Sense of Community
Volunteering After Retirement: Finding Purpose
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A practical way to combat loneliness while giving back to the community.
A retiree shares how retirement can bring unexpected isolation. Volunteering provides structure, social connections, and benefits to both physical and mental health. A practical way to combat loneliness while giving back to the community.
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Sense of Community is a local public television program presented by OPT
Sense of Community
Volunteering After Retirement: Finding Purpose
Clip | 2m 30sVideo has Closed Captions
A retiree shares how retirement can bring unexpected isolation. Volunteering provides structure, social connections, and benefits to both physical and mental health. A practical way to combat loneliness while giving back to the community.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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GREG BURRIS: I noticed that my friends were retiring, and maybe they didn't have a plan.
And when I asked them what are you going to do, they didn't really know.
They just knew they weren't going to work and go back to the same building they've gone to for 30 years.
Retirement is weird.
I've been through it a couple of times now.
And after three retirements and failed at them, you know, you think, wouldn't it be great when they turn off the email?
Well, they do, and they take away your name badge or your key.
And that whole world just kind of disappears for you.
And for a lot of us, that's a highly social environment, our work.
And when that's gone, loneliness and isolation can set in pretty easily.
There's a-- there's a book called "Wonder Drug" that is written by two doctors, and it outlines all the different health benefits of serving others.
So it helps them physically, mentally, spiritually.
I mean, it-- it's truly a-- like a wonder drug when you have purpose in your life, and you're giving to others.
And it's just remarkable how it works.
It also sort of provides a lot of people that-- that thing that was missing when they left their job.
You have to establish new connections after that chapter of your life.
And so this is all about just kind of opening a new chapter, and we're not really taught how to do that.
How do you open a new chapter after you finish with that work life?
And I will tell you, this can be your best years.
There's your work friends, and then they're gone.
I was searching for something to do, and a way to use some of my talents, and give back to my community.
You know, you can't be lonely when you're volunteering, at all.
GREG BURRIS: If you're just thinking there's more-- there ought to be more to my retirement than what I'm experiencing.
If I have a little bit of time-- it doesn't take a lot of time-- it be just a couple hours a week.
But you could be making the difference in a child's life, you know, if you're interested in-- in Big Brothers/Big Sisters.
Or being a math or reading buddy.
That just takes a couple of hours, and it changes somebody's life forever.
There are also-- there are just so many different types of volunteer opportunities.
You can find something that fits you.
And the nonprofits are really good about being flexible.
And we see it over and over and over, when people retire, they're kind of feeling lost.
We plug them into the community and they blossom.
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Sense of Community is a local public television program presented by OPT