It seems like every
time we turn on our radio or open a magazine we are told that
after retirement we have no useful place in society. Either we
are frail and need support services or we are so vain we are only
using our time and money for face lifts and we've disengaged from
life. The truth about who we are as older adults is much vastly
different from the picture reflected by, in large part, the advertising
community.
We are the healthiest,
most active, best educated, and longest living older adults in
our country's history. We are 34 million strong - nearly 13 percent
of the population. Many of us continue to be active members of
society; we continue to learn, grow and contribute to our communities.
Some of us are frail but this should not define who we are; it
doesn't mean we have disengaged from life.
As people live longer
and enter old age in better health, the generally accepted goals
for our later years do not necessarily apply. "Sun cities" and
"the golden years" or "the leisure years" fit the lifestyle of
very few older Americans today. Although there will always be
some retirees who desire to have a full time life of leisure,
a national survey by the Los Angeles Times found that today's
generation of older Americans are poised not only to defy long-standing
views of aging but to redefine this stage of life. The survey
indicates that most retirees are not ready to withdraw and sit
on the sideline.
This is the first of
a series of articles on the contributions made by midlife and
older retirees throughout this country. I hope by demonstrating
how they continue to benefit society we can help to change the
attitudes that lead to ageism -- to change societal views of older
Americans from burdens to assets.
One of the mistakes
our society makes is failing to measure and acknowledge the tremendous
contributions midlife and older people make to their communities
and society. Our government agencies only compile labor statistics
based on what is done for pay. They ignore all the unpaid labor
such as caregiving by families and friends and the millions of
hours of labor donated to volunteer services for the benefit of
our society. Those who work for pay are considered productive.
Those who volunteer their services are not.
A good example is the
lack of recognition of those who act as caregivers to the frail
and disabled. Without this unpaid labor most frail seniors would
be in nursing homes, adding tremendous costs to our health care
system. Also, there are over a million grandparents raising their
grandchildren and many others are assisting in after school care.
This statistical system which says that helping others, while
not being paid, adds nothing to the country's gross national product
underestimates peoples' value but especially undervalues women
and elders. Unpaid work is productive. By overlooking this, society
creates an incorrect impression of idleness among seniors which
is incorrect.
According to The
Administration on Aging nearly half of the people 65 and over
participate in volunteer activities. ( 61% of these are women.).
Volunteers give an average of 4.4 hours per week to organizations
or causes. Some donate as much as 40 hours per week. These volunteer
services are estimated to be worth more than 70.5 billion dollars.
Older Americans want to engage in meaningful participation and
do so by volunteerism, caregiving, advocacy, as well as working
for pay. A recent survey found that half of those 50 - to 75 -
years - old rank volunteering or community service as one of the
most important parts of their retirement plans.
Older Americans are
actively involved in aiding others through thousands of organizations
that wouldn't exist without volunteers. Just a few of these are
AARP (formerly known as American Association of Retired
Persons) which according to an article in the March 21st New York
times, enlists up to 3.4 million volunteers. OWL, The Voice
of Midlife and Older Women, relies on the volunteer services
of its members to organize and facilitate state and local chapters,
volunteer in its National office and do the work of local and
state advocacy.
The retired doctors,
nurses and other health workers who constitute Volunteers in
Medicine give their time to clinics that provide care free
of charge to people who do not have health insurance. More than
12,000 retired executives offer advice and assistance to 300,000
small businesses through a government sponsored volunteer program
called the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE).
Older Americans volunteer in the Peace corps and according to
Americorps*Vista there are currently 1,129 Vista members
age 50 and over. 899 of these are women between the ages of 50
and 86.
Another volunteer organization
is the Experience Corps, a project which places retirees
in schools across the country to read to and with children, talk
to and tutor them. The Experience Corps has placed over 800 volunteer
retirees in 70 schools across the country. The Retired and Senior
Volunteer Program (RSVP), which helps people age 55 and older
put their skills and life experience to work in their communities,
has approximately 455,000 volunteers that serve through more than
63,000 public and private nonprofit community organizations. The
value of this service is estimated at $1.2 billion.
I've listed just a
few of the ways that midlife and older Americans benefit their
community and society. I intend to write in the future about this,
interesting volunteer projects and the people who work in them.
If you'd like to share
some of the things you or your agency are doing, I would love
to hear from you. You can contact me at Milbet@aol.com
Organizations mentioned
the article:
AARP
The Administration on Aging
OWL: The Voice of
Older and Mid-Life Women
Volunteers in Medicine
Service Corps of Retired Executives
Corporation for National Service: Americorps Vista
The Experience Corps
