{"id":54,"date":"2007-07-16T14:37:37","date_gmt":"2007-07-16T14:37:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/brainybehavior.com\/blog\/?p=54"},"modified":"2008-02-26T04:32:09","modified_gmt":"2008-02-26T04:32:09","slug":"volunteering-as-therapy-for-individuals-with-dementia-of-the-alzheimer%e2%80%99s-type","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.brainybehavior.com\/blog\/2007\/07\/volunteering-as-therapy-for-individuals-with-dementia-of-the-alzheimer%e2%80%99s-type\/","title":{"rendered":"Volunteering as Therapy for Individuals with Dementia of the Alzheimer\u2019s Type"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"fcyyh6a1f21ad68889\" ><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- Mobile in post -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:inline-block;width:320px;height:100px\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-0039142346952764\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"1620587573\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><\/div><style type=\"text\/css\">\r\n.fcyyh6a1f21ad68889 {\r\nmargin: 5px; padding: 0px;\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 1201px) {\r\n.fcyyh6a1f21ad68889 {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 993px) and (max-width: 1200px) {\r\n.fcyyh6a1f21ad68889 {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 769px) and (max-width: 992px) {\r\n.fcyyh6a1f21ad68889 {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 768px) {\r\n.fcyyh6a1f21ad68889 {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (max-width: 767px) {\r\n.fcyyh6a1f21ad68889 {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n<\/style>\r\n<p>The following post is a lengthy exposition on a possible link between volunteering and Alzheimer&#8217;s disease. This post is more social psychology then neuroscience (actually, it has very little to do with neuroscience). I am not asserting that volunteering can be a useful therapy for someone with Alzheimer&#8217;s disease, rather I am making the case that there is enough evidence for research to be conducted along those lines. In other words, I see a need for someone to research whether or not volunteering is beneficial for people with Alzheimer&#8217;s disease.<\/p>\n<p><font face=\"Times New Roman\" size=\"3\">Alzheimer\u2019s disease (AD) is a serious condition that affects an estimated  four million people in the United States. Most of these people are over  the age 65, since the risk of developing AD increases with age. It is  also estimated that there are currently over 400 thousand new cases  of AD each year in the United States alone (Rodgers, 2002). The prevalence  rate of Dementia of the Alzheimer\u2019s Type (DAT), according to the <em> Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders\u2013fourth edition <\/em> (DSM-IV) is \u201cbetween 2% and 4% of the population over the age 65 years&#8230;[and]  the prevalence increases with increasing age, particularly after age  75 years\u201d (American Psychological Association [APA], 1994). (In this post, the terms AD and DAT are used as interchange terms, even though  DAT is the Axis I code and AD is the Axis III code in the DSM\u2013IV.  This is done because most articles about Alzheimer\u2019s use the term  \u201cAD\u201d in lieu of \u201cDAT\u201d). For this post, I will first give the  DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for DAT. Then, I will discuss the effects  of that volunteering has on older people. I will also provide some background  theories about why volunteering has the effects that it does. Next,  I will make the connection between AD and voluntarism.<\/font><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><font face=\"Times New Roman\" size=\"3\">DSM-IV Criteria  for DAT<\/font><\/p>\n<p>      <font face=\"Times New Roman\" size=\"3\">There  are six main criteria associated with DAT as found in the DSM-IV. The  first is:<\/font><\/p>\n<p><font face=\"Times New Roman\" size=\"3\">\u201cThe  development of multiple cognitive deficits manifested by both (1) memory  impairment (impaired ability to learn new information or to recall previously  learned information) [and] (2) one (or more) of the following cognitive  disturbances: (a) aphasia (language disturbance), (b) apraxia (impaired  ability to carry out motor activities despite intact motor function),  (c) agnosia (failure to recognize or identify objects despite intact  sensory function), (d) disturbance in executive functioning (i.e., planning,  organizing, sequencing, abstracting)\u201d (APA, 1994, p. 142).<\/font><\/p>\n<p><!--more--><font face=\"Times New Roman\" size=\"3\">So,  there needs to be pervasive cognitive deficits, beyond what would be  expected from normal aging. Memory, and mainly the ability to store  new memories, usually is the most affected component of life, at least  at first. This memory problem correlates with the shrinkage of the hippocampus,  which is implicated in memory formation. The second criterion is: \u201cThe  cognitive deficits in Criteria A1 and A2 each cause significant impairment  in social or occupational functioning and represent a significant decline  from a previous level of functioning\u201d (APA, 1994, p. 142).