Does Volunteering Experience Influence Advance Care Planning in Old Age?

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Public Health
• Sociology

Background:

• Advance care planning (ACP) ensures end-of-life care aligns with patient preferences, reducing stress for patients and caregivers.
• Traditional ACP interventions often focus on information delivery late in life.
• The role of social factors, such as volunteering, in promoting ACP remains underexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between volunteering and advance care planning (ACP) in older adults.
• To examine if social support moderates the relationship between volunteering and ACP.
• To identify demographic and health factors associated with ACP.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of Health and Retirement Study data (1998-2010) from 877 individuals aged 55+ who died between 2008 and 2010.
• Logistic regression models were used to assess the relationship between past 10-year volunteering experience and ACP, including durable power of attorney for health care (DPAHC).
• Social support, health status, and demographic variables were controlled for in the analysis.

Main Results:

• Older adults with volunteering experience showed significantly higher odds of engaging in overall ACP (OR=1.61) and DPAHC (OR=1.71) compared to non-volunteers.
• Available social support from nearby relatives and friends was not significantly associated with the volunteering-ACP relationship.
• Poorer health, expected death, cancer as cause of death, older age, and minority racial status were also associated with higher ACP.

Conclusions:

• Volunteering experience is positively associated with advance care planning (ACP) in older adults.
• Interventions encouraging volunteerism may be a strategy to increase ACP engagement among seniors.
• Further research is needed to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the link between volunteering and ACP.