Each May, during Older Americans Month, we honor our nation’s older adults and the positive impacts they make possible, using their time and wisdom to make our communities stronger, more informed, and better connected. Each year, hundreds of thousands of older Americans engage in national service with AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps Seniors programs, as well as the many others who volunteer every day.

This year’s theme, “Aging Unbound” offers an opportunity to explore diverse aging experiences and discuss how communities can combat stereotypes. The goal is to promote flexible thinking about aging – and how we all benefit when older adults remain engaged, independent, and included. 

You and your partners are encouraged to celebrate with us throughout the month. Follow the digital conversation about Older Americans Month and AmeriCorps Seniors on AmeriCorps' Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn and AmeriCorps Seniors’ Facebook and Twitter.

Engagement Ideas 

Join AmeriCorps Seniors 2023 Convening. The three-day gathering encourages all AmeriCorps Seniors grantees to come together to learn, share, and celebrate the power of older Americans making lasting change in their communities.
Share the benefits of volunteering for older adults. While communities benefit from their time, skills, and experience, older volunteers reap extraordinary health benefits by serving. A growing body of research points to significant mental and physical health benefits for volunteers, including lower mortality rates, increased strength and energy, lower rates of depression, and fewer physical limitations. Volunteering adds more years to your life and life to your years. In a 2019 longitudinal study, AmeriCorps Seniors found:
- 84% of volunteers reported improved or stable health during a time in life when one might expect to see a decline.
- 88% of volunteers reported a decrease in feelings of isolation
- 78% felt less depressed
Share the impact/potential of older adults who volunteer. With one in every five Americans projected to be age 60 or older by 2030, the country has an untapped resource of extraordinary proportions. Older adults tackle some of our nation’s toughest challenges, benefiting everyone. Millions of volunteers stay active, healthy, and engaged while serving their communities.
Check out AmeriCorps’ #ChooseAmeriCorps Social Press Kit for more digital recruitment content. Engage more older adults to serve their community alongside your organization.

AmeriCorps Programs that Engage Older Americans

AmeriCorps Seniors

AmeriCorps Seniors, one of the oldest programs in national service, empowers seniors to serve in their communities.
Volunteers aged 55 and older have served their communities for more than five decades through AmeriCorps Seniors’ three signature programs – the Foster Grandparent, RSVP, and Senior Companion programs.
In 2021, AmeriCorps Seniors awarded more than $230 million in grants to 1,100 grantee organizations that engaged volunteers in national service in all 50 states and most US territories.

1. Foster Grandparent Program

The Foster Grandparent Program was established in 1965.
This intergenerational program engages volunteers to provide one-on-one mentoring, tutoring, and social-emotional support to children with special or exceptional needs or who have academic, social, or financial disadvantages.
AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers serve an average of 20 hours per week in schools, early education centers, hospitals, juvenile correctional institutions, or childcare centers.
The Foster Grandparent Program places older volunteers in roles to help provide critical support to assist Pre-K, Head Start, and elementary school children through one-to-one tutoring, mentoring, and developing positive relationships with adult role models. Reported outcomes include child gains in language, literacy skills, and social-emotional development.
The program shows an 80% positive result in K-12 success and improved developmental outcomes.

2. RSVP

RSVP was established in 1971.
It is one of the nation's most extensive senior volunteer programs, engaging seniors to address a wide range of community needs.
RSVP volunteers recruit and manage other volunteers, mentor and tutor children, support workforce development and training in job readiness skills, provide disaster preparedness and mitigation assistance, serve veterans and military families, and address other critical community needs.

3. Senior Companion Program

The program engages seniors to provide independent living support and companionship to other older adults and adults with differing abilities.
Through this program, older adults age in place while reducing the impacts of social isolation to help mitigate associated negative health outcomes.
Volunteers in the Senior Companion Program serve an average of 20 hours per week, with most of the volunteer service taking place in their clients’ homes.
They provide companionship, assist with transportation and light chores, provide respite to family caregivers, perform basic wellness checks, and alert medical professionals if needed.

AmeriCorps State and National

AmeriCorps State and National program allows all Americans to serve in a program that best fits their unique interests. Older Americans serve alongside adults of all ages in areas related to youth mentorship, environmental conservation, workforce development, veteran assistance, and more.

AmeriCorps VISTA

AmeriCorps members in the VISTA program serve full-time with organizations addressing poverty in America. Older Americans serve alongside adults of all ages to coordinate administrative projects such as data management, grant writing, communications and marketing materials development, and more.

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