<\/font><\/p>\n<p><font face=\"Times New Roman\" size=\"3\">The  third criterion is that the dementia has a \u201cgradual onset and [a]  continuing cognitive decline\u201d (APA, 1994, p. 142). The next criterion  is that the dementia is not a result of other medical conditions. Further,  the dementia must not happen solely during a delirious state and it  cannot be better explained by some other Axis I disorder. Any onset  of DAT before age 65 is coded as early onset and anything after 65 is  late onset. There are also four levels under each onset code: with delirium,  with delusions, with depressed mood, or uncomplicated (APA, p. 143).<\/font><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><font face=\"Times New Roman\" size=\"3\">AD Overview<\/font><\/p>\n<p>      <font face=\"Times New Roman\" size=\"3\">Since  AD is a very severe and impairing condition, it is important to research  its underlying causes and thus be able to understand possible cures.  Further, it is important to increase the quality of life of those afflicted  with AD. This is done increasingly through pharmaceuticals; however,  psychosocial therapies should not be neglected.<\/font><\/p>\n<p><font face=\"Times New Roman\" size=\"3\">There  are a number of biological changes associated with AD: the formation  of amyloid plaques, neurofibrillary tangles, and the atrophy of certain  brain areas. There are also some enzymes and neurotransmitters implicated  in AD, however, causal time-order relationships have not been established  between the disease and the chemicals. The drugs available for people  with AD are not effective for very long and do not cure AD (Rodgers,  2002). While medical research on AD is important, it is not the focus  of this post. I will first explore the effectiveness of volunteering  as a psychosocial therapy for DAT.<\/font><\/p>\n<p><font face=\"Times New Roman\" size=\"3\">Extensive  background research into the topic yielded no results on the effects  of volunteering on DAT patients; however, there is numerous research  on the effects of volunteering on aged people and so this paper will  make the connection between Alzheimer\u2019s and volunteering. First, I  will explore how volunteering is beneficial to people and then I will  discuss different theories of why it is beneficial to older people.  Then, I will make the association between current volunteering research  and DAT.<\/font><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><font face=\"Times New Roman\" size=\"3\">Effects of Volunteering<\/font><\/p>\n<p>      <font face=\"Times New Roman\" size=\"3\">Numerous  studies demonstrate the positive effects that volunteering has on the  well-being of older Americans (e.g., Morrow-Howell, Hinterlong, Rozario,  &amp; Tang, 2003; Musick, Herzog, &amp; House, 1999; Van Willigen, 2000;  Krause, Herzog, &amp; Baker, 1992; Young &amp; Glasgow, 1998; Thoits  &amp; Hewitt, 2001). In this paper, the term \u201colder Americans (or  people)\u201d is limited to people than 65 years of age or greater. Also,  volunteer work or service was defined by the President\u2019s Task Force  on Private Sector Initiatives as:<\/font><\/p>\n<p><font face=\"Times New Roman\" size=\"3\">\u201cThe  voluntary giving of time and talents to deliver services or perform  tasks with no direct financial compensation expected. Volunteering includes  the participation of citizens in the direct delivery of service to others;  citizen action groups; advocacy for causes, groups, or individuals;  participation in the governance of both private and public agencies;  self-help and mutual aid endeavors; and a broad range of informal helping  activities\u201d (as cited in Thoits &amp; Hewitt, 2001, p. 116).<\/font><\/p>\n<p><font face=\"Times New Roman\" size=\"3\">Volunteer  work includes everything from informal helping to working for formal  national organizations. Most studies do not differentiate between various  forms of volunteering, whether formal (e.g., being a member of the rotary  club) or informal (e.g., raking the neighbor\u2019s leaves or taking cookies  to people), so I will not make the differentiation. What is important  to this research is that volunteering is doing things for others without  expectation of monetary reward. One study about volunteering by Young  and Glasgow (1998) showed that instrumental social participation (which  includes volunteering and is community-oriented rather than self-oriented)  was a good positive predictor for perceived health in both women and  men. This means that those who participate in voluntary social settings,  including volunteering, have higher perceived health. Perceived, or  self-rated, health is a statistically significant predictor of mortality  (Young &amp; Glasgow). If perceived health is high, then the rate of  mortality is low. Therefore, people who are more involved socially tend  to have higher health as a result. This study did not limit social participation  just to volunteering so there could be other mediating effects between  volunteering and increased health. However, other studies demonstrate  the link between volunteering and enhanced health and longer life.