Holidays are supposed to be joyful, but for many it’s the most stressful time of year. Holiday caregiving can be more difficult when you know your aging parents want to cook, decorate or shop, but are too frail. And it’s more challenging for seniors, too. New research reveals many seniors want to holiday shop online, but may not know how.
Fast Facts About Seniors Online from the Pew Internet & American Life Project/Extend Health, Inc.:
- The number of seniors using the internet has almost doubled since 2005?
- The latest figures show that 57 percent of seniors plan to shop online for holiday gifts?and 52 percent plan to do at least a quarter of their holiday shopping online
- 26 percent of Americans over the age of 65 are using social networks and online communications tools
Going online is great, but if adult kids or grandkids aren’t nearby, who will help all these seniors tackle their holiday list and check it twice?
Fortunately, elves don’t all live in the North Pole. They’re in your community, ready to help our seniors get through the season with holiday cheer. Senior Helpers, one of the country’s largest in-home senior care providers, has started a program called Santa’s Senior Helpers to help the elderly tackle their holiday to-do list without hassle or headache. Caregivers from Senior Helpers are doing the little things and helping thousands of seniors from coast-to-coast prepare for the holidays. Whether they need errands run, cleaning done or even shopping assistance, Santa’s Senior Helpers are lending a helping hand to embrace the season.
For example, these elves can help aging loved ones purchase gifts online, shop for and wrap gifts, decorate the tree, trim the turkey or even take them to a local coffee shop for some holiday companionship outside the home. These elders’ elves drive the cars, open the doors and wait in the lines for their aging friends who can’t do it on their own anymore. They hunt for deals, decorate, wrap the presents and help seniors shop online.
This service may be more necessary than ever with newly released Census data showing the number of Americans living to age 90 has tripled in the past three decades to almost 2 million and is likely to quadruple by 2050.
“The holidays can be tough on seniors, especially those who aren’t able get out and to do things like they used to,” says Peter Ross co-founder and CEO of Senior Helpers. “We care for seniors in their own homes year-round, but the holidays tend to bring additional challenges that require an extra set of hands and feet. From gift wrap to Google, our caregivers are taking care of everything seniors we care for need to celebrate the holidays.”
Two new trends many seniors are embracing this holiday season are more online shopping and increased experimentation with Internet-based technologies. Santa’s Senior Helpers show them how to find the best deals online and help seniors learn to use newer communication tools, like Skype and social media platforms, to connect with family and friends who may be far away.
“We work with seniors living on their own each day and we understand how difficult and frustrating it can be when they realize they can’t do it all by themselves anymore,” Ross says. “The holidays can be a hectic and physically demanding time for a lot of people. We’re helping seniors by shouldering some of the burden so they can focus on enjoying the season, which is really what this time of year is all about.”
To learn more about Senior Helpers, go to
www.seniorhelpers.com/
