Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2018, Social Work

This study examined the volunteer patterns of older adults with cognitive impairment and if formal volunteering influenced physical and psychological well-being and cognitive health among older adults with cognitive impairments. Then, it assessed if the association between formal volunteering and cognitive health was influenced through physical and psychological well-being. Finally, it explored the influence of socio-demographic characteristics on formal volunteering, physical and psychological well-being, and cognitive health. Using panel survey data from the Health and Retirement Study, this study included community-dwelling older adults age 65 and older. With a longitudinal study design, this study included two baselines. At the 2006 baseline (N=472), 26.4% of older adults with cognitive impairment participated in formal volunteering. Physical and psychological well-being and cognitive health of older adults with cognitive impairment decreased over time, but those who volunteered had higher levels of physical well-being (p<0.01) and those who volunteered more consistently from 2006 to 2014 showed higher levels of psychological well-being (p<0.05). There was a statistically significant interaction effect of time on cognitive health depending on whether or not the participants volunteered. The level of cognitive health slightly increased over time for those who volunteered. At the 2014 baseline (N=3,548), the level of volunteer engagement and the consistent participation in formal volunteer work significantly increased the level of physical and psychological well-being. However, the results from this study showed that while there were no significant effects of the consistency of volunteering on cognitive health, the physical and psychological well-being partially mediated the relationship between the consistency of volunteering and cognitive health. The effects of volunteering on physical and psychological well-being and cognitive health differed across age, retire (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Holly Dabelko-Schoeny Ph.D. (Advisor); Virginia Richardson Ph.D. (Committee Member); Mo Yee Lee Ph.D. (Committee Member); Steven Naber Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Social Work