<\/font><\/p>\n<p><font face=\"Times New Roman\" size=\"3\">Musick,  Herzog, and House (1999), found that older Americans who volunteered  during the past year had lower mortality rates than their non-volunteering  peers. This means that people who volunteer tend to be living longer  than those who do not volunteer. This pattern is curvilinear, though;  the strongest effects were for people who volunteered less than forty  hours per year or for only one organization. The authors controlled  for social integration, physical activity, health, sex, race, age, education,  and household income and found that volunteering still had an effect  on mortality rate after all these factors were controlled. This demonstrates  that volunteering, when it is done in moderation, has a protective effect  on life. In other words, the authors established that volunteering does  provide some buffer against death and helps people live longer. Too  much volunteering does lead to decreased benefits and even can be detrimental  to health. I will discuss the theories about why this happens later.<\/font><\/p>\n<p><font face=\"Times New Roman\" size=\"3\">Van  Willigen (2000) studied the effects that volunteering has across the  life course. She found that \u201colder adults who did not volunteer reported  significantly worse health than did their volunteering counterparts  in 1986 and 1989\u2026. Senior volunteers also reported higher levels of  life satisfaction than nonvolunteers at both time points, although the  difference was only significant at Time 2\u201d (p. S312). Further, Van  Willigen\u2019s research indicates that volunteering always is positively  correlated with self-perceived health and life satisfaction among older  Americans. She also found that volunteers who volunteered for more than  one organization had increased health and life satisfaction compared  to those who volunteered for only one organization. Similarly to the  results other researchers found (e.g., Musick, Herzog, and House, 1999),  the benefits for older adults (but not for younger) who volunteer decreased  \u201cafter 100 hours per year\u201d (Van Willigen, p. S313). Because a majority  of older people volunteer for religious organizations, Van Willigen  wanted to see if the increases in health were due merely to religious  participation. She discovered that the increase in health and life satisfaction  is not due to religious attendance alone, that volunteering has benefits  above what religious participation has. \u201cChurch-based voluntarism\u201d  is \u201cthe most psychologically beneficial type of volunteer work\u201d  (Van Willigen, p. S317) though. The author also controlled for physical  activity and found that volunteering explained the increased health  beyond what the physical exertion associated with volunteering did.<\/font><\/p>\n<p><font face=\"Times New Roman\" size=\"3\">Moen,  Dempster-McClain, and Williams (1992) used data from a 1956 study and  a follow-up one in 1986 to study what affected successful aging for  women. They define successful aging as \u201cliving <em>both<\/em> healthy  and active, involved lives\u201d (p.1633). The authors found that \u201csocial  participation, as members of clubs or organizations or as unpaid, volunteer  workers, seems especially conducive to subsequent health and integration;\u201d  and further that \u201cparticipation in volunteer work, intermittently  or at any time in adulthood, not the duration of volunteering, is what  seems to matter for successful aging. And labor-force participation,  while conducive to multiple-role occupancy later in life, does not appear  to promote subsequent health\u201d (p.1633). So for older women at least,  what seems important in promoting subjective healthy living, is volunteering  regardless of amount.<\/font><\/p><div class=\"wdtpv6a1f21ad6890e\" ><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\n<!