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Volunteer

Most Older Adults Want to Contribute to Society, and Many Do, New Study Shows

April 26, 2018 by Judy Goddess

SENIOR BEAT – The majority of older adults want to contribute to society. And about a third actively do. That’s according to a collaborative study by researchers at the Stanford Graduate School of Education and the San Francisco-based non-profit Encore.org.

Findings and recommendations from the Pathways to Encore Purpose Project were presented at the recent 2018 American Society on Aging conference by  Encore Project Director Jim Emerman.

For the past two decades Encore, an organization dedicated to connecting people in later life with work opportunities that benefit society, has been looking at the role of purpose. In 2005, its predecessor, Civic Ventures, initiated The Purpose Prize for midlife adults whose volunteer commitments were making significant contributions to contemporary life.

The study defines purpose as a “sustained commitment to goals that are meaningful to the self and that also contribute in some way to the common good, to something larger than or beyond the self.” Purposeful living is “a stable and generalized intention to accomplish something that is at once meaningful to the self and of consequence to the world beyond the self.”

Study participants were asked to rate 10 life goals in terms of importance, and answer questions about their ongoing commitment to their top three. One of those had to be a beyond-the-self goal, and backed by a strong commitment, defined as involvement at least once a month. “We set the bar high,” Emerman said. “Purposeful activity had to be very much part of their identity.”

Defining life goals

The team surveyed a national sample of 1,200 adults ages 50 to 92 and conducted hour-long phone interviews with 102. The study found that:

  1. The majority of older adults exhibit high levels of pro-social values and behaviors, such as volunteering, helping and caring for others, caring for nature and the environment, endorsing equal treatment for all, and seeking to understand people who are different from themselves.
  2. Nearly a third of older adults (31 percent) actively pursue goals that are both personally meaningful and contribute to the greater good. “Purpose does not decline with age. Thirty-one percent is as high as the Stanford researchers saw in any age group previously studied,” said Emerman.
  3. While the pursuit of purposeful living is significantly higher among people of color than among whites and Asians, it is found across ethnicities, age, income, health status and geography.
  4. Purposeful living does not crowd out other pleasures or personal goals. In fact, a greater percentage of purposeful respondents than non-purposeful respondents saw later adulthood as a time to do self-oriented activities like traveling or taking classes.
  5. People who are purposeful have a positive outlook on life. Purposeful older adults emphasize the joy and satisfaction they experience in their lives, especially in their beyond-the-self engagements.
  6. Freedom is important to purposeful and non-purposeful people in different ways.  About half those with purpose emphasized the freedom to be involved in things beyond the self; the non-purposeful mostly looked at freedom as relief from the burdensome responsibilities of paid work and childrearing.
What does it all mean?

For older people, it means finding something beyond yourself that you’re passionate about and go after it: tutor children, volunteer, clean the neighborhood park, work for world peace. Though not addressed in the Stanford research, it should be noted that the act of volunteering has “a significant, positive effect on the mental and physical health and well-being of volunteers, especially those who are older and/or low-income,” according to the work of Carr, Greenfield & Marks, Kim & Konrath, Moen & Fields, and others cited in the Encore study.

The study also looked at those who did not fit their definition of active engagement in purposeful living. About half of them were not interested in engaging in any “beyond-the-self” activities. About a fifth of those were involved but, for various reasons such as travel, poor health, and family commitments had not pursued any beyond-the-self activity for the past month.

For organizations looking for volunteers, the study advises:

Build on people’s specific expressions of interest to find the right match for engaging them in purposeful pursuits.

  • Provide transitional support for volunteers when a program closes or changes its focus.
  •  Reach out to newcomers in the community, suggesting volunteering as a way they can get to know their new neighborhood and neighbors.
  • Connect retired professionals with opportunities to continue using their skills in satisfying ways.
  • Help occasional volunteers make the transition to more substantial involvement when they are ready, often after retirement or other life events.
  • Expand the use of stipends or other compensation, such as transportation reimbursement or meals, especially for roles that require a sustained commitment.
  • Cast a wider net in seeking volunteers. “By only concentrating on the elites (the highly educated, healthy and wealthy), we’re missing a large chunk of the population,” Emerman said.
Some purposeful people in San Francisco

Over the past two years, I’ve been fortunate enough to meet and interview many older adults who lead what can be described as purposeful lives. Some were passionate volunteers.  Others worked for stipends or minimum wage. Their stories, which I’ve abbreviated here, have been published in the Ingleside-Excelsior Light, the San Francisco Bayview, or sfcommunityliving.org.

Saralyn Archie is one of seven volunteers who package and deliver groceries to homebound seniors in the OMI neighborhood of San Francisco. She grew up in the neighborhood and many of the elders on her route are the parents of her friends. “I look forward to seeing everyone on my route.  I’m looking out for them and they’re looking out for me. They’re my seniors. It’s a treat for me to be able to give something to people.”

