commodities for seniors

The best thing I ever did for my parents was to leave town for a month. A few years ago, when my oldest daughter and her future husband bought their home, I went to stay with them for a month to help them get settled.

At that point in time my parents were becoming increasingly dependant on me. They were coming to my house every day. They were so accustomed to stopping by, that when I talked about my upcoming trip I could see the slight fear in their eyes. They did not know what they were going to do without me being here.

I suggested that they stop by the local Senior Center and see what they had to offer. I knew they could have lunches, play games, do crafts, go on bus trips with other seniors and much more for either free or at a reasonable cost. What I did not realize was that there was a Social Worker on staff that was available every day. My parent are on a very low fixed income. They met with the social worker and she was able to get them help with their grocery bill. They each get a box of commodities every month. She has helped them with the new prescription drug coverage to get the best plan. She has gotten them safety bars for the bathrooms and other things that they should have. She has also set them up with a cleaning lady twice a month at no cost to them. I am sure that there is much more that I haven't mentioned.

I suggest that everyone should check out their local senior center to see what programs they offer, especially if your parents are on a fixed income.