-- Mobile in post -->\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\n     style=\"display:inline-block;width:320px;height:100px\"\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-0039142346952764\"\n     data-ad-slot=\"1620587573\"><\/ins>\n<script>\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><\/div><style type=\"text\/css\">\r\n.wdtpv6a1f21ad6890e {\r\nmargin: 5px; padding: 0px;\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 1201px) {\r\n.wdtpv6a1f21ad6890e {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 993px) and (max-width: 1200px) {\r\n.wdtpv6a1f21ad6890e {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 769px) and (max-width: 992px) {\r\n.wdtpv6a1f21ad6890e {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 768px) {\r\n.wdtpv6a1f21ad6890e {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (max-width: 767px) {\r\n.wdtpv6a1f21ad6890e {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n<\/style>\r\n\n<p><font face=\"Times New Roman\" size=\"3\">In  another study, Morrow-Howell et al. (2003) found that nearly 35% of  people over the age of 60 volunteer, with the average time spent per  year at about 70 hours. Like other researchers, Morrow-Howell et al.  found that volunteering more than 100 hours per year actually reduced  the positive benefits of volunteering. Also, the authors discovered  that volunteering had similar effects for males and females, which extends  the findings of Moen et al. (1992) to men. Further, there appeared to  be no difference in the effects of volunteering between non-Whites and  Whites (Morrow-Howell et al.). Therefore, there are no significant differences  for the effects of volunteering between gender and race. In order to  age successfully (psychologically and physically) volunteer work is  an important part of life.<\/font><\/p>\n<p><font face=\"Times New Roman\" size=\"3\">Ward  (1979) studied if volunteering for meaningful reasons (e.g., pure altruism  or just helping others without even the thought of doing good) was more  beneficial than volunteering or participating in social groups merely  for the company or for self-benefit. While he did not establish a time-order  causal relationship, Ward found that people with worse health or lower  socioeconomic status had less \u201cmeaningful\u201d group participation (p.  443). This demonstrates some sort of connection between meaningful group  participation and health, although again, the author did not determine  what caused what. In other words, people who volunteer for \u201cmeaningful\u201d  reasons (i.e. the ones who find meaning in their volunteering), rather  than self-centered ones, tend to have higher health than those who are  not as selfless. If these results are combined with those from the other  studies, it can be demonstrated that not only does volunteering increase  psychological and physical well-being\u2014it also can add meaning to life,  which is an important part of aging well.<\/font><\/p>\n<p><font face=\"Times New Roman\" size=\"3\"><em>Theoretical Background<\/em><\/font><\/p>\n<p><font face=\"Times New Roman\" size=\"3\">Now  I will explore the theoretical foundation for the findings of these  research studies of why voluntarism helps increase the well-being of  older people. One of the most prominent theories is role theory. Role  theorists have shown that feeling in control of life and having social  power and prestige is associated with better health (Krause et al.,  1992). With aging, adults tend to lose roles they had previously (e.g.,  jobs and children) and as a result feel less control over their lives  and have less contact with others which causes their social networks  to shrink. This in turn leads to poorer health. Role theory is divided  into three components by Morrow-Howell et al. (2003). It \u201coffers a  useful perspective by suggesting that participation in volunteer roles  will increase well-being outcomes [1] (role enhancement), at least up  to a point [2] (role strain). However, we are in need of a more refined  research agenda that seeks to understand the personal circumstances  [3] (role context) and the nature of the volunteer experience that lead  to the most positive outcomes\u201d (Morrow-Howell, et al., p. S138). A  discussion of each of the three components of role theory follows.<\/font><\/p>\n<p><font face=\"Times New Roman\" size=\"3\">Krause,  Herzog, and Baker (1992) explain the effects of volunteering by means  of the theory of role enhancement: \u201cThere are at least three reasons  why help-giving may promote the salubrious effects. First, the realization  that one has helped an individual in need is a fulfilling and self-validating  experience that can bolster feelings of psychological well-being\u2026.  In addition, giving aid to others fosters intimacy and trust, thereby  strengthening existing social bonds\u2026. Finally, giving support to significant  others increases the probability that one\u2019s own need for assistance  will be met in the future\u201d (p. P300). Further, Krause et al. state  how volunteering fills the void created by role loss in later life.  Morrow-Howell et al. (2003) also explain how role enhancement theory  helps explain somewhat the effectiveness of volunteering: \u201cIn fact,  evidence suggests that occupying the role versus not, that is, engagement  versus no engagement, is related to well-being\u2026. The role engagement  associated with volunteering implies that programs and policies that  bring older adults into volunteer roles, even at modest amounts of commitment,  will be beneficial\u201d (p. S142). So, according to role enhancement theory,  volunteering increases the number and quality of social bonds and roles.  