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Volunteering in Older Adults in Retirement

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Encyclopedia of Geropsychology

Synonyms

Altruism; Community service; Elderly; Happiness

Definition

Volunteering is the provision of unpaid services to organizations, community groups, or individuals.

Introduction

A recent and important trend in geropsychology that has emerged during the last 20 years termed positive aging addresses behavioral, psychological, and social factors that hold the potential to enhance the physical and mental well-being of older adults. This recent trend shifts the focus from aging-related decline to older adulthood as a stage that holds potential for contribution, adaptation, and success (Johnson and Mutchler 2013). Not surprisingly, maintaining a physically and mentally active lifestyle has repeatedly been noted to enhanced health and overall well-being during the later years. As this research domain has become more sophisticated, it has become clear that not all types of activity are equally beneficial; certain types of activity are more robustly related to enhance well-being among...

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Alaska, Anchorage, AK, USA

    Patrick Dulin

Authors
  1. Patrick Dulin
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Patrick Dulin .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

    Nancy A. Pachana

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© 2015 Springer Science+Business Media Singapore

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Dulin, P. (2015). Volunteering in Older Adults in Retirement. In: Pachana, N. (eds) Encyclopedia of Geropsychology. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-080-3_43-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-080-3_43-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-287-080-3

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