Easy Ways to Help Seniors in Your Community

If you’ve been looking for a reason to jumpstart your volunteer work, October 26th presents the perfect opportunity. This is known as Make a Difference Day, and it’s the ideal time to start improving the lives of seniors in your community. Depending on your interests, there is a number of different ways to enhance care for elderly individuals.

Bringing a companion dog to a nursing home

If you have a four-legged friend running around your home, this is the perfect way for you and your dog to help out. The two of you can get trained and become registered to make visits to assisted living facilities and nursing homes. The presence of dogs can help to cut feelings of loneliness and isolation among the residents.

There is a number of different groups that provide the training necessary to do this type of volunteer work. This includes Therapy Dogs International. You can also do an online search for groups looking for “puppy raisers,” which are people who raise puppies during their first year, while getting them used to being around people. Over time, these dogs become a regular presence at nursing homes and senior care facilities.

Putting a stop to senior hunger and malnutrition

Lack of mobility and other concerns make it a real challenge for many seniors to get the nutrition they need to stay healthy and vibrant. To do your part to end this problem, you can host a senior food drive in your area, or sponsor a group meal at a senior center. You can also volunteer with a program such as Meals on Wheels, which provides elderly individuals with well-balanced meals at home.

Start a walking program for seniors

Many elderly individuals don’t get the exercise they need to feel physically and mentally well. To help inspire seniors to get moving, start a walking program. Even if the group only meets every other week, the socialization and exercise will prove tremendously helpful for seniors in your area.

 Regardless of your interests, there are plenty of productive ways that you can help elderly individuals in your community. Use Make a Difference Day as a chance to get inspired to improve the lives of seniors near you.