A CONSIDERATE initiative has been set up in Limerick this month to put smiles back on the faces of elderly people who may be feeling lonely this Christmas.
‘Adopt a Senior Citizen Month’ is the brainchild of the St Padre Pio Circle of Friends Helping Hands group. The aim of the initiative is to try to make people more aware of our older community.
“When we are young, fit, and able, our aim is to strive for as good a lifestyle as possible and we work hard to achieve this. Our senior citizens often do not aspire to the same things anymore, instead they must confront their biggest fears – loneliness and lack of contact,” Michael Hartnett of the Helping Hands Group explains.
“Our older generation have so much to give us. They have so much of life’s wisdom, yet we do not take the time to listen to them. If you have an older person living near you, can we suggest that you take the time to invite them for a cup of tea, or if you and your family are going to spend the day out that you ask them if they would like to come along with you.
“We would hope that through participation in ‘Adopt A Senior Citizen Month’ that you might enjoy the experience and hopefully continue the relationship in making a good friend. Small courtesies and random acts of kindness, gestures of friendship, however trivial they may seem, can help transform the day and lift the spirit of our senior citizens.”
The St Padre Pio Helping Hands Group suggests ideas such as offering an elderly person a listening and patient ear, a pot of jam or a sweet treat, or a simple smile or wave to help brighten up their day.
