1. The Role of Baby Boomers as Volunteers: A Potential Solution to Caring for
the Aging Population in the Presence of a Caregiver Shortage
Sretta Clark
GERO 505 – Fall 2014

2. Introduction
The aging of the population presents two unique and related challenges. The first
challenge is the unprecedented volume of seniors that will be represented in society. This
phenomena is the result of many factors including the aging of the baby boomer cohort;
advances in medical technology leading to longer life spans; and positive changes in individual
behaviors, such as attention to a healthy diet and engagement in physical activity. The second
challenge results from the lower birthrate. Young adults have been choosing to delay starting
families, or in some cases, forgoing having children altogether, in favor of pursuing careers or
other personal goals. This decision will impact the number of both professional and personal
caregivers to provide for the needs of the aging population.
In light of the challenges outlined, it is crucial that we act quickly and aggressively to
identify and develop a means to rectify this shortcoming. My research will focus on the use of
volunteers to compensate for this imbalance. I will examine the notion of employing young
elderly volunteers (baby boomers) to provide a multitude of unskilled services to older elderly
individuals. At the same time, incorporating the benefit of providing the baby boomers, a group
who has historically been far more civically and socially engaged, with the opportunity to
continue such lifestyle choices through volunteering.
Care for the Elderly
“For most of the nation’s history, caring for the elderly was a family affair carried out
largely by women in the home…with the numbers of older Americans rapidly growing ever
larger, the landscape of elder care in the United States is changing.” (Bookman & Kimbrel,
2011) Before we can postulate a plan of action, it is important that we first define and understand
the nature of the challenge to be addressed. In this case, we find several interrelated challenges
converging to make for a potential disaster for our nation’s elderly if we are unable to course-
correct in a timely manner. For the purpose of this paper, this step is tantamount to conducting a
needs assessment, by extrapolating from existing studies published in peer reviewed literature
and compiled by human service organizations. (Kettner, Moroney, & Martin, 2013)
Identifying the Need
The first challenge to be understood is that of the rapidly accelerated aging of our
population; an unprecedented event in human history. According to Schoeni & Ofstedal (2010),
the portion of the world’s population aged 65 and over is expected to double between 2008 and
2040. To put this in numeric terms, this population will grow from 530 million to 1.3 billion.
Furthermore, within this identified population, those age 80 and over, considered the “oldest old”
is growing more rapidly than the population itself. The reason for this phenomena is twofold: 1)
the decline in fertility, resulting from a societal shift in consciousness, in which the traditional
goal of marrying young and having a large family is no longer the norm. Today, women are
choosing to seek higher education and are entering the workforce; more focused on personal
growth and success than on marriage and children. Furthermore, if and when marriage does
occur, it is much later in life and large families are still yet not sought after; and 2) advance in
medical technology have led to the extension of years. I am hesitant to state that we are “living

3. longer”, as in many cases, these advances have merely prolonged existence; adding to the
quantity of life and not necessarily to the quality of life. Though we can now treat many diseases
that were once certain to claim one’s life, we have simply moved them from the terminal disease
list to the chronic disease list. An example would be HIV/AIDS, once a death sentence, this is
now managed with medication. Sadly, ADL’s are still compromised and additional medical
complications continue to exist, thus care is still required, and now required for longer periods of
time. Alas, every blessing has its curse.
The second challenge, again related to the low infertility rate, it the decline in the number
of both professional and familial caregivers coupled with the desire to age in place. Most elders
prefer living in their homes in the community. With the aforementioned statistics, all pointing to
an immediate and rapidly expanding need for community-based services among the older
population, “nearly 40% of non-profit agencies surveyed by Salamon et al. (2010) report that
they lacked adequate staff to deliver services.” (Vinton, 2012) We have become keenly aware
that the historic ideal of family caring for their loved ones in old age and the use of traditional
long-term care options are painfully inadequate to meet such needs in the coming years.
The third and final challenge is that of the baby boomers. This group is in fact a subset of
the aging population, and comprises individuals born between 1946 and 1964. (Facts and
Statistics about the Baby Boomer Generation, 2014) According to Baby Boomer-Magazine.com,
baby boomers number 78 million. To offer another perspective on the impact of the aging
population, consider that another baby boomer turns 50 every 7 seconds. Having come of age in
the 60’s and 70’s, this cohort is accustomed to civic and social engagement, additionally they
possess a variety of skills and are more highly educated. Finally, as a group they have a much
different idea of aging, and the idea does not necessarily include participation in disengagement
theory. On the contrary, they intend to remain engaged. “Our country holds a valuable resource
in the form of the most highly skilled, well-educated, healthiest, and longest living generation in
our nation’s history. And we need to take advantage of it. Boomers are expressing interest
in…helping the elderly remain independent, and serving in programs such as Meals on
Wheels…and yet 68 percent of non-volunteers feel they have not been asked to serve.”
(Bridgeland & Wofford, 2008)
Having identified three needs: 1) A rapidly growing aging population who will require
care and would prefer that care to occur in their own homes; 2) A shrinking care-giver base
resulting at least in part from decreased fertility rates; and 3) A massive influx of a young-old
cohort (baby boomers) who want to remain activity engaged in their communities, but whose
skills and talents are not being accessed and thus their needs are not being met. It is at this point
that Kettner et al (2013) suggests that goals and objectives should be established.
Goal and Objectives
It has often been said that “the solution can be found within the problem”, this axiom
certainly applies in this case. Within the aging population, resides a cohort who is ready, willing
and able to provide valuable services to assist the elderly with a plethora of otherwise unmet
needs, and at the same time, allowing this population to remain in their homes, aging in place. It

