Older American's Month celebrates the seniors who make up our families, workplaces, and communities at large, and the term "older adult" is as diverse and varied as the nation herself. The theme Age My Way honors the different paths that older adults choose as they age.
The moment you begin life you also begin to age. Each of those moments that make up life are made of choices, different paths branching out until at some point, you are on a journey marked "senior" or "older adult." While you are still the core person you've always been, you've grown in wisdom, experience, and perspective. It is through that growth that seniors infuse our communities with life.
Volunteering is one of the many paths that seniors will often choose to strengthen their communities and themselves, and with volunteerism comes a multitude of options. Each older adult has a unique set of skills, abilities, and aptitudes. There are volunteer opportunities to match each of these. A blessing of working with older adults is they often know themselves and their interests very clearly. If people take the time to listen, seniors will tell them how to shape a place into a community.
At JABA (Jefferson Area Board for Aging), senior volunteers inform every aspect of what we do, and as CEO Marta Keane says, "There would be no JABA without volunteers!" They make up our board, chart the future of our services, and support individuals through various programs like Insurance Counseling, Community Centers, Adult Care Centers, Nutritional Programs and more.
While seniors helping seniors is one of the most profound ways of support, older adult volunteers also inform the next generation, providing their wisdom and perspective, through intergenerational activities at Community Centers or in the FISH (Friends in Schools Helping) Mentor Program. Other senior volunteers prefer to stay behind the scenes supporting the next generation of the workforce with office tasks and projects, collecting donations, or making handmade items that make JABA services possible.
With the variety of opportunities available, those who know themselves well have the options to find something that works for their personality and schedule. Finding a good fit for their time is a common value among seniors who have already spent several decades charting their own paths.
Older adults are simply individuals who have spent more time on this earth, making choices and growing into themselves. Volunteering is one of the many paths that older adults choose, and no matter what type of volunteer activity a senior chooses, as Frank Sinatra and older adults everywhere sing, "I did it my way."
May we join older adults on their journey and let them inform our own, not only this month, but every month to come.
More Information about JABA Programs:
Volunteer Page: https://www.jabacares.org/volunteer-services
Insurance Counseling: https://www.jabacares.org/insurance-counseling
Adult Care Centers: https://www.jabacares.org/adult-care-centers
Community Centers: https://www.jabacares.org/community-senior-centers
Nutrition Programs: https://www.jabacares.org/home-delivered-meals
Additional volunteer inspiration for Older Americans Month can be found here.
