Volunteering has always been an important part of all communities. It can make a radical difference to individuals and shape communities. Volunteering in the aged care sector is particularly important due to the need for additional resources and government funding to help a growing population of older people in our society. Our population is aging at a rapid rate and it is estimated that by 2057, Australia will have more than 8.8 million people aged 65 or over. Due to this increase, there is a growing need for volunteers to help the senior support network. This essay will distinguish between formal and informal volunteering, discuss trends in volunteering as a whole and the aged care sector, analyze two theories of motivation, discuss the different contributions made by volunteers, and present a number of problems facing volunteering. Say no to plagiarism. . Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The current definition of volunteering provided by Volunteering Australia is “time voluntarily given for the common good and without financial gain” (Volunteering Australia, 2015). This is a revised definition developed in 2015 that covers such a wide variety of activities that can now be considered formal or informal. The previous definition, established in 1996, was: “formal volunteering is an activity that takes place in non-profit organizations or projects and which benefits the community and which is undertaken of the volunteer's own will and without constraint ; without any financial payment; and in designated volunteer positions only. This definition excludes informal volunteering activities, which explains the change in definition. Formal volunteering usually takes place within an organization and is usually a designated job/role, as the 1996 definition indicates. Informal volunteering, however, is much broader and essentially covers most types of volunteering that are not carried out through an organization. Aged care volunteering benefits from a significant contribution from both formal and informal volunteers and as such this essay will examine both contributions. Over recent decades, volunteering rates have increased steadily and census data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics provides an excellent overview of these contributions. changes. In 2011, 17.8% of the population aged over 15 was involved in some form of voluntary activity. The next census carried out in 2016 showed an increase in the aforementioned rate of 1.2%, bringing it to 19%. While this percentage may not seem like a huge number, when you look at the number of individual people, it's about 3.6 million people. Volunteering with older people has also seen continued growth in recent years. In 2017, 5% of people over 65 were housed in a retirement home, 40% needed help either at home or in a care facility for at least one daily task and the remaining 55% did not. needed no additional help. assistance. Informal volunteering was the largest provider, with 73% of people receiving help from family, friends and neighbors. However, 60% of people also received help from formal volunteers. Some of the tasks included, among others, reading and writing, communication, mobility, preparation ofmeals, personal care and household chores. There are endless reasons why people volunteer and there are many theories that sum up the most salient motivations. The Volunteer Function Inventory or VFI was developed from a conceptual analysis of important psychological and social functions. Among these functions, the following became the basis of VFI: Values ​​– this represents motivation based on an altruistic outlook, being the desire to help others. Understanding – wanting to increase one’s knowledge or personal skills and abilities. Enhancement – ​​to increase self-esteem or feel needed. Career – volunteering for an experience that can lead to future job prospects. Social – people use volunteering as a way to get out into communities and build relationships. Most people who have friends, family, or a partner who volunteer are more likely to also volunteer to strengthen those relationships. Protective – using volunteering as a way to feel less guilty about being luckier than others or simply as a “good escape”. The motivation model is quite important when looking at motivation theories, there are a number of other theories. Wuthnow's Four Volunteer Motivation Frameworks is another similar model which is described as follows: Humanitarianism – similar to the values ​​of VFI. Happiness – similar to enhancements in that it makes you feel better about yourself. Reciprocity – based on the “pay it forward” type. of concept. Self-actualization – a combination of both career and understanding in PFD. Looking at these two theories, they appear extremely similar, however Wuthnow's sociological model is interpreted within the context of an individual's social setting. This means that depending on what is happening in an individual's life, it will determine which factors are most prevalent and important to that individual. By analyzing or comparing these two theories it becomes clear that there are many different and similar types of motivations and these can be classified or analyzed in many different and similar ways depending on the volunteer participants and the type of volunteering undertaken. Volunteering can benefit everyone involved, including the volunteer, the organization, and the community. A simple act or service can make a significant contribution to others. Volunteering in the broad sense makes a significant contribution through social and economic capital. Social capital as defined by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) refers to “networks sharing norms, values ​​and understandings that facilitate cooperation within or between groups” (Keeley, B., 2007 ). People who volunteer in the community create and strengthen meaningful connections with others, and because of this, they are more likely to return to volunteer. Economic capital, in comparison, seeks to determine the financial contribution of volunteers. There are several ways to estimate the monetary value, but Dr Lisel O'Dwyer based her 2011 estimate on the average hours worked in 2006 and 2010 multiplied by the average wage rate at the time. This value was determined to be $99,946 million, including travel time and inputs. Dr O'Dwyer has since adjusted the total value to around $200 billion. The reason for this adjustment is that multiple entities would benefit from the contribution of a single individual. Dr O'Dwyer then multiplied the wage rate by 25%, took that amount and multiplied it by four (entities..