Volunteering and Health Study: Does volunteering in the community benefit older adults' cognitive functioning?

The trial will be conducted in Dunedin, New Zealand. Participants in the intervention group will be asked to: 1. Register with a local volunteering agency within 3 weeks of their baseline testing session. The researcher will provide specific details on how to do so via a 10-minute consultation at the end of the baseline testing session. During that consultation, the researcher will provide and talk through a booklet listing all relevant volunteering organisations, the types of volunteering they offer, and their contact details. 2. Engage in at least 2 hours of formal volunteering each week for 6 months. Formal volunteering is defined as unpaid, non-compulsory work that is done through an organisation, and for the benefit of people outside the participant’s household. It does not include caregiving for friends or family members (International Labour Organization, 2011). Aside from that definition, there are no restrictions on the type of volunteering participants can engage in. 3. Self-manage their engagement in volunteering (with the help of the organisation they've signed up with) and record their volunteering hours and type via self-complete weekly diaries.