A lot of the people I work with (clients/customers) are getting older and it's sad to see how many of them struggle with simple tasks but that's old age for you and it happens. It's not just the physical stuff like cleaning the rain gutters but the mental stuff like completing paperwork. This is made harder by the fact that so much business stuff is done almost exclusively online, just imagine an 80 or 90 year old trying to mess with an app or e-sign or whatever.
Some of them don't have anyone to help, or at least they don't think that they do. Be the person they can trust and rely on for stuff like that.
Paperwork, mail, bills, memos, computer stuff, and of course physical tasks like taking the trashcans out to the curb, shoveling snow, etc.
It's easy to overlook and we all get caught up in our own busy lives but please take a moment and think about the people in your life that can use help. Maybe a parent or grandparent, or maybe even an elderly neighbor.
And if you consider yourself a trustworthy person, all the more reason you need to do this because in your absence, these old people might resort to someone else who *isn't* trustworthy and will take advantage of them (squat in their home, steal from them, abuse them). Occupy that space in their lives to prevent it from being occupied by someone that will do them harm.
And yes, sometimes it will be a pain in the ass. But they are basically like kids, but older. Easily confused, physical incapable, maybe incontinent, and more so than at any point in their lives they need your patience and compassion.
Also, if you have someone getting up in years but they are still "with in", then start getting things lined up in advance. Prepare for what to do next if they die, or if they simply become mentally fatigued and can't keep up anymore. There's this gray area between mentally sharp, and brain soup and in that gray area a lot of people aren't sure what to do. Do you help and risk offending them? Do you wait for it to get undeniably bad?
Talk to them. And set up dedicated alternative points of contact that can be used in the event they start to struggle with basic tasks. So for example, their CAP/accountant, their insurance agent/company, their mortgage company, the utilities, etc. Reach out to all these parties and set things up so that your elderly friend doesn't have a problem. If something happens, you or whoever you designated can step in and help them out.
