How to Help

How you can help prevent elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation

Protecting vulnerable adults is everyone’s responsibility. Community partners and volunteers donate their time and energy to help us make a difference in the lives of people who need it most.

 To find out about volunteer opportunities in your area, contact your local volunteer coordinator.

Ways You Can Help

  • Form a Home Improvement Alliance within your organization or congregation to repair homes of the elderly and disabled adults. Services could include yard work, minor electrical, plumbing and carpentry repairs, building ramps, house painting, and roof repair.
  • Assist elders with pet care, such as taking pets to the vet, exercising dogs, and helping with grooming and medications.
  • Deliver Meals on Wheels.
  • Provide transportation.
  • Call your local Area Agency on Aging to inquire about specific volunteer needs, which could include money management, guardianship, and Office of Consumer Affairs volunteer opportunities.
  • Organize a "Caregivers" group through your church.
  • Relieve a caregiver by sitting with their ill loved one. This helps the elder as well as the caregiver who may desperately need a break.
  • Get to know your elderly neighbor, become personally involved and include them in your family activities.
  • Join groups such as Gray Panthers or American Association of Retired Persons (AARP).
  • Collect holiday and birthday gifts for the elderly and disabled adults in your community.
  • Recruit organizations and businesses to donate their resources to help the elderly and disabled who are in need of assistance.
  • Develop local Adult Protective Services Multi-Disciplinary Teams or participate in an existing project in your community that supports older and disabled adults.
  • Donate blankets, non-perishable food items, pet food, and household items to your local APS Resource Room.
  • Help create a Resource Room or food pantry if one is not available in your area.
  • Call your local DFPS office and request information on the programs that benefit vulnerable adults in your area. Ask to speak with a Community Initiatives Specialist to find out how you can help.