Characteristics of elderly participants in three types of leisure groups

Differences in family functioning and health between older adult volunteers and non-volunteers

The purpose of this investigation was to identify differences in family functioning and health between older adult volunteers and non-volunteers. Two findings emerged from the data: volunteers reported higher family functioning as well as better health compared to non-volunteers. Implications for social workers involved with volunteer programs and services are discussed in terms of volunteer recruitment and retention, and the related need to develop policies that permit more flexibility and choice with regard to volunteer responsibilities.

Formal and informal network factors as sources of morale in a senior center population

This study examined the relative effects of senior center factors and social network attributes on the morale of a sample of senior center participants in Israel (N = 85), controlling for respondents' background characteristics. The multivariate model accounted for 56 percent of the variance in morale scores. Respondents' health was the primary explanatory factor, followed by selected attributes of participants' informal social networks. The formal network factors had a minor and partly negative effect. The findings suggest that participants' morale was shaped more by the configuration of their interpersonal social networks than by factors related to the senior center environment.