“What am I going to be like when I'm that age?”: How older volunteers anticipate ageing through home visiting

A review of different types of volunteer programs for older adults with and without cognitive impairment

“…Home visiting services, here, refer to structured social services where volunteers visit community-dwelling older adults who tend to be home-bound and socially isolated (16). An example is the home visiting service provided by Age Concern, a charitable organization in New Zealand.…”

“…An example is the home visiting service provided by Age Concern, a charitable organization in New Zealand. The goal of this national service of Age Concern is to alleviate social isolation and feelings of loneliness in community-dwelling older adults (16). Although the primary aim was more to benefit the service recipient, the influeznce on the volunteers has also been examined.…”

“…Compared to the service recipients, the volunteers are younger or not housebound if they are older. The volunteers regularly visit the service recipients at their homes, engage in friendly conversations, and provide companionship (16). In a qualitative study, Breheny et al (16) interviewed six volunteer visitors (aged 68-90 years) and analyzed how the volunteering experience shaped their perceptions of aging.…”

“…The volunteers regularly visit the service recipients at their homes, engage in friendly conversations, and provide companionship (16). In a qualitative study, Breheny et al (16) interviewed six volunteer visitors (aged 68-90 years) and analyzed how the volunteering experience shaped their perceptions of aging. The results suggested that the visiting experience led the volunteers to see the challenges associated with aging (e.g., being treated unfairly in society), recognize the strengths in the people they served, anticipate how they would adapt to their own future aging, and gain a better understanding of life by learning from people with different trajectories of aging.…”