Five months before Allen Manly retired from his job in June as a high school guidance counselor, he underwent training that could go a long way to keeping his brain – and his skills – sharp. He signed up for hours of orientation to be a health care volunteer. A growing number of researchers believe volunteering may actually be doing Manly a lot of good — maybe even delaying dementia and prolonging his life.
(Continue reading in HealthZone.ca)
Photo: This woman started a running club for the homeless, after giving up her Wall Street career. (Woman Leaves Corporate World to Run With the Homeless -Video)
This is so true! Also – it is important to acknowledge all the secret volunteers out there, behind the scenes, doing amazing work, not wanting to draw attention to themselves, and providing untold hours of service, virtually unbeknown to the rest of the community. Some of the legions of behind the scenes volunteers are seniors helping others and at the same time keeping themselves mentally and physically fit.