Senior Corps

Senior Corps connects individuals over 55 with the people and organizations that need them most, helping them to become mentors, coaches or companions to people in need, or contribute their job skills and expertise to community projects and organizations. Conceived during John F. Kennedy's presidency, Senior Corps currently links more than 500,000 Americans to service opportunities. Their contributions of skills, knowledge, and experience make a real difference to individuals, nonprofits, and faith-based and other community organizations throughout the United States. Senior Corps offers several ways to get involved. Volunteers receive guidance and training so they can make a contribution that suits their talents, interests, and availability.

The goal of this program is to match seniors with volunteer opportunities.

A University of Michigan psychology study has found that elderly people who volunteer regularly live longer than those who do not. The study followed 423 older couples for a period of five years. The psychologists who led the study say the findings indicate that people who get help from volunteers don't benefit as much as the volunteers themselves.

A 2006 study at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine found that older adults who volunteer in a program that joins them with troubled urban students boosts the mental and physical health of the volunteers. Volunteers in this program, Experience Corps, reported feeling stronger after volunteering. Specifically, the volunteers' incidence of falls decreased, but more generally, they reported improved health. So while most volunteers in Experience Corps signed up to contribute to the lives of the students, they in turn contributed to their own health. Indeed the study not only found health benefits for volunteers, but also found long-term benefits for the students.

According to the study, Senior Corps Volunteer Participation: An Effective Means to Improve Life Satisfaction, by National Service Fellow Peter J. Gartland:

- Participation in Senior Corps programming does result in quantifiable changes to factors that lead to improved satisfaction with life among its volunteers.
- Participation enables volunteers to satisfy both basic and self-actualizing needs that lead to improved life satisfaction.
- Senior Corps appears to be an effective means for providing volunteers with opportunities to contribute to the meaning and enjoyment of their lives.
- Therefore, Senior Corps appears to be an effective method for improving the quality of life for elder volunteers.