Monday, February 15, 2010

10 Things You Can Do To Help Seniors In Your Community

As we age, we often lose our physical strength, medical health, mobility and our independence. This is the case with the majority of Senior Citizens, living within our communities.

I would like for you to 'think' about this for one minute. When you finally reach your golden years, do you hope that others will be there to help you? I bet you answered that question with a yes!

The truth of the matter is, there are thousands of Seniors across the world that need assistance. Many of them have no family or friends available to help them. That is where you come in.

I would like to share 10 ideas with you, on how you can help the members in your community.

1. Summer Yard Work: Grass mowing, bush trimming, flower planting, and gardening.

2. Fall/Winter Yard Work: Rake leaves, shovel sidewalks, and plow driveways.

3. Meal Delivery: Volunteer with a local meals on wheels program.

4. Grocery Shopping: Offer to do their grocery shopping.

5. Medical and Dental Appointments: Take them to their appointments. Many Seniors lose the ability to drive safely as they age.

6. Gift Shopping: Take them shopping to the local department stores and malls.

7. Baking: I find that a lot of our elderly community members can no longer make homemade bake goods. Since I love to bake, I will often make pies, cookies, and cakes for them.

8. Pets: You can assist them with pet care. (walking the dog, vet appointments, grooming appointments, and picking up pet food for them.

9. Salon and Barber Shop Appointments: Offer to take them for their hair care appointments every few weeks.

10. Your Companionship: Many of our older adults are lonely, and just need a little bit of company. Once a month, spend an hour of your time just visiting with an older adult.

I believe in paying it forward. There are many things that you can do to help our adult friends, that doesn't require a lot of your time. I hope these simple 10 ideas have inspired you to volunteer your skills and time to help the Senior members, in your own community.

This article was written by Shelly Hill, copyright 2009, All Rights Reserved.

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