Would volunteering help?

The short answer

It can, if you find something that suits you. There is a lot more to choose from than hairnets.

Volunteering can bring back a role and a shape to the week, and it can put new people around you. It can also take more than you meant to give. One shift is a good place to start, before you promise anything regular.

What to do

1. Think about what you are good at and what you enjoy.
2. Choose one kind of place to try, such as a library, a shelter or a one-off event.
3. Ask how many hours they expect, and whether you can try one shift first.
4. Try one shift before you sign up for anything regular.
5. Agree on a limit on hours at the start, and say it out loud.
6. Leave if it drains you.
7. Try somewhere else if the first place is wrong.

What can wait

• A leadership role, or joining a board.
• Fundraising, or asking other people for money.
• Patient work at a hospice, if the hospice asks you to wait.
• Anything that commits you for more than a few months.

Who can help

• AmeriCorps, 1-800-942-2677, or AmeriCorps Seniors Pathfinder on americorps.gov, for openings if you are 55 or older. The Eldercare Locator, 1-800-677-1116, can put you in touch with your Area Agency on Aging.
• A counselor, if a role near illness or grief brings back more than you want to carry. You can also ask a hospice what bereavement support it offers.
• Where to get help tonight, at the back of this book, lists people you can reach at any hour.

The rules, phone numbers and web addresses in this book were checked against the agencies’ own pages in October 2026. They change, so check anything you rely on with the office itself.

Hear when the next book is out

Five or six short emails a year at most, and a note when a new book is out. Each one is about something that tends to come up in the first two years. You can unsubscribe whenever you like.