Kathryn Summers

Kathryn Summers started the Bayview Imani Breast Cancer Support Group when her little sister was diagnosed with breast cancer. At the time there were no such groups for African-American women. Though her sister did not survive, Summers vows to keep active in the group “as long as I have the time and enough energy.”

Mary Lou Bartoletti calls Sheridan Elementary School in Oceanview-Ingleside “a hidden gem. I knew I wanted to contribute, to volunteer with students in math,” she said. “Best of all, they needed me. It’s really rewarding when a student has a breakthrough; I feel I’m doing something worthwhile.”

Done Robblee

Donne Robblee is a classroom volunteer at Monroe Elementary School in the Excelsior District, through the Foster Grandparents program, for which she receives a small stipend. “If kids don’t get a good start, they’ll never catch up. I enjoy helping kids get that chance. It’s neat when you see a child’s face when he gets it, when he starts raising his hand.”

Helen Carter ostensibly teaches computer skills to women attending the computer lab at Senior Disability and Action, a San Francisco nonprofit. What she really does, said her supervisor Alice Chiu, “is create a community. She uses the computer lab to break isolation. They eat lunch together. I hear them laugh. I’ve heard them singing.” Carter, who is paid through the San Francisco ReServe Employment program, is more modest: “I enjoy sharing and helping people learn, especially seniors, and they’re happy learning.”

Daniel Billings returned to his first love, volunteering, when his company closed and he couldn’t find a job. He had been attending a men’s group at Curry Senior Center before he began volunteering in their dining room. When a ReServe position at Curry became available, he was encouraged to apply. “I love Curry and what they do. I feel like I’m blessed.”

Robert Mason

Robert Mason, a longtime volunteer at his church, Temple United Methodist, began helping in the food pantry, the third largest pantry in San Francisco, once he retired. Concerned about the long wait – sometimes up to an hour – for recipients to get their food, he decided they some improvements. It didn’t take long before he designed a system of time slots– the first among the city’s food pantries. Now no one has to wait longer than 15 minutes. Periodically, they rotate which group goes first, so no one feels left behind.

These are stories from only a few of the people I have met. San Francisco, and I imagine every city, has many older people who want to contribute and whose energy, thoughtfulness and love can make the world a better place.

The encore phase of life “is not a swan song, but a variation on a theme: the desire to go on, even in the face of adversity or loss,’’ Dr. Gene Cohen, whom some call the founder of the field of gerontology, wrote in his 2005 book “The Mature Mind: The Positive Power of the Aging Brain.” “This need to remain vital can lead to new manifestations of creativity and social engagement that make this period full of surprises. … Released from overly negative illusions about aging, people are often stirred by new energy, direction, or purpose.”

Filed Under: Action & Advocacy, Employment & SF ReServe, SF Senior Beat Stories, Volunteering & Giving Back Tagged With: active engagement, contribute to society, Encore, judy goddess, meaningful contributions, Pathways to Encore Purpose Project, purposeful living, senior study, Stanford Graduate School of Education, Volunteer

Ingleside-Excelsior Senior Spotlight: February 2018

February 4, 2018 by Judy Goddess

picture of Lunar New Year performers from OMI Senior Center.

Lunar New Year performers at the OMI Senior Center.

Lunar New Year

The OMI Senior Center will hold a Lunar New Year celebration on Tuesday, February 27. The celebration will feature a many-course luncheon, a lion dance and a raffle. Tickets are $17.00. Contact the OMI Senior Center at 65 Beverly Street for more information: 415-334-5550.

Chair Yoga at Cayuga

Cayuga Community Connectors has begun offering chair yoga. The class includes stretching, breathing, meditation and T’ai Chi, and meets on the 1st & 3rd Fridays of the month from 11-12.  A Monday 6-7 pm class may be offered in the future.

Patti Spaniak, who coordinates the Cayuga program, said they decided to offer chair yoga because some of their members were having difficulty keeping up with the Always Active exercise class. Members of the class say the exercises make them feel invigorated. A member, with MS, said she has difficulty walking home after the regular exercise class, but she walks home with ease after the chair yoga class.

The class is free, and is accepting new participants.  Contact Patti Spaniak for more information: 646-409-7775 or pspaniak@me.com.

DAAS Website

The Department of Aging and Adult Services (DAAS) has a new website: sfdaas.org.

While the site is still a “work in progress,” it does include descriptions and applications for many of their services.  When I explored it, I could not find a listing for the Community Connectors programs or for the eight senior choirs so strongly supported by participants at the 11 community forums held last fall.

The site solicits feedback. Please check it out and let the Department know whether you found it useful.

The DAAS Budget

The budget development process has begun for City agencies. Although the City’s budget projections show a strong economy, revenue growth has slowed while expenditures continue to increase.  In light of what is seen as a projected deficit, the Mayor asked all departments to reduce their General Fund budgets by 2.5 percent in each budget year. Check our website for updates: inglesidelight.com.

