We are all bored of staying at home and listening to our parents telling us what to do but let’s think about ways we can help the most needy in our community especially the elderly.
According to a 2013 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association Pediatrics, teens who help others are healthier. One group of 106 10th-graders was asked to volunteer in after-school programs to help elementary children for 60 to 90 minutes per week for 10 weeks. Another group of 10th graders served as a control group, who was wait-listed.
At the end of 10 weeks, the students who helped showed a huge drop in risk factors for cardiovascular disease, lower cholesterol levels and body mass index. These students showed higher empathy and more generous behaviors, and negative moods lessened over those 10 weeks.
How can we help them in these times of the coronavirus pandemic shutdown:
- We could text the elderly and let them know that we care. We could call the elderly to let them know that they are not alone. See more ideas helping the elderly at https://ysa.org/covid/.
- Send a letter to one of America’s veterans or overseas soldiers.
- Learn first aid and COVID-19 symptoms.
- Make quilts or baby clothes for low-income families.
- Sing for residents at a nursing home virtually online. Create songs and videos to lift up everyone’s spirit.
- Make “I Care” kits with combs, toothbrushes, shampoo, etc. for the homeless.
- Pick up/deliver necessities, groceries or medicine for an elderly or homebound person.
- Help teach a younger child to read via online.
- Learn to make masks for those who need it. More at CDC.gov.
- Teach a senior citizen to connect virtually, how to use a computer and the Internet using phone, Zoom or Skype.
- Tutor a struggling student that needs help learning English or some other subject virtually.
- Raise money for Braille books for visually impaired people.
- Read books or the newspaper on tape for visually impaired people.
- Pick up litter when you’re out on your daily walk/exercise while keeping your physical distance.
- Write a note to a teacher that had a positive effect on you.