On October 25, 2011, I attended the Community Service Fair at KCC. Many tables were set up with different opportunities to volunteer in the Bridgewater community. One of the organizations that caught my attention was the Bridgewater Retirement Community. Helping my community back home is something I have played an important role in and I want to continue to lend a helping hand in Bridgewater. Since it is close to campus, I have taken a great interest in helping the retirement community. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on "Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned"?Get the original essayRetirement communities are suddenly in need of volunteer help, not only in Bridgewater but across the United States. In 1945, at the end of World War II, it was a time of great excitement and celebration. Soldiers were returning from war and ready to start a real life with their families. Countless couples have decided that the best way to start their lives over is to have and raise children together. This caused a scandalous increase in population due to all the excitement. Children born between 1946 and 1964 are called baby boomers. Sixty-six years have passed since then and many of the population are now looking to retire and find accommodation with additional support and care. An overwhelming number of older people are entering retirement communities; this influx of elderly people has led to a need for additional help. Despite the growing need for help, there aren't many people available to help make demand high and supply low. Due to the high demand for nursing home help, employers are willing to give a potential employee a higher salary to convince them to work in a nursing home. These higher salaries lead to an increased cost of living in a nursing home, meaning nursing home clients are forced to spend more of their savings. This is where voluntary service is sought; retirement communities are looking for someone who will help them, but don't ask for money in return. It is difficult to find people willing to volunteer, mainly due to the idea of ​​ageism, that is, prejudice against someone because of their age (GDAC 2011). Young people tend to discriminate against older people more than anyone else and these are the people who are needed to volunteer. According to the GDAC, older people have a stereotype that they are lonely, forgetful and old-fashioned (2011). This stereotype prevents many college and high school students from taking time out of their schedule to spend time with these “senile” seniors. Most students want to talk about the latest technology or the latest gossip where retirees don't know much about the iPhone or your friends back home. This can create an image that older people are boring people to talk to or be with, because they cannot tell or share similar stories. Another factor that encourages young people not to give their time is the image we have of grumpy old men in films (GDAC 2011). When kids are young and constantly watching movies about an unhappy old man who picks on kids or shoots birds and is generally unpleasant, it gives a bad image of what elders are really like. These two concepts can go a long way to explaining why there is a shortage of volunteers in residences to..