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Why do older adult volunteers stop volunteering?
- Authors:
- TANG Fengyan, MORROW-HOWELL Nancy, CHOI EunHee
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 30(5), July 2010, pp.859-878.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
This is a follow-up study, to a parent study of programmes that use older adult volunteers in the United States, which gathered voluntary sector experiences and personal data from 207 individual, older people active in 10 programmes in 2005-2006, via telephone interviews and postal surveys. Four tables of data detailing socio-demographic characteristics and volunteer experiences of current and past volunteers, factors relating to volunteering turnover using the Generalised Estimating Equations analytical method and reasoning given for stopping volunteering activity, presented by these authors show aspects of the volunteer experience, such as duration of involvement, volunteering in other programmes, type of activity, the adequacy of on-going support and the availability of stipends, influence volunteering retention and turnover. Volunteers who, committed for longer time periods, were committed to other programmes, felt better supported and received a stipend were less likely to quit volunteering in a designated programme. Public safety programmes had low rates of volunteer turnover also. Reasons given for volunteer withdrawal included a higher priority of another productive activity or commitment, declining health, or problems with the programme administration, with those with extensive experience least likely to withdraw. The authors recommend the provision of stipends and on-going support by voluntary organisations who wish to engage and retain older adult volunteers, particularly older Americans with low income, in the longer term.
Low-income older adults' acceptance of depression treatments: examination of within-group differences
- Authors:
- CHOI Namkee G., MORROW-HOWELL Nancy
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 11(4), July 2007, pp.423-433.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Using the 11-item Treatment Evaluation Inventory (TEI), a community sample of 79 homebound and 127 ambulatory older adults rated their acceptance of four depression treatments for two hypothetical cases with mild-to-moderate or severe levels of depressive symptoms. The four treatments were clinic-based cognitive therapy (CT), in-home cognitive bibliotherapy (CB), antidepressant medication (AM), and regimented physical exercise (PE). Older adults had significantly less favourable attitudes toward AM than CT as a treatment for mild-to-moderate symptoms, and they were less accepting of CB than CT for severe symptoms. Concerns about becoming dependent on medication and about its side effects as well as the understanding of loneliness and isolation as causes of depression appear to have affected their scores. African American and Hispanic older adults showed attitudes that were as favourable as those of their non-Hispanic white peers toward all four types of depression treatments. Homebound older adults had less favourable attitudes toward CB than did their ambulatory peers.