INTERGENERATIONAL TUTORING: HEALTH BENEFITS FOR OLDER ADULTS IN A TWO-YEAR QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY
2024

Health Benefits of Intergenerational Tutoring for Older Adults

Sample size: 518 publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Sun Peter, Morrow-Howell Nancy, Click Mary, Minch Kendra

Primary Institution: Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Tel Aviv, Israel

Hypothesis

Does volunteering in intergenerational tutoring improve health outcomes for older adults?

Conclusion

Volunteering in the Oasis Intergenerational Tutoring Program positively impacts older adults’ health.

Supporting Evidence

  • Oasis tutors experienced lower levels of depression compared to non-volunteers.
  • Oasis tutors had fewer functional limitations than the HRS group of non-volunteers.
  • Using nearest-neighbor matching, Oasis tutors reported better self-rated health than the HRS comparison group.

Takeaway

Older adults who volunteer as tutors feel better and have fewer health problems.

Methodology

The study used surveys and matching algorithms to compare health outcomes of older adult volunteers with non-volunteers.

Participant Demographics

Oasis tutors aged 51 and over.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1093/geroni/igae098.3861

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