Ways to Help

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As a high school student, fighting against problems as big as the ones facing senior citizens can seem overwhelming. There seems to be so many contributing factors and so many complex areas of issues like difficulty with transportation, technology access, and mental health. Daunting as tackling these issues might seem, solutions can be relatively simple! These problems are just too broad and too extensive to solve completely; as teenagers our role is to target a very specific part of the issue. I’ve provided the following ideas to help you serve the senior citizens in your community:

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Host a Charity Event

You can work with pre-existing clubs or organizations to bring a new understanding of senior-related issues to light. For example, I use my leadership roles in BBYO and National English Honor Society to broaden outreach and plan charity events. You can also get friends to help, like I did during the card writing event featured in the photographs. It just takes initiative—talk to your friends, club leaders, and involved adults and explain the senior-related issues listed earlier. You can make a big impact by working with what you already have.

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Create a Resource Guide for Senior Citizens

I’ve provided an example of the guide I compiled so you can get an idea of what a resource guide really is. The one I created pertains to my community, Boca Raton and South Florida, and the links I provided point to many local services for senior citizens. I have distributed this resource guide to senior centers and and assisted living facilities.

You can try finding your own local resources, no matter where you are. In the U.S., search for your local AARP, a senior services organization near your town, or your state’s Department of Elder Affairs. 

 

Advocate

Check out my interview with Boca Raton Councilman Marc Wigder to get a sense of what some important topics could look like in your local area. It is so important to do specific research on where you are, because these are issues that can have wildly varying outcomes in different places. Speak to your local policymakers, tell them what you’ve found, and ask them their plans. As a result, you will be completely prepared to advocate for the already in-place projects and the ones you think should be implemented.

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