Volunteering has always been an important part of all communities. It can make a drastic difference to individuals and shape communities. Volunteering in the aged care sector is particularly significant due to the need for additional resources and government funding to assist a growing elderly population in our society. Our population is aging at a rapid rate and it is estimated that by 2057 Australia will be home to more than 8.8 million people aged 65 and over. Due to this increase there is a growing need for volunteers to assist in the senior support network. This essay will distinguish between formal and informal volunteering, discuss trends in both 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 issues that volunteering faces face. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The current definition of volunteering provided by Volunteering Australia is “time given voluntarily 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 they 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 is of benefit to the community and undertaken of the volunteer's free will and without coercion; without any financial payment; and only in designated volunteer positions. This definition excluded informal volunteering activities, which is why the definitions were changed. Formal volunteering typically takes place within an organization and is generally a designated job/role, as the 1996 definition states. Informal volunteering, however, is much broader and essentially covers most types of volunteering that do not take place through a 'organization. Aged care volunteering receives significant input from both formal and informal volunteers and, as such, this essay will examine both inputs. Volunteering rates have increased steadily over recent decades, and census data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics provides an excellent overview of these changes. In 2011, 17.8% of the population over the age of 15 was involved in some type of volunteer activity. The subsequent census carried out in 2016 showed an increase in the aforementioned rate of 1.2%, bringing it to 19%. While this percentage doesn't seem like a huge percentage, when put in terms of individual people it works out to about 3.6 million people. Volunteering with the elderly has also shown continued growth in recent years. In 2017, 5% of people over the age of 65 were in a nursing home, 40% required assistance at home or in nursing facilities with at least one daily task, and the remaining 55% did not require any help additional. assistance. Informal volunteering was the most important provider, with 73% of people getting assistance from family, friends and neighbors. However, 60% of people also received assistance from formal volunteers. Some of the tasks included reading and writing, communication, mobility, meal preparation, self-care and household chores, among other things. There are infinite reasons why people volunteer and there are some theories that summarize the most important motivations. The Volunteer FunctionsInventory or VFI was developed from a conceptual analysis of major psychological and social functions. Of these functions, the following have become the basis of the VFI:Values ​​- this represents a motivation based on an altruistic outlook, being the willingness to help others.Understanding - desire to increase personal knowledge or skills and abilities.Improvement - increase the self-esteem or feeling needed. Career: Volunteer for experience that can lead to future job prospects. Social: People use volunteering as a way to get into communities and build relationships. Most people who have friends, family, or a partner who volunteer are more likely to volunteer to strengthen those relationships as well. Protective: Using volunteering as a way to feel less guilty about being luckier than others or simply as a “good escape.” The motivational model is quite important when looking at motivational theories, there are a number of other theories. Wuthnow's Four Frameworks of Volunteer Motivation is another similar model that is outlined as follows: Humanitarianism – similar to the Values ​​in VFI. Happiness – similar to Improvements in that it makes us feel better about ourselves. Reciprocity – based on the “pay it forward” type of notion. Self-actualization: a combination of career and understanding in the VFI. Looking at these two theories they seem extremely similar, however Wuthnow's sociological model is interpreted in the context of an individual's social context. This means that depending on what is happening in an individual's life will determine which factors are the most prevalent and important to that individual. By analyzing or comparing these two theories, it becomes clear that there are many different and even similar types of motivations and these can be classified or analyzed in many different and similar ways depending on the participating volunteers and the type of volunteering undertaken. Volunteering can be beneficial to everyone involved, including the volunteer, the organization and the community. A simple act or service can make a significant contribution to others. Volunteering more broadly provides a significant contribution through social and economic capital. Social capital as defined by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) means “networks together with shared norms, values ​​and understandings that facilitate cooperation within or between groups” (Keeley, B., 2007). Individuals who volunteer in the community create and strengthen meaningful connections with others and through this individuals are more likely to return to volunteer. Economic capital, in comparison, seeks to determine the financial contribution that volunteers have. There are several ways to estimate the dollar value, however Dr. Lisel O'Dwyer based her 2011 estimate on 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 an individual's contribution. Dr O'Dwyer then multiplied the wage rate by 25%, took that amount and multiplied it by four (recipient bodies). This represents an important and significant contribution to the community as a whole and to organisations. Looking specifically at volunteering with older adults, however, there are also several ways in which the individual volunteer can make an impact. For example, residents of elderly care facilities or even simply those who live at home from.