Janet Witucki Brown, RN, PhD, ShuLi Chen, RN, PhD, Linda Mefford, RN, PhD, Jan Lee, RN, PhD,

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Exploring the Culture of Healthy
EldersVolunteering for Habitat for Humanity

• Janet Witucki Brown, RN, PhD, Shu-Li Chen, RN,
  PhD, Linda Mefford, RN, PhD, Jan Lee, RN, PhD,
• Allie Brown, MSN, Carrie Bailey, RN, MSN, Nancy
  Killgore, BSN, and Christy Woods, BSN

Problem Statement There are virtually no studies
that explore or describe elder volunteer
activities that are physically or emotionally
taxing and that are associated with hardship or
cost to the elder volunteers. Nor are there
studies that explore volunteering within a
cultural context. It is also not clear whether
volunteering contributes to better health and
life satisfaction for elders or if only healthier
and more satisfied elders volunteer (Barlow
Hainsworth, 2001). Purpose Statement To expand
the existing knowledge about elder volunteerism
by investigating the cultural context, elder
health status, and motivations to participate in
an activity that has the potential to be
physically, emotionally, and financially
taxing. Research Questions What is the general
health status of these individuals? What benefits
do these elders see in participating in such
activities? What is the cultural context of
volunteering patterns that comprise these elders
lives? What is the motivation for these elders to
travel to and participate in this volunteer
activity at their own cost? Methods Mixed Method
Study Ethnographic interviews 14-item demographic
questionnaire Updated Version 2.0 of the Short
Form-12 Health Survey (SF-12v2) The Daily
Spiritual Experience Scale (SSES) Field notes and
photographs Sample Total Sample Size48 45
elders age 55 and older and participating in a
Habitat Blitz Build The Habitat for Humanity
foreman The Blount County Habitat Executive
Director Woodman of the World state
manager Purpose The purpose of this study was to
explore experiences of nurses caring for dying
patients in the critical care unit and to
discover essences of the phenomenon through
emergent themes.
Particle funding received from Woodman of the
World Life Insurance Society