Charter Amendment to Address Set-Asides

Supervisors Aaron Peskin (district 3) and Katy Tang (district 4) recently proposed a charter amendment to substantially change the function and intent of the set-asides overwhelmingly approved by San Francisco voters over the past twenty plus years. These changes would impact funding for 15 city services, including the Dignity Fund (services for seniors), public libraries, schools, children’s services, parks, muni/public transit, cultural institutions, open space and housing.

The proposal would make it easier for the Controller’s Office to “claw back” funds that have been allocated but could not be spent because the contract was signed so late in the fiscal year that the nonprofit could not effectively spend the funds.  Sadly, this is a too common condition in most city departments.

The proposal will be heard by the Rules Committee on Wednesday, January 24.  The members of the Rules Committee include Ahsha Safai (district 11), Norman Yee (district 7) and Sandra Fewer (district 1).

Volunteer Who Makes the Excelsior a Better Place
picture of Donna Robblee

Donna Robblee

“Kids are my thing,” explained Donna Robblee, a volunteer with the Felton Institute’s Foster Grandparents program. “If kids don’t get a good start, they’ll never catch up. I enjoy helping kids get that chance. It’s neat when she see a child’s face when he gets it, when he starts raising his hand.”

The Felton Foster Grandparents program places seniors, 55 and older, in public school classrooms to assist teachers. Volunteers can work as few or as many hours a week as they want. Robblee, who was placed at Monroe Elementary School in the Excelsior, volunteers full time. “It’s a good place to work. Monroe is a happy school. There’s no bullying, it’s very diverse, we celebrate everyone.”

Robblee began volunteering for the Foster Grandparents program six years ago when she lived in Las Vegas. After closing her beauty shop and moving to San Francisco to be near her daughter and family, Robblee registered for Felton’s Foster Grandparents program.

“The thing I like about Felton,” which Robblee refers to as “my Felton,” is that “they’re there for you.” They help with the enrollment and placement process, and hold monthly meetings on issues that seniors should know about: handling stress, hearing aids, liver diseases, and so on.  Tieu Ly, who manages the Felton program, considers the monthly meetings an opportunity to “introduce our volunteers to what they would learn about if they attended a senior center instead of volunteering.”

Ly wants prospective volunteers to know that their program pays a small hourly stipend and recently began offering paid time off.

“We have a memorandum of understanding with 20 pre-schools and nine elementary schools. The geography and language demands can make it difficult to make a good match, but we’re always looking for volunteers,” Ly said.

“You’ve got to remember,” Robblee said, “nobody can be good at everything, but if you find something that the child is good at you’ve opened the door to success.”

To volunteer or for more information, contact Tieu Ly at 415-751-9786.

Filed Under: SF Senior Beat Stories Tagged With: chair yoga, charter amendment, DAAS budget, Donna Robblee, Felton Foster Grandparents program, Felton Institute, san francisco Department of Aging and Adult Services, san francisco rules committee, set-asides, Volunteer

Healthy Groceries and Human Kindness in the Park Merced / University Park Neighborhood

January 4, 2016 by Marie Jobling

Throughout San Francisco, dedicated neighbors volunteer their time to help seniors and people with disabilities get the resources and support they need to age and thrive in their own homes and neighborhoods. We will be featuring some of their stories in our newsletter each month.

Carlos, a volunteer in the Park Merced / University Park Food NetworkMichael and his sister Megan have been delivering groceries to seniors and people with disabilities since 2010Michael and his sister Megan have been delivering healthy groceries to participants in CLC’s Park Merced/University Park food network since 2010. Michael enjoys the personal connections he’s made with participants—and adds, “it’s more than a food delivery – we become part of each other’s lives. We share the joys and frustrations of life.”

Megan describes what a big difference the groceries make for the participants. When they delivered a special holiday turkey and fixings from Glide Memorial Church to one resident, “…he gazed upon the food-laden cart we pushed up to his apartment, he clasped his hands together, looked up toward heaven, and mouthed, ‘Thank you, God.’ His countenance changed as he animatedly explained that his family would be eating well for days to come.”

Carlos came to SF as a teenager from Lima, Peru. He has been packing and delivering groceries in the Parkmerced/University Park food network program for the past several years. One of his favorite delivery stops is a special Grandmother who cooks for every member of her family, grand children and great grandchildren—-she’s always cooking. “She feeds everybody,” Carlos shared. “If we ever having anything extra, I’m sure to give it to her.” Carlos’s caring smile along with the pantry goods makes every delivery extra special.

Make 2016 the year you volunteer or get involved in your community. Chances are good you will change someone’s life for the better—starting with your own! For more information about volunteer opportunities, email us at info@sfcommunityliving.org.

Filed Under: Building Community, Volunteering & Giving Back Tagged With: Food Network, Good Neighbor, Parkmerced, University Park, Volunteer, volunteering

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