As these roles are enhanced, then over-all well-being is increased.  Therefore, if older adults volunteer, they are doing productive activities,  as they were doing before they retired or when they had children at  home. Their current roles are enhanced (with means greater prestige  and power in their current state) and that affects their well-being.  This works only up to a point, however.<\/font><\/p>\n<p><font face=\"Times New Roman\" size=\"3\">A  number of studies demonstrate a lessening of the positive benefits of  volunteering after about 100 hours per year (Van Willigen, 2000; Morrow-Howell  et al., 2003). William Goode (1960), a proponent of role strain theory,  believes that role strain, or difficulty filling different social roles  is an ineradicable part of life and the self (ego) must participate  in a number of activities to lessen this strain as much as possible.  Some of these devices include: compartmentalizing (separating and sorting  out life into various distinct categories), delegating (passing on responsibility  and roles to others), putting up barriers (defense mechanisms), and  even elimination of relationships (Goode, 1960). People have limitations  on what and how many social roles they can handle and still function  well. So, if older adults volunteer too much then their roles become  strained too much\u2014they do not have enough energy (psychological and  physical) to fill all of them, and their well-being starts to suffer.  This conflict between roles is theorized to lead to lower health when  some roles become overbearingly demanding. There are individual differences  though, in what people can handle. This idea leads in to role context.<\/font><\/p>\n<p><font face=\"Times New Roman\" size=\"3\">Even  though researchers such as Musick, et al. (1999) and Van Willigen (2000)  found that there is an optimal number of volunteer hours per year that  is beneficial to older Americans, there is a slight discrepancy between  their numbers: 40 hours versus 100 hours, respectively. Whatever the  amount is, it is just an average and individuals will have different  amounts they can handle. This is role context. People have different  life experiences and different capabilities, including educational attainment,  marital status, and age (Moen et al., 1992). These are considered different  role contexts and so peoples\u2019 performances need to be viewed in light  of their personal context. This leads to the conclusion that volunteers  may all find different benefits from volunteering (Morrow-Howell et  al., 2003). Even though different activities may be beneficial to different  people, overall, volunteering (which is often self-chosen activities  and thus ones that an individual is interested in) appears to be beneficial  to older Americans, regardless of context. The key is finding the right  volunteer activity for each person; which just takes knowledge of what  a person is interested in.<\/font><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><font face=\"Times New Roman\" size=\"3\">Volunteering  and AD<\/font><\/p>\n<p>      <font face=\"Times New Roman\" size=\"3\">Volunteering  appears to be beneficial to older Americans in general but what about  for AD patients specifically? Most people with AD are over the age 65  and so these research studies all apply to them as older Americans.  The various studies I have reviewed all showed positive effects from  volunteering regardless of health of the person volunteering. For example,  Young and Glasgow (1998) showed that those who volunteer have better  health than those who do not volunteer. They also demonstrated that  not only do those with better health to start with volunteer more but  also that volunteering further increases their health. Other studies  also show that regardless of initial health, volunteering is beneficial  (Morrow-Howell et al., 2003; Musick et al., 1999; Van Willigen, 2000).  What may be most applicable for AD patients is what Morrow-Howell et  al. (2003) found about volunteering and people with functional limitations.  \u201cIn some exploratory analyses of other potential moderating conditions,  we found that there was a significant interaction between volunteer  status and previous measures of functional dependency (b = -.12, t =  .3.10, p = .002); the same interaction existed for volunteer hours (b  = -.0009, t = -2.20, p = .034). These findings suggest that <em>volunteering  may be more beneficial to older adults with functional limitations<\/em>\u201d  (p. S143; emphasis added). Those with greater limitations on their abilities  to function well may benefit more from volunteer work. A logical extension  of this to people with DAT would be that they would greatly benefit  (and maybe even more than older adults without DAT) due to their largely  limited functioning.