Working With Older Adults

You work with older adults because you care about the people behind the age, the diagnosis, the apartment number, or the list of things that need to get done.

You see the person who raised a family, built a career, worked the land, ran a business, cared for others, volunteered in their community, created things, solved problems, and accumulated a lifetime of stories and experience.

And you know there is still so much life to be lived.

Sometimes, though, it can be difficult to know how to help someone discover what might make that life a little easier, more enjoyable, more connected, or more meaningful.

That's where we'd like to help.

Sometimes One Idea Can Open a Door

Making someone's life better doesn't always require a new program, a major change, or an elaborate solution.

Sometimes it's something surprisingly small.

A different way of doing an everyday task. A simple change around the home. An easier way to stay in touch with family. An activity that sparks an old interest. A conversation that brings back a forgotten story. An opportunity to teach someone a skill they've spent a lifetime learning.

Or perhaps it's simply asking a question no one has asked in a while:

“What would you enjoy doing?”

One small idea can lead to a conversation. That conversation can lead to another possibility. And sometimes that possibility can bring a little more independence, confidence, connection, enjoyment, or purpose into someone's life.

There's Still So Much to Discover

It's easy for the world around older adults to gradually become smaller.

Driving becomes more difficult. Friends move away. A spouse passes. Familiar activities become harder. Retirement can take away routines and a sense of purpose that existed for decades.

But a smaller world doesn't have to mean there are fewer possibilities.

There may be new ways to stay connected. New interests to explore. Old skills that can be shared. Things to create. Stories to preserve. People who could benefit from what they know. Or simple changes that make everyday life feel easier again.

Sometimes people just need someone to help them discover those possibilities.

You can be that person.

Ideas You Can Take With You

Throughout this section, we'll explore practical ideas, thoughtful questions, conversation starters, activities, resources, and possibilities you can use with the older adults you serve.

Take whatever is useful. Adapt an idea. Share something with a family. Try something with one person. Use a question to start a conversation and see where it leads.

Not every idea will be right for everyone—and that's okay.

The goal isn't to decide what an older adult should be doing.

It's to keep opening doors and asking:

“Would you like to explore this?”

Because working with older adults isn't only about helping with the things that have become difficult.

It's also about helping someone recognize what is still possible.

And sometimes, one thoughtful person, one good conversation, or one unexpected idea can make a much bigger difference than we ever realize.

Helping Someone Find What Lights Them Up

Ideas for discovering the interests, activities, and experiences that can bring a little more enjoyment and anticipation into someone's life.

• Finding interests when someone says, “I don't know”

• Looking beyond traditional senior activities

• Rediscovering something they once enjoyed

• Introducing something completely new

• Creating something to look forward to

Plus Many More

Creating More Meaningful Conversations

Helping Someone Feel Useful Again

Sharing a Lifetime of Knowledge

Explore ways older adults can continue contributing, helping others, and knowing that what they do still matters.

• Finding small ways someone can help

• Giving someone a role instead of an activity

• Helping others in their community

• Creating something for someone else

• Turning “I can't anymore” into “What could I do?”

Plus Many More

Sometimes one thoughtful question can lead to a conversation—and a connection—you never expected.

• Questions that invite more than a yes or no

• Asking about the life they've lived

• Discovering what they're proud of

• Conversations about work, family, and community

• Listening for the stories behind the stories

Plus Many More

The skills, stories, lessons, and experience someone has gathered over a lifetime may be exactly what another person needs.

• Teaching a skill to someone younger

• Sharing farming or trade knowledge

• Passing along family traditions

• Recording stories and memories

• Mentoring someone just getting started

Plus Many More

Making Everyday Life a Little Easier

Small changes can sometimes remove frustrations someone has quietly learned to live with.

• Noticing tasks that take more effort

• Finding easier ways to do familiar things

• Simple changes around the home

• Helpful tools worth trying

• Asking “Would this make it easier?”

Plus Many More

Helping Someone Stay Connected

When Someone Isn't Interested

Discovering What's Still Possible

Explore simple ways to strengthen relationships, create new connections, and help someone's world feel a little bigger.

• Staying closer to children and grandchildren

• Reconnecting with old friends

• Finding reasons to get out

• Bringing people together around shared interests

• Using simple technology to stay connected

Plus Many More

“No” doesn't always mean never. Explore ways to introduce ideas without pushing, persuading, or taking away someone's choices.

• Understanding why someone may resist

• Offering choices instead of instructions

• Trying something without making it permanent

• Finding a different way to approach it

Plus Many More

Getting older may change some things—but it doesn't mean someone has stopped growing, discovering, creating, or enjoying life.

• Finding new ways to use old skills

• Discovering places to go and things to experience

• Exploring new friendships and interests

• Asking “What have you always wanted to try?”

Plus Many More

Helping older adults live easier, stay connected, keep contributing, and enjoy the life they’ve built.