Volunteering in your community with an organization you support or mission you love can improve your brain health! Volunteering can…
- Improve memory
- Improve cognitive flexibility
- Increase focus
- Help prevent dementia onset
Additional Benefits of Volunteer Work
Volunteering also provides many physical and social benefits, which are also great for the brain! Volunteering can…
- Improve overall mental health
- Decrease stress, depression and loneliness
- Lower blood pressure
- Increase a sense of purpose
- Increase social support and interaction
- Reduce the frequency of hospitalization
- Increase the ability to carry out activities for daily living
Overall, “studies have shown that volunteering is associated with a 24% reduction in mortality risk for older adults.” Isn’t that amazing??
Ideas for Getting Involved in Your Community
Volunteering needs to be regular, with a recommended minimum of two hours per week in order for benefits to materialize. Finding a volunteer opportunity that incorporates something you are passionate about will make you want to volunteer more often!
- Walk the dogs at a local animal shelter
- Help clean up your local parks or beaches
- Become more active in your church
- Be a mentor at a community youth center
- Help feed the hungry or work at a local food bank
- Become a reading tutor for children
- Help veterans through your local USO chapter or a veterans nonprofit
- Volunteer with a Red Cross disaster services team
- Become a guide at a local museum
Why Not Start Today?
The evidence is clear: volunteering is good for you and good for your community! I encourage you to find a way to get involved today!
If you liked this information, I invite you to check out next month’s blog post for another great cognitive health tip!