4. would appear however that this group has either been underutilized or that its importance has
been unrecognized entirely.
A growing potential exists for volunteerism in an aging society. Approximately half of
baby boomers report that they want to remain involved in the community. Despite the potential
for an increase in their volunteer activity, older adults are still an underutilized resource. (Hong,
Tang, Morrow-Howell, & Hinterlong, 2009) In addition, according to a 2007 study released by
the Corporation for National and Community Services, of the baby boomers who do volunteer,
31 percent of those who volunteer for one year fail to return the following year. Such a turnover
rate would most certainly be frowned upon and addressed in the business world, and it would
behoove us as nonprofit managers to investigate these events within our organizations as well.
(Michaels, 2007 and Perry, Boomer Volunteers Often Give up Duties, 2007) The National
Council on Aging argues that the locus for innovation in engagement of the older population in
volunteer roles resides with local communities and nonprofit organizations. Although nonprofits
stand to benefit from effectively utilizing the growing older population, few are positioned to do
so well…leaders lack experience in engaging older volunteers in meaningful ways and are not
convinced that directing resources toward this end in beneficial. (Hong, Tang, Morrow-Howell,
& Hinterlong, 2009)
It is clear that the goal is to effectively recruit, train, and retain members of the baby
boomer cohort to subsidize the care of the elderly. The question is how we as program planners
can accomplish this task. I would offer that we must: 1) understand what a volunteer is; 2)
understand the motivations an individual possesses for volunteering; 3) design a program in such
a manner that such motivations are incorporated and properly exploited to ensure continued
service; and 4) design a sustainable program based on these findings.
Program Design
A volunteer is someone who is willing to provide help or some kind of service to the
community without receiving any monetary reward for this service. They are financially
independent of the organization they work for; they can contribute to a country’s economic and
social development; and they experience stress and dissatisfaction in their jobs, like paid workers
do. (Huynh, Metzer, & Winefield, 2012) Knowing why people volunteer can enhance the
recruitment and retention of volunteers, while a deeper understanding of the motivations to
volunteer could also be useful for the effective placement into appropriate positions. (Shye,
2010)
According to Hartenian (2009), volunteers are motived by either altruistic or egoistic
reasons or a combination of both. When we think of volunteering, we traditionally see the act to
be one of altruism, carried out with a concern for the welfare of others, and often at a great
personal expense to the volunteer. Individuals motivated by altruism are a great asset to an
organization as they do not anticipate financial remuneration and in fact, often expect to give far
more than they receive. The organization may anticipate that these individuals will be more
committed and become long-term volunteers. By contrast, volunteers who possess an egoistic
orientation, come to the organization with an agenda. Various egoistic reasons for volunteering

5. have been offered, all related to some personal gain obtained by the act. These can include: to
improve one’s own status, to gain job experience, to meet new people, to avoid punishment, or
simply to feel good about oneself. It seems contradictory that one could be considered a
“volunteer” when in fact they appear to have their own agenda as opposed to possessing pure
altruistic reasoning. This however, is no reason to turn our backs on this group, for several
reasons. Egoistic orientations have been linked to positive outcomes for the organization. The
number of people who volunteer for egoistic reasons is likely much higher than those who are
purely altruistic. Finally, the two orientations are not mutually exclusive and may in fact reside
in the same individual. “Activity theory predicts that an individual will volunteer to stay busy.
Role theory predicts that the individual will volunteer to belong to a larger social group,
complete with role expectations. Psychological contract theory suggests that individuals and
agencies will recognize their obligation to each other. Egoism cannot be attached to the idea of
commitment as commitment develops after the individual begins the volunteering. “Commitment
is the attitude that reflects identification with an organization and the acceptance of its goals.”
Thus even if one begins to volunteer with an egoistic orientation, the development of
commitment could lead to an altruistic orientation. (Hartenian, 2009)
Discussion
The review of literature for this research, while thorough, is by no means exhaustive. A
wealth of information exists, positing many additional theories and approaches to volunteer
recruitment and retention. What is important is that we realize, and assist the baby boomer cohort
in realizing that while directing their skills, talent, and time towards caring for the older aging
population, they not only help this group, but in fact help themselves. As the baby boomers
themselves move into the older-old category, there will be even fewer professional and familial
caregivers to assist them. With this in mind, it would be wise for future research to explore how
this cohort might band together in flexible communal arrangements to take care of each other’s
needs. Such a system of peer care would decrease the need for elderly people to rely exclusively
on publicly funded and/or family provided long-term care. (Tong, 2009)
Conclusion
“…long-term care policy discussions generally ignore the fact that the elderly are significant
caregivers as well as recipients of care – caring for grandchildren, disabled adult children, and
other elderly people.
“Productivity and a sense of accomplishment are key ingredients in the process of successful
aging. Older adults who are able to use their talents and abilities tend to experience fewer
symptoms of depression than older people who have not found a viable avenue for self-
expression. Rosow (1976) observed that aging in a roleless-role; as people grow older they give
up many roles they once occupied (spouse, employee, parent). The void created by this
phenomena often goes unfilled as new roles have not been created for them.” (Krause, 2010)
“Older adults experience positive effects from volunteering, and organizations are able to
expand their mission and produce positive outcomes for clients such as well-being, life
satisfaction, and better mental health and physical function. Aging advocated have long pointed

