01/31/2026
Some food for thought...... If you were ever considering volunteering to be a EMT, driver, or fireman, here's a good reason to do it. Text copied from the Washington Post
“Researchers analyzing blood markers have recently discovered that volunteering appears to slow the aging process in seniors — a felicitous finding that adds to voluminous evidence that performing community service tends to improve things like mood and heart health, particularly for those of retirement age. Many of these volunteers don’t yet know that there’s a biological benefit to their service. But they know that it boosts their mental health. In my conversations with members of the rescue squad, it quickly became apparent that, for all the heart attacks and car wrecks and broken hips they respond to, the people they’re really rescuing are themselves. Martin Woodard, 75, the squad’s former chief, said his mental acuity is “a lot sharper” because his EMT certification requires him to “use my brain in ways that I hadn’t done for years”.
