A great way to alleviate loneliness and help give a sense of purpose to your aging parent is volunteering.
Not only does volunteering often get your parent out of the home, but it also gives your parent a chance to focus on someone else rather than himself. This is not only beneficial to the recipient of your parent’s volunteering, it is also very helpful to your parent’s emotional, social, and spiritual needs.
In our current pandemic season where many standard volunteer activities have had to be shut down for health safety reasons (such as reading to others, serving in a kitchen, or even volunteering at a church), there are still some socially-distanced ways for your parent to volunteer and be an active part of his community. If you’re not sure of how to help your parent volunteer, find out what your parent really enjoys doing and then build off of that, finding a way for him to volunteer. If you’re looking for ideas, here are a couple of quick and easy suggestions.
Sending Cards And Letters
Many elderly people are living in nursing homes and have been confined to those homes for months and months as our world has battled Covid-19. This has created a very lonely and sometimes depressing environment for those seniors. Your parent can help by sending cards or letters of encouragement to those living in long-term care facilities. Either you or your elder care provider can get the supplies your parent needs – cards, stamps, information on who to send cards to, and then let him do the rest. A simple note with a bright card might just brighten someone’s day and give your parent something to do when he can’t get out and about.
Gardening
While many of the areas of the country are no longer in need of gardening due to the winter weather, if this is something your parent likes to do and you live in an area where the foliage is still plentiful, consider seeing if there is a garden or landscape area where your parent can trim, weed and clean among the outdoor plants. Your elder care professional can provide rides to and from if needed and your parent can be outside volunteering without worries about becoming too physically close to strangers.
Working With Animals
If your elderly parent loves cats and dogs and all the little furry critters, you might want to check out your local kennel or humane society to see if they need someone to walk the dogs, brush out the cats or clean the cages of various animals. A few hours a week might provide just the perfect amount of activity for your parent while giving her a place to serve among the animals she loves. This is another serving area that as a caregiver you can join your parent at, or your elder care professional can bring your parent to and from so that she can serve.
Delivering Meals
If your parent is still able to drive, this might be a wonderful way for her to help others who can no longer get out. There are numerous organizations out there that provide meals to the homebound that you could connect your parent with so she can bless others by bringing them healthy home meals.
Don’t let today’s world health situation stop your parent from volunteering. There are still plenty of ways to get out there and connect with others. The benefits to your parent’s health, self-confidence, and self-esteem are added bonuses to serving others.
If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Elderly Care in Tualatin, OR, please contact the caring staff at Integrity In-Home Care. Call today (503) 660-3755
