Retired occupational therapists' experiences in volunteer occupations

Abstract

As the baby boomer generation, born 1945-1963, begins its transition to retirement, what might be the position of volunteering within their new life structure? Using retired occupational therapists as a purposive sample (n = 50), this survey provides a description of the volunteer experience in three distinct phases: 1) Pre-retirement contemplation and preparation; 2) Actions, thoughts and feelings during the volunteer experience; and 3) Thoughts and feelings related to ending their volunteer roles. Results reveal that while retirees are highly motivated by altruism and the wish to stay engaged and connected with others through volunteering, they often find the existing structure of the organizations unable and unwilling to provide the kinds of volunteer roles that meet their needs and goals. These findings closely align with evidence from multidisciplinary and public health literature on civic engagement in the Third Age, retired but not disabled. In conclusion, results imply three new roles for occupational therapy practitioners with volunteering: 1) Promoting volunteer exploration and participation for older adult clients with disabilities; 2) Providing group interventions for Third Agers transitioning to retirement; and 3) Consulting with the organizations that depend on volunteers to guide them in revising the way they define and organize volunteer roles. Study is limited to one specific population but paves the way for replication with a broader range of participants.

A social cure in the community: A mixed‐method exploration of the role of social identity in the experiences and well‐being of community volunteers

“…Volunteering is not without its rewards. Research shows volunteering is associated with improved psychological well-being (Wilson, 2000), quality of life (Cattan, Hogg, & Hardill, 2011), physical and mental health (Cole & MacDonald, 2011;Howlett, 2004;Piliavin & Siegl, 2015), and reduced loneliness and depression (Joloza, 2013;Musick & Wilson, 2003). Volunteering has been linked with self-rated health across low-and high-income countries in the Western and Eastern hemispheres (Kumar, Calvo, Avendano, Sivaramakrishnan, & Berkman, 2012), and its influence on well-being persists across time (Thoits & Hewitt, 2001), and across multiple European contexts (Hansen, Aartsen, Slagsvold, & Deindl, 2018).…”

A review of occupational therapy's contribution to and involvement in the work‐to‐retirement transition process: An Australian perspective

“…Atchley's Continuity theory in relation to the work‐to‐retirement transition process is also supported by a study by Jonsson et al . () in Sweden and with Cole and Macdonald's () research on volunteering in retirement in the United States. Continuity theory ‘allows individuals to adapt and compensate for loss with “little sense of discontinuity” (Atchley, , p.12).…”

Helping in times of crisis: Examining the social identity and wellbeing impacts of volunteering during COVID‐19

“…However, while the contributions of community volunteers to these crises are clear, the impact on volunteers is considerably less so. There is much evidence that volunteering can be protective for physical and psychological health (Cole & MacDonald, 2011; Piliavin & Siegl, 2015; Wilson, 2000). Likewise, there is social psychological evidence that points to the benefits of volunteering for building community identity and support, which in turn enhances well‐being (Bowe et al, 2020; Gray & Stevenson, 2020).…”