Older Americans give back to their communities in many ways, and one way they can assist when their communities need help most is to become a volunteer with the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC). MRC volunteers help their neighbors, and their communities, improve their health and be better prepared for, respond to and recover from disasters.
MRC volunteers include medical and public health professionals, and people without medical training. Some of the activities that these MRC volunteers have been involved in have included responding to emergencies, participating in drills and exercises, supporting medical teams at public events, conducting public health outreach, and supporting vaccination clinics. Because local MRC units train and partner with local emergency response organizations, older adult MRC volunteers can also serve a key role in sharing their perspective with emergency management officials to provide insight on the needs of older adults in disaster planning, response, and recovery to ensure they are considered.
May is Older Americans Month, and the theme for 2015 is Get into the Act, which promotes building awareness of the importance of community engagement to improve the health and wellbeing of older adults. It also highlights how older adults are actively controlling their health, being engaged in their communities, and making a positive impact in the lives of others.
Older American MRC volunteers contribute a great deal to the success of MRC units in addressing the health and response needs of their communities. In fact, about one-third of MRC volunteers are age 56 or older. The Medical Reserve Corps program includes retired medical and nonmedical professionals that are able to use their knowledge and skills to support their community’s efforts to be healthier, safer, and more resilient.
As an MRC volunteer, they are able to volunteer at their leisure as there is no required time commitment for volunteers. In fact, some older adult MRC volunteers have chosen to volunteer with units where they vacation for part of the year, in addition to where they live.
If older Americans are interested in volunteering to help their communities through their local MRC unit, they can learn more about local opportunities and the MRC by visiting https://mrc.hhs.gov.
We are thankful for the contributions of Older Americans for their past and continuing efforts to serve the needs of our country. To find out more about Older Americans Month 2015 and how to get involved, please visit http://www.acl.gov/NewsRoom/Observances/oam/Index.aspx.
