Random Acts of Kindness Ideas for Seniors

I've partnered with Ready to Care to share how you can make a difference in the lives of seniors with small random acts of kindness ideas.

When we moved to our new town three years ago, we found a home to rent and on the very first day of moving, we met our new neighbor, an elderly gentleman named Paul. We quickly found out that he knew a lot about the community and our new town. He was full of helpful information and always kept us up-to-date with the happenings in our neighborhood. Over the next few years, he watched our kids as they grew and we got to know Mr. Paul (as our kids call him) pretty well. It was bittersweet when we finally moved into the home we'd built, a few miles away. We knew our mailbox meetups with Mr. Paul were over, but we promised we'd keep in touch.

It's been a little over a year since we moved away from Mr. Paul but we've seen him a handful of times when I've had to pick up packages that have been delivered to our old house. He's always kind enough to hold onto them for us. I think we all secretly like it since it gives us a chance to catch up.

Recently, Mr. Paul has been in and out of the hospital with various health issues. Since we've got a medical background, he's been texting us with updates and I knew he could use a little pick-me-up. Mr. Paul doesn't have any children and I know his family lives far away so I thought a little random act of kindness would surely brighten his day.

I was inspired to have my kids create a few cards for Mr. Paul by my partnership with Ready to Care. This initiative by Home Instead Senior Care® was created to enhance the lives of aging adults and their families. Ready to Care's mission is to expand the world's capacity to care for older adults, simply by completing simple acts of care and kindness.

Ready to Care challenges everyone to complete "Care Mission," which guide members to complete small acts of kindness, volunteer, or simply learning about the aging crisis and issues that impact seniors. It can be something as simple as opening a door for a senior or helping them with a chore. Each week, a new Care Mission is delivered right to participants' phones via text message.

I signed up for Ready to Care (you can too, it's FREE!) and I'm so glad I did. It's so easy to get caught up in our hectic schedules with two little ones that I often forget that there are people in need, right around us, and they often go unnoticed. You may know a senior (or several!) who is experiencing things like limited mobility, chronic illness, or feelings of loneliness. A very little gesture can have a huge impact. Ready to Care encourages people of all ages to reach out to seniors and extend a helping hand. Not only was this a good reminder for me, but it's also a great teaching point for our kids. Instilling in them a love for service is important to us and Ready to Care is a simple tool to help.

To brighten Mr. Paul's day, we decided to create cards for him and drop them in the mail. Even though we only live a few miles away, we thought it would be fun to mail the letters so it would be a nice surprise. Instead of the mundane bills and junk mail, Mr. Paul would get handwritten notes and pictures. My 7-year-old was especially excited about this. He said it made him feel good inside to imagine Mr. Paul smiling when opening his letters.

Are you ready to start completing some random acts of kindness or other small gestures of kindness for the seniors in your community? Head over to Ready to Care and sign up for your text alerts. These little reminders can be such a good source of inspiration so you can bless older adults around you.

After talking with some seniors I know, I put together a list of other random acts of kindness ideas that you can do to show you care and help make their lives easier. Here are some ideas:

• Send them a handwritten note or a postcard from a trip you're taking.
• Open the door for them.
• Give them a grocery card gift card.
• Gift them a membership to a grocery delivery service if mobility is an issue for them.
• Bring potted flowers for them to enjoy and spruce up their front door.
• Help with yard work (mowing, pick weeds, pressure washing, etc).
• Send them or bring them a care package.
• Bring them a coffee or treat and visit with them.
• Offer to walk their dog.

Want even more random acts of kindness ideas for seniors? Be sure to visit Ready to Care to get your first Care Mission and join the conversation on social media using #ImReadytoCare.