By visiting these people, a younger person can provide friendship and a confidante. It is important that even old people have friends they can trust because being lonely is a very painful and debilitating condition. Simple things that a person can do when visiting the elderly include reading to them, speaking to them, taking them for walks, bringing them small tokens of affection, or just sitting with them for a while. Any of these things will show extreme kindness to a person in need. An older person that is left alone may have regrets, feelings of guilt, or other negative feelings that will be harbored for the entire duration of the person's remaining life, leading to bitterness and a very sad death. Giving that person companionship can renew his or her faith in humanity in time for them to find peace before death.

             Another important reason to visit the elderly is because of what they can teach younger people about themselves. The elderly people in our society have a lot of insight to share with the younger generation. Despite the many years between them, an elderly nursing home resident and a younger visitor can find a lot of common ground for discussions. For example, I am a middle-aged alcoholic. The recovery program which has helped me to reclaim my life helped me discover that helping other alcoholics was very rewarding, and that helping elderly alcoholics is my calling in life. Elderly alcoholics offer me insight into my own disease. When I bring Alcoholics Anonymous literature to a nursing home, I am able to have quality time with the elderly, and we are able to talk about something that is common between us. Other people can benefit from this experience as well. The rewarding feeling that is gotten from helping the elderly benefits the young and helps to build their character. Spending time with elderly people can help develop kindness and empathy for all human beings.