projects encourage citizens to continue to give back to others.
Teenagers reap lifelong benefits, such as a more respectful demeanor, by serving others
John Hopkins University published a study describing the positive effects and improvement of a senior citizen’s cognitive function after participating in volunteer projects. The study followed women who were over the age of sixty-five who were involved with a project to help further the education of children. These women would tutor and mentor children who went to school in urban areas. The study was conducted by scanning the participants’ brains prior to their service. Six months later, the participants underwent another scan and partook in cognitive testing. The results of these tests showed that the women who volunteered had either delayed or reversed the signs of cognitive decline. In addition to helping children, these adults were able to improve their cognitive ability (Parsons). Carnegie Mellon University also conducted a study to provide insight of the physical benefits that senior citizens experience when participating in volunteer programs. This study followed senior citizens who spent at least two hundred hours a year volunteering. These senior citizens reduced their risk of hypertension, or high blood pressure, up to forty percent when they spent their time helping others. This study shows that volunteering may be a non-pharmaceutical solution to hypertension, and this is helpful because it is one of the major contributors to
A study followed numerous households in Texas to find the universal benefits of volunteering. The study focused on responses concerning life-satisfaction, depression, mental health, physical health, and social well-being. The participants of the study had various ages, genders, races, education, and income level. The participants were asked to rate how they felt about their health in these areas. The results concluded that the participants reported lower signs of depression and felt generally happier. In fact, the results show that the participants had an eight and a half percent increase in mental health; they also reported a nine percent increase in physical health. The overall score that determined depression dropped four percent, and the scores pertaining to life satisfaction and social well-being both increased. The study found a seven percent increase in life satisfaction and an eleven percent increase in social well-being; this increase most likely occurred because volunteers expand their social circles, which leads them to feel more involved in their community. Feelings of involvement combat signs and symptoms of depression, and citizens who feel involved in their community are more likely to report higher signs of satisfaction pertaining to their lives.