<\/font><\/p>\n<p><font face=\"Times New Roman\" size=\"3\">People  with AD start withdrawing from social relationships in the early stages  of the disease. Their social functioning is limited and progressively  deteriorates. This is generally true of older people but not to the  extent that it is in people with AD. According to social theory, voluntarism  is theorized as a way to increase social networks and that increase  in turn leads to greater well-being. So, those in the early stages of  DAT could greatly benefit from having the increased social networks  and thus having enhanced social roles often associated with volunteering  (<em>cf. <\/em>Morrow-Howell et al., 2003). Not only would voluntarism  possibly help slow down the effects of AD, it could also be a beneficial  therapy for those who are in advanced stages of the disease since volunteering  appears to increase well-being and decrease mortality rates for all  older adults (Krause et al., 1992; Musick et al., 1999).<\/font><\/p>\n<p><font face=\"Times New Roman\" size=\"3\">There  are some cautions in making these extensions of current research. Just  as there appears to be an optimal amount of volunteering per year that  is most beneficial (i.e. if someone volunteers too much it could actually  be detrimental to her or his health) for old people in general, then  there would be an optimal amount for people with AD. This may be lower  or higher than for other people but is probably lower, since, especially  in the advanced stages of AD, people with AD have severely limited functioning.  Thus, they may receive role strain in greater amounts and sooner than  people would without such limitations. This does not mean that volunteering  is not beneficial to them; rather, it just means that their service  work may need to be limited more than for others without AD.<\/font><\/p>\n<p><font face=\"Times New Roman\" size=\"3\"><em>Potential  Therapy<\/em><\/font><\/p>\n<p><font face=\"Times New Roman\" size=\"3\">Using  volunteer work as a therapy would not replace other therapies like psychopharmacological  and cognitive-behavioral therapies; however, it would be used in conjunction  with these other therapies. The volunteer work should be tailored to  what a DAT patient can handle. If the person with DAT is still living  at home and is in the early stages of the disease, then it would be  possible for him or her to participate in formal volunteer activities  like working at a food bank or other similar activities. This would  probably still need to be under the close supervision of someone else  though. As the illness progresses the activities would need to change  and become more informal, such as decorating cookies to take to others  or comparable activities. If the DAT patient is living in an assisted-living  facility, then the volunteer activities could be very informal, even  having the person do things for other residents at the facility, such  as drawing them a picture or helping make cookies for them. The key  is having the DAT patient participate in altruistic activities that  she or he is capable of doing without receiving too much role strain.  Future research needs to be conducted about the effectiveness of volunteering  as a therapy for people with DAT.<\/font><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><font face=\"Times New Roman\" size=\"3\">Conclusion<\/font><\/p>\n<p>      <font face=\"Times New Roman\" size=\"3\">AD  is a condition that affects millions of Americans and the numbers of  people with the disease is expected to grow at an ever increasing rate.  While medical interventions are providing some success, there is still  a need for therapies to help increase the quality of life of those with  AD. Psychosocial interventions may prove to be the most effective at  this. Many studies show the positive effects that volunteering has on  the health and overall well-being of older adults (e.g., Morrow-Howell,  Hinterlong, Rozario, &amp; Tang, 2003; Musick, Herzog, &amp; House,  1999; Van Willigen, 2000; Krause, Herzog, &amp; Baker, 1992; Young &amp;  Glasgow, 1998; Thoits &amp; Hewitt, 2001). Role theory (i.e. that people\u2019s  lives are made up of different roles and that having various roles is  associated with positive health) is the major foundation for most of  these studies. DAT patients may also benefit physically and psychologically  as well by participating in volunteer work. However, there is still  need for further research into this area.<\/font><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><font face=\"Times New Roman\" size=\"3\">References<\/font><\/p>\n<ul><font face=\"Times New Roman\" size=\"3\">American Psychiatric Association.  (1994). <em>Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders <\/em> (4<sup>th<\/sup> ed.). Washington, DC: Author.