• Careers
  • Education
  • Research
  • Giving
Ochsner Health Ochsner Health
  • About
  • Find A Doctor (current)
  • Find A Location
  • Specialties & Treatments
MyOchsner Logo
Login | Signup
Submit Search
Close Search
  •   Home
  • In To Your Health...
  • Food & Fitness
  • Conditions & Treatment
  • Health Trends
  • Prevention & Wellness
  • Women's Health
  • Men's Health
  • Mental Health
  • Parenting
  • I need to...
  • Find A Doctor
  • Find A Location
  • Find A Specialty
  • Schedule An Appointment
  • Pay A Bill
  • Explore
  • About Ochsner
  • Careers
  • Patients & Visitors
  • "To Your Health" Blog
  • Health Resources
  • Medical Professionals
  • Education
  • Philanthropy
  • Community Outreach
  • Research
  • Ochsner Health Network
  • Schedule an Appointment
  • Call: 1-866-624-7637
  • Online: Login to MyOchsner
  • Personalize your content
  • patient Edit Persona Persona Chooser
To Your Health

View Newsletter Editions
  • Food & Fitness
  • Conditions & Treatment
  • Health Trends
  • Prevention & Wellness
  • Women's Health
  • Men's Health
  • Mental Health
  • Parenting
Health benefits volunteering pet therapy

The Health Benefits of Helping Others

Updated: Sep 4, 2020 | Originally Published: May 6, 2019 |
By Melissa G. Landry
Share Facebook Logo Twitter Logo Pinterest Logo Email Logo

When life becomes stressful, it’s not uncommon to rely on exercise, meditation, or self-care techniques in order to cope. While these are all great options, there’s a less well-known stress-relieving technique that has also been shown to improve both one’s physical and mental health. Helping others in need through volunteer work or charitable giving is a great way to recharge while making an important and lasting contribution to your community.

Altruism has always been seen as good for your soul, but research conducted by the Corporation for National & Community Service has revealed that charitable work can actually make one’s heart stronger as well. Some of the other established health benefits of charitable giving include lower blood pressure, lower stress levels and better physical and psychological well-being. Giving has been shown to increase a person’s overall happiness as well as their emotional connection to the community. Volunteering also offers an opportunity to further your career goals through networking or learning a new skill.

Nonprofit organizations across the country rely on volunteers to provide necessary labor and services so they can continue their important work in the community. Here at Ochsner, our volunteers serve in a variety of positions including patient care, greeting and support service areas, hospital administrative duties and other special projects. Each day, they help us by:

  • Visiting with patients and assisting staff members.
  • Serving as greeters and assisting patients and family members with finding their way around the hospital.
  • Helping to deliver mail, magazines and packages to the intended recipients.
  • Assisting Ochsner staff members with things like answering phones, entering data and filing documents.
  • Assisting with pet therapy, music entertainment in our atriums and assisting with rotating art exhibits.

While certain individuals may not have the time or ability to volunteer, there is nothing more powerful than knowing that you have changed or even saved someone’s life. In addition to the selfless gifts of time and talent, generous individuals can enjoy the benefits of helping others through a donation to their favorite cause or charity.

At Ochsner, our donors are a critical part of our ability to pursue research, education and innovations in patient care and treatment. Ochsner donors have been responsible for improvements to critical care, increased participation in clinical trials and advancements in patient care.

No matter what your circumstances allow, there is a way for you to give back to a cause that’s important to you. In doing so, you will almost certainly accomplish more than just helping your fellow citizens and may even become healthier as a result!

Our generous donors and volunteers change and save lives every day. Learn how you can help support our mission.

Tags
Volunteering

You may also be interested in:

Picture1
Conditions & Treatment
May 25, 2016

Pet Therapy Brings Healing Power of Pets to Ochsner Patients

Interaction with animals has been shown to have both short and long term health benefits. How one local group is bringing the healing power of pets to the patients at Ochsner Medical Center.
Photo
Apr 27, 2015

What I Would Say to My Organ Donor’s Family

Transplant patient Marie DeLarge shares in her own words what she would say to her donor's family and how the quality of her life has been the best it has been in decades.
2018 12 28 Volunteer Profiles Balloons Play
Mental Health
Jan 23, 2019

Volunteers Spark Joy with Surprise Balloons

Volunteers, inspired by their personal experiences, hand out surprise balloons to pediatric patients to spark joy when its needed most.

Comments about the blog? Send us an email!

Ochsner Health Ochsner Health

Schedule An Appointment: 1-866-624-7637

Follow us: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Instagram YouTube Pinterest

Healthy living tips, delivered weekly to your inbox.

Patients & Visitors

  • Billing & Financial Services
  • Insurance Information
  • International Patients
  • Request Medical Records
  • Share Your Story
  • Read Patient Stories

Medical Professionals

  • Transfer a Patient
  • Refer a Patient

Health Resources

  • To Your Health Blog
  • Golden Opportunity
  • Hello Health Seminars
  • Ochsner Magazine

Job Seekers

  • Career Paths
  • Benefits
  • Open Positions

Employees

  • Webmail
  • OHSLink
  • Workday

Employers

  • Corporate Wellness
  • Medicare Advantage Plans

Community Outreach

  • Classes & Events
  • Programs
  • Community Health Needs Assessment
  • Dr. John Ochsner Discovery Health Sciences Academy

Education

  • Graduate Medical Education
  • Clinical Medical Education
  • Continuing Medical Education
  • Medical Library
  • Publishing Services
  • Medical Illustrations

Research

  • Clinical Trials
  • Applied Health Services Research
  • Clinical Research & Trials
  • Nursing Research
  • Translational Research

Giving

  • Donate
  • Volunteer

About Ochsner

  • Mission & Vision
  • History
  • Annual Report
  • Outcomes & Honors
  • News & Media
  • Alumni
  • Ochsner Health Network
  • Contact Us

Shop

  • O Bar
  • Optical Shop
  • Ochsner Fitness Center
  • Brent House Hotel

© Ochsner Health  | Notice of Privacy Practices | Terms of Use | Vendor Information

Ochsner accepts all major insurances.

Ochsner is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, founded on providing the best patient care, research, and education.

We are one of the country’s largest non-university based academic medical centers.

Ochsner is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, disability or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.

Community Needs Health Assessment

EpicMobile Tablet | EpicMobile Phone

Healthy Living Tips, Delivered Right To Your Inbox

* indicates required


Must Reads
Food and Fitness
Men’s Health
Parenting
Women’s Health

Source:
Source Description:
Marketing Goal:


Get Weekly Health Tips

Select the weekly newsletters you'd like to receive.

Please select at least one category to continue.

Curious about our newsletters?

View details for each edition

Let us know where to send your weekly newsletters.

To Your Health- Food and Fitness:
To Your Health- General:
To Your Health- Men’s Health:
To Your Health- Parenting:
To Your Health- Women’s Health:

Source:
Source Description:
Marketing Goal:

You're all set!

We’ll send newsletters full of healthy living tips right to your inbox every week.

Ochsner Health System
ESC to Close

Begin Typing to Search

Select the drop-down to filter Search by Blog Articles or Sitewide