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Experiences of volunteers serving older adults

Experiences of volunteers serving older adults Purpose – The purpose of this study is to assess the volunteer component of the Neighbors Helping Neighbors (NHN) program, a service program designed to assist community‐residing older adults to remain in their homes and avoid premature institutionalization. The study seeks to examine how meaningful and satisfying the volunteer experience has been for individuals involved with NHN. Design/methodology/approach – This study employed an exploratory cross‐sectional survey format developed specifically for NHN for descriptive purposes. A purposive sample of 26 NHN volunteers completed the survey examining their experiences with the NHN program. Findings – A total of 91 percent (21) volunteers reported being “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with their volunteer experience and 70 percent felt that they had made a difference in their community. Social implications – Programs such as NHN may be promising service models to meet the needs of older adults by building communities from the inside‐out. Originality/value – This study provides new knowledge concerning the satisfaction of volunteers in a unique community‐based program serving older adults. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Working with Older People Emerald Publishing

Experiences of volunteers serving older adults

Nancy Kelly‐Gillespie; Frances Wilby
Working with Older People , Volume 16 (1): 10 – Jan 1, 2012
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References (19)

Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Copyright
Copyright © 2012 Emerald Group Publishing Limited. All rights reserved.
ISSN
1366-3666
DOI
10.1108/13663661211215187
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to assess the volunteer component of the Neighbors Helping Neighbors (NHN) program, a service program designed to assist community‐residing older adults to remain in their homes and avoid premature institutionalization. The study seeks to examine how meaningful and satisfying the volunteer experience has been for individuals involved with NHN. Design/methodology/approach – This study employed an exploratory cross‐sectional survey format developed specifically for NHN for descriptive purposes. A purposive sample of 26 NHN volunteers completed the survey examining their experiences with the NHN program. Findings – A total of 91 percent (21) volunteers reported being “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with their volunteer experience and 70 percent felt that they had made a difference in their community. Social implications – Programs such as NHN may be promising service models to meet the needs of older adults by building communities from the inside‐out. Originality/value – This study provides new knowledge concerning the satisfaction of volunteers in a unique community‐based program serving older adults.

Journal

Working with Older People – Emerald Publishing

Published: Jan 1, 2012

Keywords: Volunteers; Older adults; Community‐building; Communities; Satisfaction; Surveys

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