We used to have an elderly couple next door who were house bound. My 10 year old son would get their mail everyday for them and take it to them. I noticed it took longer each day for him to come home. He would sit down and talk with them and the woman made cookies for him. Their kids were grown and gone but several lived nearby. They loved to have kids to talk to and my son enjoyed them too. Some days, my son was the only other person they saw and he seemed to understand that they needed his visits. The man has since passed away and the woman is in a nursing home. We still visit and send cards. Thats what neighbors do.