Be A Resource For A Senior!

When I was growing up in Detroit, I remember checking in on two elderly women that lived in my neighborhood. Both were fragile in health and maintained that they wanted to live in their homes and not be a burden on their families. (While I didn't know this at the time, both were very lonely too.)

I would stop by about every other week. At the time I thought it was a great way to hear stories, have some milk and cookies and even sometimes earn a little pocket change. Sometimes I'd run down to the corner and mail a letter. Other times I would run to the corner to pick up a loaf of bread. And one woman was so afraid of thunderstorms that often times in the summer I would just sit with her until the storm was over. What I enjoyed the most were the stories about the different happenings in each of these ladies lives many, many years ago.

I know that most of us are so busy these days that sometimes we barely know who lives around us anymore. What I would like to suggest is be a resource for a senior in your neighborhood. If you see them out struggling to shovel snow, maybe you can offer to do it for them. If you know of someone that can't get out on their own, maybe you can offer to pick up something from the store when you go for yourself. If you hear of a scam of some kind that is targeting seniors, maybe go over and show a news story about the scam so they are aware of it.

One of my favorite commercials was one that Applebees ran last year. It showed a young woman coming out the door to go to work. The woman next door asks if she can come by and have coffee for a moment. The woman says she can't right now but maybe after work. You see the older woman look sort of disappointed. After work, the younger woman who happens to be a waitress at Applebees brings something home with her and stops by the neighbor's house. The commercial was trying to show how much their employees care about people.

Where ever I have lived, if I knew of a neighbor that was unable to get out and shovel snow, cut their grass or needed something from the store, I usually did my best to be a resource. Most people really appreciate your act of kindness. So be a resource for a senior. They'll appreciate it and you'll feel good about giving to someone else.