Samen Ouder Worden - Het organiseren van betekenisvol contact

In the programme 'Growing Older Together', the Association NOV together with ten national volunteer organisations is investigating the added (own) value of voluntary work in care and welfare and what volunteers can contribute to meaningful ageing. The programme aims to better align the activities of volunteer organisations with the increasing demand for voluntary help and support. In addition, voluntary organisations want to position themselves better in relation to paid care and welfare, resident initiatives and municipalities.

A central idea is that the "own" value of volunteering is mainly expressed in organising encounters: one-to-one contact between older people themselves, between older people and neighbourhood residents, and between volunteers and older people. This project investigates how contacts of older people take shape within voluntary work practices, when these contacts are perceived as "meaningful" (by the older people themselves, by volunteers or neighbourhood residents), and what role voluntary organisations play in establishing and maintaining these contacts.

The research provides knowledge on how voluntary organisations can organise 'meaningful contact' for and with older people. It also explores expectations and ideas around the value of organised contact in practice and policy, and nuances them where necessary.