To
investigate whether helping others can help seniors maintain their own
blood pressure at healthy levels, researchers at Carnegie Mellon
University in Pittsburgh studied the effects of volunteer work on 1,164
adults between the ages of 51 and 91. The research team first
interviewed the study participants in 2006, when all had normal blood
pressure. Based on data collected at the follow-up interview and blood
pressure measurement four years later, in 2010, the investigators
reported that those seniors who devoted 200 hours per year to volunteer
work were 40 percent less likely to develop high blood pressure than the
seniors in the study who didn’t volunteer. The specific type of
volunteer work didn’t appear to matter, the researchers, said. The most
important factor was the amount of time spent – 200 hours per year. The
investigators concluded that their study results “give older adults an
example of something that they can actively do to remain healthy and age
successfully.” The study was published by the American Psychological
Association’s
Psychology and Aging journal.
My take? This is a welcome example of how fostering human
relationships can affect health in a positive way. I believe that unless
we experience meaningful connections to others, we put ourselves at
risk of developing spiritual, mental and, ultimately, physical illness.
Regular opportunities in the community include feeding the homeless;
helping people with terminal illnesses; and helping to clean up the
environment. If you don’t feel that you want to get formally involved
with an organization, you can always do things on your own, such as
helping shut-ins, offering transportation to elderly or disabled
neighbors and tutoring or reading to children. The possibilities are
endless. Once you take that first step I’m sure you’ll find that your
service work quickly becomes one of your more rewarding healthy habits.
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