This International Day of Older People (on October 1st), "We are celebrating the people, places and services that help us to stay active and connected in our community - whilst shining a light on the barriers that can make them harder to access" say the Centre for Aging Better. "Older people make huge contributions to our communities as workers, volunteers and carers. But when what’s on our doorstep is limited, these contributions can be harder to make. This IDOP we want to celebrate those contributions while helping to highlight, and ultimately tackle, any barriers that stops older people exploring what's on their doorstep."
Hertfordshire is blessed to be an age friendly place with a great initiative to support older people to keep active and make the most of life - Age Friendly: Live Better. The team have been looking into what keeps people active and what can stop them from participating in things like volunteering.
Charlotte Bird, Age Friendly: Live Better Programme Lead said:
"At Age Friendly: Live Better we are lucky to have many Live Longer Better Champions and Age Friendly Ambassadors volunteer with us and have seen first-hand how volunteering helps older adults stay active, connected, and engaged in their communities, improving wellbeing and reducing loneliness. And, of course, older adults have so much to give to their local communities in terms of skills, knowledge, and experience. It is vital that we all work together to remove barriers to volunteering to create a more inclusive, age-friendly environment."
Dave Bartlett is a Live Longer Better champion with the organisation.
Dave tells us he gets great satisfaction through his volunteering. He shared with us what makes his involvement so worthwhile: "I love meeting people and helping to make a real difference, whether to individuals or groups of individuals.
Promoting Live Longer Better at events I can help people find activities that they would like to have a go at. At some I can use my badminton coaching qualification to help them start, improve their game, or even start new group sessions.
When they look happy, I feel happy."
People in later life have a huge diversity of life experiences that they can bring to what they do, as well as skills gained over the years, that can make them especially good volunteers. If retired, they may also have time available and an eagerness to get involved - whether it's in something new, so that they keep learning, or to use their existing skills and give something back.
National statistics demonstrate that people aged 65 plus are more likely to volunteer formally or informally than the average.
Let's be thankful for how they are actively empowering our local charities to do their important work in the community.