According to research conducted by the Home Instead Senior Care® network, 52 percent of seniors volunteer their time through unpaid community service. Nearly 20 percent (one in five) of seniors surveyed started volunteering when they reached the traditional age of retirement – 65 or older. Furthermore, 20 percent of seniors who volunteer say that their community service is the most important thing they do.
Dr. Erwin Tan, director of the Senior Corps, a national organization that links more than 400,000 Americans 55 and older to service opportunities, says, “The one thing that I hear constantly from the seniors in our programs is that volunteering gives them a purpose in life – they say that it’s the reason they get up in the morning. In addition, it’s a great way for them to learn new things – whether a skill or just something about an issue in which they have an interest,” Tan said. “Volunteering is just a great way to expand their horizons and feel like they’re still a valuable part of their community.”
The Home Instead Senior Care® office has announced the Salute to Senior ServiceSM program to honor senior volunteers for the tireless contributions they make to their local communities.
- The program will include a search for the most outstanding senior volunteer in each state and culminate with the selection of a national Salute to Senior ServiceSM winner during Older Americans Month in May.
- Nominees must be 65 years of age or older and volunteer at least 15 hours a month. Nominations will be accepted at www.SalutetoSeniorService.com through March 15, 2012.
- State Senior HeroSM winners will receive plaques, and their stories will be posted on the SalutetoSeniorService.com website. In addition, $5,000 will be donated to the national winner’s nonprofit charity of choice.
For more information about the Salute to Senior Service program or Home Instead Senior Care, please call our office at 225-819-8338.
*The Home Instead Senior Care network completed 600 telephone interviews with seniors age 65 and older in the U.S. who currently volunteer their time through unpaid community service. The sampling error is +/-4.0% at a 95%
We hope this was helpful. If you have any questions or if you know of a senior that could benefit from our vast array of home care services in Baton Rouge, please call us at 225.819.8338 or email us. Most long-term care insurance policies will reimburse us for our services and we have a team of over 200 bonded and insured CAREGivers covering the Baton Rouge, Louisiana area.
