Increasingly, studies are documenting that engaged older people remain in better health. Volunteering allows older adults to stay active as they reduce the time they devote to paid work. Today, older adults who assign high importance to religion, and those with higher incomes and more education volunteer more often than others, while Hispanics volunteer less often. Policymakers should gauge the value and potential growing demand for more volunteer opportunities as society ages. Initiatives that target older adults with low rates of volunteering could yield some big payoffs.
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