3 Ways to Help Your Struggling Neighbors in 2022

It’s the season for sharing, and everyone can participate in it in one way or another. For instance, you can help your struggling neighbors if you have any with conditions that you know about. To get some ideas of how you can do this, read on to see three ways to help your struggling neighbors in the coming year.

Help Them Beat Addictions

If you have a neighbor whom you know has an addiction to a substance, whether drugs or alcohol, you can approach them and find out if there’s a way you can help them. Rather than come across as judgemental and as one who lacks compassion, you should approach them empathetically and let them know that you care and you’re trying to help them. They may also be treated as outcasts by other people due to having been charged with drug use or possession, and this is something that you should be able to look past and offer them a helping hand. If they seem ready to change and regret their past actions, you can help them rejoin society by helping them beat any addiction or repair tarnished reputations. Some of the most common drug types that people can be charged for are opioids, marijuana, PCP, ice, heroin, methamphetamine, LSD, crack, cocaine, and some prescription drugs.

Help Them Seek and Get Medical Care

With about 40% of Americans reporting skipping a medical test or treatment that was recommended to them in March 2018, it’s clear that there’s a large number of people who are in need of health care. Various reasons may play a role in making people not get the treatments or medical tests that they need. These include a lack of funds, inability to get the time necessary for seeking the treatment, and even inability to reach the facility where the test or treatment is to take place. If you have a neighbor who you have noticed seems to have medical issues and you believe does not have the ability to seek or get treatment for their condition, you can offer to step in. Find out if they would like you to help them improve their quality of life do whatever it is they need done, as long as you can afford to. You could even start a drive as a community if their issue is costly or extensive, and if you can get enough people to volunteer their time and resources, you will have made a big difference to your neighbor.

Socialize With Them

Finally, people are growing more distant as time goes by, with digital devices and social media stepping in to take the place of many people’s physical interaction with friends and family. If you have noticed a neighbor of yours spending long hours by themselves, you can strike up a conversation with them and find out if they would like some company. Let them know that they can visit you or volunteer to visit them. Invite them for a meal or simply for a walk around the neighborhood, and if they agree, you will know that they will appreciate spending time with you. A survey found that social isolation was associated with an almost 50% increased risk of dementia, so it’s important for people to spend time with others. After all, human beings are social by nature.

The three suggestions above could be a starting point for you to help out a neighbor or two if you have the time and willingness to volunteer. Give one or all of them a try, and you could make a new friend or two and help them feel the holiday cheer.