VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT

Volunteers help themselves to better health while helping others.

"What we found is a 'win-win' for everyone involved," says this study's lead author, Linda P. Fried, M.D., director of the Center on Aging and Health at Johns Hopkins. "Giving back to your community may slow the aging process in ways that lead to a higher quality of life in older adults," she adds.

Perhaps the primary benefit people get from volunteering is the satisfaction in making a difference in their community and country. The intangible benefits alone: such as pride, satisfaction and accomplishment  are worthwhile reasons to serve. But in addition, a growing body of research indicates volunteering provides individual health benefits in addition to social benefits. This research, titled "The Health Benefits of Volunteering: A Review of Recent Research" has established a strong relationship between volunteering and health: those who volunteer have lower mortality rates/greater longevity, greater functional ability, and lower rates of depression and less incidence of heart disease than those who do not volunteer. Not only that, older volunteers are the most likely to receive greater benefits from volunteering. Some of these findings also indicate that volunteers who devote a "considerable" amount of time to volunteer activities (about 100 hours per year) are most likely to exhibit positive health outcomes.

The report is available by clicking here.

Bottom line, Volunteers help themselves to better health while helping others

Fortuna Senior Services is a 100% volunteer organization. Volunteers are the life-blood of FSS. Your time, your talent, your interests, can make a difference right here in Fortuna. What kind of volunteering activities would be fun and fulfilling to you? Whether you have a few hours each week or each month to contribute, FSS wants to match it to important work to be done matching your skills, your interests and abilities.

Here are some of the current volunteer positions on tap:

    (To be completed)

Explore with us the different volunteer opportunities at FSS. Whether you want more information about volunteering with FSS or want to check out a particular volunteer situation, just fill out and mail our Volunteer Interest Form or give us a call at (707) 726-9203.