Department of Family, Consumer, and Human Development, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322-2905, USA.
Gerontologist. 2011 Aug;51(4):550-60. doi: 10.1093/geront/gnr013. Epub 2011 Mar 7.
We conducted a qualitative study of 38 mid-late life volunteers in intensive humanitarian service to ascertain the challenges, personal changes, and benefits they experienced from their volunteer activities. Intensive volunteering was defined as service done on a 24-hr a day basis at a location away from home.
In-depth interviews were conducted by phone or in person with each participant. Couples serving together were interviewed conjointly. Data were analyzed using McCracken's 5-step process for long interviews.
Participants described and resolved many challenges including adjustment to new situations and cultures, work-related challenges, and readjustment to home. Consistent with Erikson's descriptions of care, volunteers described benefits of expanded social networks, increased closeness to spouses, and increased compassion and empathy for others. In terms of wisdom, they described altered personal perspectives, with lessened materialism and self-focus, greater appreciation of cultural differences, and finding existential meaning in service.
Because of population aging and social service organizational contraction, humanitarian service organizations may rely more on older volunteers to fulfill their goals. A deeper understanding of the challenges, ways in which they were met, and perceived benefits of later life intensive volunteering can inform organizational efforts to recruit older adults and support them in diverse settings.
我们对 38 名处于中年后期的密集人道主义服务志愿者进行了定性研究，以确定他们从志愿者活动中所经历的挑战、个人变化和收益。密集志愿服务是指在远离家乡的地点，每天 24 小时提供服务。
每位参与者都通过电话或亲自进行了深入访谈。一起服务的夫妇则进行联合访谈。使用 McCracken 的 5 步长访谈过程进行数据分析。
参与者描述并解决了许多挑战，包括适应新环境和文化、与工作相关的挑战，以及重新适应家庭。符合埃里克森关于关怀的描述，志愿者描述了扩大社交网络、增加与配偶的亲密关系、增加对他人的同情和同理心的好处。就智慧而言，他们描述了个人观点的改变，减少了唯物主义和自我关注，更加欣赏文化差异，并在服务中找到存在的意义。
由于人口老龄化和社会服务组织的收缩，人道主义服务组织可能更多地依赖老年志愿者来实现其目标。更深入地了解晚年密集志愿服务的挑战、应对方式和感知收益，可以为组织招募老年人并在不同环境中为他们提供支持提供信息。
