by Elyse Coleman

Created on: August 17, 2010   Last Updated: August 18, 2010

Time not only takes away our hair, our flexibility, and quick energy; it often brings to us a slower pace, a more diffused focus and a diminished sense of energy. We may see this in our elderly parents and want to help but have difficulty knowing where to turn. We know they could benefit from some form of "senior assistance," but are just not quite sure exactly what kind. They are not having problems, per se, yet we have a sense that we could somehow add to their quality of life. 

A Senior Concierge for the elderly service may be just what you are looking for. Here are some services that clients of this type find particularly helpful. 

1. Set up a regularly appointment to have them drop by, even if there is no specific job at hand. The senior concierge will get to know your parents and will begin to see a myriad of ways to help. Some examples are offering to take out the trash, recycling newspapers, doing a quick straighten of the house, sorting the mail into stacks of personal and third-class items and drawing their attention to bills or doctor appointments. During the course of regular visits, other jobs and projects will come up and the concierge can inform you of anything they see that might be of concern. 

2. If your parents are still tentative around technology such as cell phones or the OnStar service in their car, the senior concierge can help them with ongoing "reminders" or lessons on how to use the item and making sure that phones get recharged on a regular basis. If they find remembering how to use these items challenging, the senior concierge can create simplified instructions or “how to” guides for making calls to you, 911 or other numbers can be attached to the back of a cell phone. I have even customized instructions for using OnStar and placed in the car, etc. 

3. Have the senior concierge bring "treats" such as fresh fruit, nuts or other healthy snacks to enhance their diet. 

4. When caring for elderly parents, a houseplant or fresh flowers every once in a while can really brighten the day. An inexpensive item from the grocery store may provide as much or more pleasure than a more expensive one ordered from a florist, particularly if either the family caregiver or the aging parent has concerns about the cost. 

5. A senior concierge can help with any mail your parents find confusing. A letter or medical form they find confusing may just be a notification, in which case they can assure them that no response

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