@article{Moore_Motaghi_Sadeghirad_Begum_Riva_Gaber_Dolovich_2021, place={Markham, Canada}, title={Volunteer Impact on Health-Related Outcomes for Seniors: a Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis}, volume={24}, url={https://cgjonline.ca/index.php/cgj/article/view/434}, DOI={10.5770/cgj.24.434}, abstractNote={<p><strong>Background </strong></p> <p>Volunteers are increasingly promoted to improve health-related outcomes for community-dwelling elderly without synthesized evidence for effectiveness. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluates the effects of unpaid volunteer interventions on health-related outcomes for such seniors.</p> <p><strong>Methods </strong></p> <p>MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane (CENTRAL) were searched up to November 2018. We included English lan­guage, randomized trials. Two reviewers independently identi­fied studies, extracted data, and assessed evidence certainty (using GRADE). Meta-analysis used random-effects models. Univariate meta-regressions investigated the relationship between volunteer intervention effects and trial participant age, percentage females, and risk of bias.</p> <p><strong>Results </strong></p> <p>28 included studies focussed on seniors with a variety of chronic conditions (e.g., dementia, diabetes) and health states (e.g., frail, palliative). Volunteers provided a range of roles (e.g., counsel­lors, educators and coaches). Low certainty evidence found that volunteers may improve both physical function (MD = 3.2 points on the 100-point SF-36 physical component score [PCS]; 95% CI: 1.09, 5.27) and physical activity levels (SMD = 0.5, 95% CI: 0.14 to 0.83). Adverse events were not increased.</p> <p><strong>Conclusion </strong></p> <p>Volunteers may increase physical activity levels and subject­ive ratings of physical function for seniors without apparent harm. These findings support the WHO call to action on evidence-based policies to align health systems in support of older adults.</p>}, number={1}, journal={Canadian Geriatrics Journal}, author={Moore, Ainsley and Motaghi, Shahrzad and Sadeghirad, Behnam and Begum, Housne and Riva, John J. and Gaber, Jessica and Dolovich, Lisa}, year={2021}, month={Feb.}, pages={44–72} }