Letter to Editor: A Simple Way You Can Make a Difference

It is time for all of us to step up.

Here is a simple way that you can be a good neighbor, free up hospital beds, and perhaps save a life.

We all know someone who is elderly. We all know that they are the most likely group to require hospitalization for Coronavirus. We all know that it is best if they self-quarantine. And, we all have cars.

Pick up the phone or, better yet, drop by your elderly neighbor and let them know that you want to pick up their groceries, visit their pharmacy and run their errands… And, that you want to help them self-quarantine because you want to keep them safe. And when they try to play hero by refusing your help, remind them that by staying healthy they may be keeping a hospital bed free for someone who really needs it – perhaps a healthcare worker who got sick trying to save someone’s life. Remind them that by helping themselves they are also helping others. Remind them that by doing “nothing” they are actually doing something. Remind them that this is where they can do their part.

And, this is where we can all help even if we are not on the front lines of the Coronavirus battle. This is where we can become an Army if each one of us tells a friend who tells a friend and so on and so on. This is where you can use your Facebook network to pass this forward. This is where we can join the fight without straining our local healthcare resources. And, this where, with a few simple acts, we can all step up.

You will not only be helping a person at-risk, but you will also be helping our Community.

And, when you look in the mirror before you go to bed treat yourself to a satisfied smile because today you did Good.

Oliver Brown is the Author of the Senior Services SourceBook.