Theory on Meaningful Retirement Through Volunteerism: An Application among the Elderly

Abstract

Retirement is a phase in an individual’s life wherein there is withdrawal from employment and for most of the elderly, regular remuneration ceases. In spite of this, there is a growing number of retirees who continues to render work through volunteering even after retirement. This correlational study enlisted a multi-stage and purposive sample of 102 volunteer retirees in Cebu City. A 5-part instrument package was utilized to (1) describe the respondents’ demographic characteristics and (2) the nature of their volunteer work. Their reported (3) psychological well-being, (4) life satisfaction and (5) physical health were also determined using the Ryff Scales for Psychological Well-Being, the Satisfaction with Life Scale and the SF-12 Health Survey, respectively. Results revealed that the most common reason why elderly retirees engage in volunteer work is to help others (n=48) followed by to serve God (n=26). A multivariate analysis of variance further indicated that those who volunteer to ‘use time’ had significantly higher levels of life satisfaction and psychological well-being while those who volunteer to ‘improve self’ had significantly higher perceived physical health. The study findings have implications for government and non-government sectors as well as indications for further research.