The importance of volunteering often comes to the forefront at Christmas the ‘spirit of giving’ message is driven home in everything from commercial advertising to church sermons.Mitzi Clarke, medical social worker at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, said she sees a great need for people to volunteer to help seniors.Working in KEMH’s Rehabilitation Day Hospital, she said about half her clients are stroke victims. They age between 50 and 70.While most of her work is done one-on-one with the client she said she often also includes the family in meetings. She said it’s important for the family to understand how life has changed for the client and how they may need to help in areas they did not need to previously.“I would really stress the importance of people taking up volunteering,” she said. “I see a lot of seniors who need to have people assist the with things. Often they are small things like packing away groceries or getting something from a shelf that is out of their reach.”Her wish is for more of us to consider the needs of seniors we know and act on it.“Just call them,” she said. “People are caught up in their private lives but they can help do the dishes or mop the floor and that will mean so much to a senior who cannot do it.”Patricia (not her real name) is from the West Indies but has lived in Bermuda for ten years. She regularly checks on her husband’s elderly relatives and even some of their friends.“It’s normal where I’m from for the grandchildren to take the responsibility of attending to the needs of elderly family members,” she said. “When I first came to Bermuda I automatically assumed this role and so I’ve always checked on granny and helped out where needed. But I found out that it is not the norm here.“I think it’s the high cost of living. Everybody is busy so the commitment is hard to make. People have two jobs where can they fit in helping out auntie or granny? And it’s expensive to hire someone to help.”Andy Burnett Herkes of Age Concern said it’s a matter they see often at the agency.“An awful lot of family come to us and say: ‘We’ve been looking after granny but we are not managing well anymore. What can we do?’ They are looking for resources,” he said.And he said it’s one of the principle jobs of Age Concern workers, who conduct a mini-assessment and give advice.“It may be advising them (the family of the senior) of residential care options or someone to come in the house for a couple hours a day,” he said.Even where seniors are able to care for themselves and are living on their own, they often need help, he agreed.But as warm and fuzzy and Christmassy as it may feel, he doesn’t believe people should go door-to-door offering their help. Safety and security are issues that should not be taken lightly.“No senior should open their door if they don’t know who is coming in,” he said.Help with simple household matters like putting away groceries, doing dishes, or even being fed, are great volunteer activities when they come from people the senior knows or who have been vetted.“Seniors need to be cautious about opening the door to people that are not known to them,” he said. “That type of pastoral care comes through a recommendation from somebody they trust, often through the church.“Many churches are active in this and many try to visit their elderly members on a fairly regular basis.”Mr Burnett Herkes said seniors can call the Age Concern office for assistance.“If they have specific needs we can try and pair and pair them with someone, usually another senior, to help,” he said. ‘Our membership is about 2,200 seniors and many have offered to help in this way.”And he said if Age Concern cannot help directly, the agency refers seniors to an organisation that can.“Whether it’s coffee and tea, help around the house, transportation or providing assistance with feeding, we try to help and guide them in the right direction,” he said.