Over the last half-century, life expectancy in the European Union countries has increased by about ten years for both women and men. This trend has important implications for health and long-term care, well-being, economic growth and fiscal sustainability.
But where some see a growing problem, EngAge and other similar programmes see new opportunities: stimulating prosperity, creating new jobs in the silver economy and promoting Well Being in older age.
The European Union's Green Paper on ageing and the promotion of solidarity and responsibility between generations is the cornerstone on which EngAge is methodologically based. The main conclusions that have defined the way the programme is structured and operates are as follows:
Volunteering activities promote intergenerational cooperation and solidarity while creating value and benefiting all those involved in terms of experience, knowledge and self-esteem. At the same time, we should not overlook volunteering's significant economic importance.
In addition, volunteering makes an essential contribution to maintaining mental and physical health in older people. Research has linked volunteering to reducing depressive symptoms and better physical health in general, with fewer fractures and less hypertension.
