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Your senior loved ones were always there for you. Now, it is your turn to return the favor and give them the support they need as they get older. As adults age, they become more vulnerable to physical, emotional, and financial difficulties that can rob them of their independence, but you can help protect them. Here are three ways to support and protect your senior loved ones.

Visit Often

It’s highly likely that your senior loved ones are reluctant to ask for help. They want to manage their own lives, yet they still need engaging and meaningful relationships. Older adults of all ages are susceptible to loneliness—especially if they’ve lost a spouse or the ability to drive. Visits from family provide essential emotional support and prevent the type of social isolation that can negatively impact a senior’s cognition and overall health.

Visiting your loved one at their home helps you to discern how a loved one is taking care of themselves, but planning regular outings also helps seniors stay active. Visits on holidays are appreciated, but spending time together planning celebrations together is particularly beneficial.

Keep Track of Finances

Monitoring a senior loved one’s finances can help protect them from financial abuse. Older adults are trusting and generous, making them top targets for scams. Experts suggest that as much as 20 percent of seniors are affected. Stolen identity, home title fraud, insurance hustles, and investment schemes are all popular forms of financial exploitation.

Clues that a senior loved one has been affected included late payment notices, collection calls, unusual numbers of home deliveries and a dwindling checking-account balance. To keep seniors safe, review important rules, such as safeguarding personal information and not responding to spam emails. If your senior loved one is cognitively impaired, ask if you can help them monitor their mail and financial accounts.

Plan Ahead

For many seniors, the day comes when they can no longer manage their own affairs independently. If plans aren’t in place for their care, necessities such as establishing a power of attorney and advanced directives become significantly more difficult. Helping loved ones plan in advance ensures that their choices are respected, and it makes it easier for family caregivers to get them the assistance they need.

Supporting a senior loved one can be challenging, but the more help they have from family members, the longer they can remain independent and enjoy the life they deserve. It’s the least you can do to help make sure they are comfortable after all they’ve done for you throughout your lifetime. By taking steps like the ones above, you can help make sure that your senior loved ones are happy and taken care of.