Using active ageing as a theoretical framework, the authors in this edited volume explore the potential possibilities and difficulties of engaging older adults in volunteer activities in eight European countries: Italy, Denmark, Germany, England, France, Poland, Sweden and the Netherlands. The book provides detailed, comparative information about the factors that influence volunteerism among older adults across these countries. To facilitate the analysis, the authors explore factors that may influence volunteerism at four different levels: the micro or individual level, the meso or organisational level, the macro or policy level, and the structural or welfare system level. A major strength of this book is that it takes two approaches to studying volunteerism: analysis of country-level data and a more nuanced exploration of the attitudes and ability of volunteer organisations to recruit and retain older volunteers.
The book is made up of four sections. The first includes two chapters that provide an overview and rationale for the analysis. The chapter by Jensen and Principi outlines the current gaps in knowledge in the field and the research questions, based on the four levels of analysis, that guide the subsequent chapters of the book. The second chapter, by Jensen, Lamura and Principi, provides a detailed discussion of the conceptual framework for the book, with particular focus on the factors that are explored at each level of analysis.
In the second section, volunteerism among older adults is explored in the eight different countries. Each chapter provides a wealth of country-specific information that enhances the current knowledge base and provides a useful complement to the studies of volunteerism in China, the United States of America and Australia (see Morrow-Howell and Mui Reference Morrow-Howell and Mui2014). The chapter format is standardised to allow comparisons between countries. Each chapter begins with an overview of the welfare system and the history of and legal framework regulating volunteerism. Each chapter then provides basic information on the number of volunteer organisations and detailed demographic information on volunteers. This section highlights the relationship between participation in the labour force and volunteering, gender differences in volunteering and provides a description of a ‘prototypical’ volunteer. Overall, the typical older volunteer in these eight countries tends to be relatively well educated and wealthy, consistent with findings from studies in the United States (e.g. Musick and Wilson Reference Musick and Wilson2008). The final two parts of each chapter explore the opportunities and barriers for older adults to participate in volunteer activities and future considerations for improving the recruitment and retention of older volunteers.
In the three chapters of the third section, data from case studies of voluntary organisations are used to explore the ability and willingness of volunteer organisations to engage older adults. The first chapter by Principi and Perke-Bialas provides information about each of the organisations included in the study, including their location, services provided, number of volunteers in general and number of older volunteers in particular, and organisational policies or practices which would allow them to be inclusive of older adults. The following chapter, by Lindly and Principi, explores voluntary organisations' understanding of factors that influence the ability of older adults to volunteer in the coming decades, such as potentially longer working lives and increased care-giving responsibilities. The third chapter, by Schippers and Principi, highlights some potential best practices for recruiting and retaining older adult volunteers.
In the fourth section, Principi, Jensen and Lamura pull together the findings and discussions from the previous sections to provide a rich, comparative explanation of volunteering by older adults in Europe. Despite the detail and complexity provided in the previous chapters, the authors are able both to provide an overall perspective of volunteering in Europe and to suggest policies and practices for improving the recruitment and retention of older adult volunteers at the organisational and country level. The inclusion of a discussion on how organisations can use the strengths of older adult volunteers is very innovative and has the potential to make volunteering more inclusive. While potential best practices are highlighted throughout the book, a table or more explicit summary of them in the final chapter would have increased the usefulness of this book for practitioners.
Although this book contains a large amount of information, it is a well-organised and very readable volume that provides important insights for students, practitioners, volunteer organisations and researchers. In addition, the dual focus on country-level data and case studies from organisations will make this a compelling and important reference book for students and researchers. Overall, this book makes a very useful contribution to the literature and knowledge-base on older adult volunteerism.