6. to the growing human resource of the aging population and the need to expand opportunites for
older adults to sustain involvement in paid and unpaid roles and make economic and social
contributions. These advocates have also pointed to antiquated social structures, policies and
programs that limit volunteer engagement of current cohorts of older adults and threaten to
curtail the involvement of the 78 million baby boomers in their later years. Non-profit
organizations are not ready to take advantage of older adults, and calls have been made for the
strategies to increase the institutional capacity of the nonprofit sector to engage older volunteers
and baby boomers.” (Hong, Tang, Morrow-Howell, & Hinterlong, 2009)
“Forty-two percent of people who don’t volunteer say it isn’t a lack of interest that prevents
them from donating their time, but rather difficulty finding opportunites where they feel they can
make a difference, use their skills, or act on personal values.” (Michaels, 2007)
Why do people volunteer – understanding motives?
“As people get older and enter the third trimester of life, they often find volunteering a good
substitute to social roles they lost, such as work and active parenthood.” (Haski-Leventhal, 2009)
“…continuity theory assumes that persons have different personalities and lifestyles, and while
getting older, people strive to hold on to their core characteristics and values…people of older
age tend to make decisions and behave according to patters formed at a younger age…studies
show people who volunteered when they were younger, also tend to do so as they age.” (Haski-
Leventhal, 2009)
“Agency recruiting and retention success depends in part on understanding the various reasons
why individuals volunteer…individual characteristics, agency efforts to attract and retain
volunteers and cultural norms [are all necessary] to bring a volunteer and agency together for a
lasting relationship.” (Hartenian, 2009)
(Nassar-McMillan, Sylvia, & Lambert, 2003) Suggests using job descriptions and performance
evaluations to define roles and provide feedback on work performed.
“Good social relationships inside the organization, support from the organization staff, positive
evaluation of the job they perform and training they receive contribute positively to their
intention of remaining in the volunteer activity. The creation of affective bonds with other
members of the organization can make volunteers reluctant to break those bonds and therefore,
they remain volunteers.” (Hidalgo & Moreno, 2009)
“Important to the volunteer is the perceived importance of volunteer work and its relationship to
pride and respect. Organizational support and commitment are related to the experience of
respect, pride, and perceived importance. Overall, studies suggest that volunteer organizations
may do well to implement pride and respect in their volunteer policy, to address the reliability or
retention problem” (Wilson, 2012)
“Baby boomers who volunteered for multiple groups were more likely to keep volunteering the
second year. This suggests that a real opportunity to increase volunteering among baby boomers

7. by asking people who are already engaged to do more.”(Perry, Boomer Volunteers Often Give
up Duties, 2007)
Volunteers are not motivated monetarily and so they cannot be motivated my salary raises or
bonuses (Huynh, Metzer, & Winefield, 2012)
“In order to retain older adult volunteers, volunteer placement should be evaluated periodically
so as to ensure that volunteer experiences remain consistent with the outcomes expected by all
parties involved.” (Jirovec, 2005)
“With an increasing number of elderly, frail, or disabled people living in the community, the
need for supportive services that assist them to retain their independence safely rises. With this
increase comes a need for unpaid volunteers who are able to provide competent, personalized
care. Retaining and recruiting this ‘army’ of volunteers is a challenge for the future, and an
understanding of their motivations to volunteer and needs for a satisfactory experience is
paramount to a successful volunteer program.” (Wilson, 2012)
“A well-managed volunteer program can mean that services to clients so not necessarily have to
be cut, Older, community-dwelling persons who cannot afford to pay privately for in-home care
and who do not have a medically based need for home health care covered by Medicare or
Medicaid struggle to get the help they need and often turn to non-profit aging service agencies. If
older individuals who are in need of services are helped even to a small degree and volunteering
positively enhances volunteers, it would seem that the benefits outweigh the costs of effective
volunteer programs.” (Vinton, 2012)
“Elderly volunteers not only provide services that otherwise would be unavailable or expensive,
but they can also provide compatible services to older clients, understanding their needs and
situations.” (Haski-Leventhal, 2009)
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