<\/font><\/ul>\n<ul><font face=\"Times New Roman\" size=\"3\">Goode, W. J. (1960). A  theory of role strain. <em>American Sociological Review, 25<\/em>, 483\u2013496.<\/font><\/ul>\n<ul><font face=\"Times New Roman\" size=\"3\">Krause, N., Herzog, A.  R., &amp; Baker, E. (1992). Providing support to others and well-being  in later life. <em>Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 47<\/em>,  P300\u2013P311.<\/font><\/ul>\n<ul><font face=\"Times New Roman\" size=\"3\">Moen, P., Dempster-McClain,  D., &amp; Williams, R. M. (1992). Successful aging: A life-course perspective  on women\u2019s multiple roles and health. <em>The American Journal of Sociology,  97<\/em>, 1612\u20131638.<\/font><\/ul>\n<ul><font face=\"Times New Roman\" size=\"3\">Morrow-Howell, N., Hinterlong,  J., Rozario, P. A., &amp; Tang, F. (2003). Effects of volunteering on  the well-being of older adults. <em>Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences,  58B<\/em>, S137\u2013S145.<\/font><\/ul>\n<ul><font face=\"Times New Roman\" size=\"3\">Musick, M. A., Herzog,  A. R., &amp; House, J. S. (1999). Volunteering and mortality among older  adults: Findings from a national sample. <em>Journal of Gerontology:  Social Sciences, 54B<\/em>, S173\u2013S180.<\/font><\/ul>\n<ul><font face=\"Times New Roman\" size=\"3\">Rodgers, A. B. (2002). <em> Alzheimer&#8217;s disease: Unraveling the mystery<\/em>. Bethesda, MD: National  Institute on Aging.<\/font><\/ul>\n<ul><font face=\"Times New Roman\" size=\"3\">Thoits, P. A., &amp; Hewitt,  L. N. (2001). Volunteer work and well-being. <em>Journal of Health and  Social Behavior, 42<\/em>, 115-131.<\/font><\/ul>\n<ul><font face=\"Times New Roman\" size=\"3\">Van Willigen, M. (2000).  Differential benefits of volunteering across the life course. <em>Journal  of Gerontology: Social Sciences, 55B<\/em>, S308\u2013S318.<\/font><\/ul>\n<ul><font face=\"Times New Roman\" size=\"3\">Ward, R. A. (1979). The  meaning of voluntary association participation to older people. <em>Journal  of Gerontology, 34<\/em>, 438\u2013445.<\/font><\/ul>\n<ul><font face=\"Times New Roman\" size=\"3\">Young, F. W., &amp; Glasgow,  N. (1998). Voluntary social participation and health. <em>Research on  Aging, 20<\/em>, 339\u2013362.<\/font><\/ul>\n<div class=\"oxnfo6a1f21ad68939\" ><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- Mobile in post -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:inline-block;width:320px;height:100px\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-0039142346952764\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"1620587573\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><\/div><style type=\"text\/css\">\r\n.oxnfo6a1f21ad68939 {\r\nmargin: 5px; padding: 0px;\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 1201px) {\r\n.oxnfo6a1f21ad68939 {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 993px) and (max-width: 1200px) {\r\n.oxnfo6a1f21ad68939 {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 769px) and (max-width: 992px) {\r\n.oxnfo6a1f21ad68939 {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 768px) {\r\n.oxnfo6a1f21ad68939 {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (max-width: 767px) {\r\n.oxnfo6a1f21ad68939 {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n<\/style>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The following post is a lengthy exposition on a possible link between volunteering and Alzheimer&#8217;s disease. This post is more social psychology then neuroscience (actually, it has very little to do with neuroscience). I am not asserting that volunteering can be a useful therapy for someone with Alzheimer&#8217;s disease, rather I am making the case &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.brainybehavior.com\/blog\/2007\/07\/volunteering-as-therapy-for-individuals-with-dementia-of-the-alzheimer%e2%80%99s-type\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Volunteering as Therapy for Individuals with Dementia of the Alzheimer\u2019s Type&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33,9,47],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-54","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-alzheimers-disease","category-psychology","category-social-psychology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brainybehavior.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brainybehavior.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brainybehavior.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brainybehavior.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brainybehavior.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.brainybehavior.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brainybehavior.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brainybehavior.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brainybehavior.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}