This is a list of ideas for works of charity you can do to help someone who is ill or disabled.

Physical Body:

Help person bathe, wash up. 

Assist them with brushing teeth, combing hair.

Help them dress.

Do their laundry.

Provide a meal.

Actually help them eat if they need this help.

Do the dishes.

Do their grocery shopping.  (Bring food; many people hesitate to tell you their needs.)

Do other shopping -- people do need things from department stores, etc., which are needs that go unnoticed and unmentioned.

Social:

Talk, about whatever the person wants to talk about that day.

Laugh.  Share good times.

Help them go outside into fresh air and sunshine.

Take the person for a car trip, like through a local park.

Offer to take them to doctor appointments, even if you can only do it once a month or less often.

Take them shopping if they are physically able to go with you.

Read to them.

Write letters for them.

Buy greeting cards and stamps, so the person can send cards to friends or family if they want.

Unspoken needs:

Look for things the person needs that would help solve a problem they have in living well.  For example, someone might have trouble opening numerous bottles of medicines; you could buy a medication tray for a few dollars that holds a week's worth of daily meds.  A simple plastic napkin-holder can be used to hold the current mail or that month's bills.  A multi-pocket holder can fit over the arm of a recliner chair to hold the remote, TV listings, and items the person uses everyday.

Is the person using an old or outdated item simply because they cannot afford a new one or cannot go out to buy another similar item?  For example, a man's hair comb may be missing teeth but he continues using it because he cannot get out to purchase a new one.  Maybe the person's pots and pans are bent and eroded from 30years of use, but they've never had money for new ones (but you have a set you aren't using, or can find a set at a local thrift shop).  

Once you know the person well, you may even learn that the socks and underwear they own is ragged or full of holes -- simply because the person has been unable to go shopping.

House needs:

Look for what is broken and replace those items (lamp, clock, toaster, fan, or other small items).  Ask if appliances work okay, like washer and dryer, refrigerator and stove.

Look at the house itself - is there something broken or in bad repair that you could fix?  It doesn't need to be a big project!  There are many small things that can go wrong or get broken in someone's home.

Who cuts the grass?  Who prunes the bushes?  Is there weeding that needs done?  

Are stairs and railings safe?

Are there things that need washed or dry cleaned?  For example, spring cleaning is usual in most people's homes when "extra things" are done, but an ill or disabled person might not be able to do those tasks.  Could throw pillows use a good cleaning?  Could you take down curtains, clean them and re-hang them?

Could you vacuum and steam clean carpets?

Pets and their needs:

Could the pet use a new collar?

Offer to walk the dog - or to play with the pet outside.

Offer to clean the cat's litter box.  Buy a box of new litter.

Buy a bag of food (make sure it is the same brand used now, because pets can get sick when their diet is changed).

Offer to take their pet to a vet for a health exam and routine vaccines.

Offer to take a dog to the groomer if needed (and offer to pay the bill).

And when you visit, take time to wash water bowls and re-fill them, or put out fresh food for the pet.

These are just *some* ideas for you to consider in planning HOW to help an ill or disabled person.

Invest your charity as Christ would do.