Volunteer-based programs in rural areas are essential for older people in these communities due to a lack of health services and infrastructure. However, the pandemic has caused difficulties specific to rural-based volunteers – particularly as many of these volunteers are older adults themselves, creating a phenomenon called “older volunteerism.”
Trent University researchers are partnering with Selwyn Township to explore how older volunteerism has been challenged by the pandemic, as well as to gain a deeper understanding of how older people are coping with the impacts of physical distancing – many of whom volunteer as a way to combat feelings of isolation.
Researchers will study how volunteer-based programs at the public library, fire service and the Abbeyfield House Society of Lakefield in Selwyn Township improve health in older adults and how volunteer services can continue to support older community members in rural communities during the pandemic.
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