How May I Help You…


How May I Help You…

Over the years, I have had the privilege of serving the public in many roles. Those experiences taught me an important lesson: government and business exist to serve people—not the other way around. Now more than ever, I am committed to providing information and advocacy that helps people live better lives. I suppose it is simply in my nature to nurture.

Today, as an advocate for older adults, I spend a great deal of time helping seniors navigate federal, state, county, city, and private organizations. While every agency has a different mission, one troubling trend unites them all: the human being has been replaced by a machine.

Technology has brought many conveniences into our lives. Online banking, electronic medical records, virtual appointments, and automated systems have undoubtedly improved efficiency in many situations, and I appreciate those advances as much as anyone.

But somewhere along the way, many organizations began to believe that efficiency alone equals good customer service. It does not.

For an older adult seeking answers about Medicare, Social Security, veterans' benefits, property taxes, utility assistance, prescription drug programs, banking, or insurance, getting a simple answer has become far harder than it should be. Elected officials and the agency appointees they select have let this happen. Have they forgotten that we, the voters, put them in power—and that they work for us, not the other way around?

What was once resolved with a phone call now often requires navigating a complicated website, remembering multiple passwords, retrieving verification codes on a cell phone, downloading an app, uploading documents, and completing electronic forms. And after all of that, the person may still be routed to an online "Help Center" instead of a human being who can answer a simple question.

For many seniors, this is not merely frustrating. It is overwhelming, and it too often results in needless suffering.

Growing older presents enough challenges without adding unnecessary technological barriers. Vision changes. Hearing changes. Arthritis makes typing difficult. Memory may not be as sharp as it once was. Some seniors have never owned a computer. Others cannot afford broadband internet or the latest smartphone. Many live on fixed incomes and cannot keep replacing devices as technology evolves.

Yet organization after organization keeps designing systems on the assumption that everyone has the same technological skills and equipment. That assumption is simply wrong.

As a society, we celebrate innovation without asking an equally important question: who gets left behind? The answer is becoming increasingly clear—older Americans.

We are also the largest voting bloc in the country, and our needs deserve to be treated accordingly. Consider this notice served: I'm making a list and checking it twice, and before November I intend to let you know which elected officials have been naughty and which have been nice. As the old folks used to say, we need to put our foot down and give our votes—and our business—only to those who address our needs.

Isn't it striking that we are the very people who spent decades paying taxes, building businesses, serving in the military, raising families, and building the communities these agencies now claim to serve? We deserve access to the services we helped build. We deserve it our way—human to human.

Elected officials need to understand that accessibility is about far more than wheelchair ramps and elevators. It also means offering communication methods that people can actually use.

A telephone answered by a knowledgeable employee is not outdated technology. It is good customer service. A receptionist who can direct a caller to the right department is not an unnecessary expense. It is good public service. A caseworker who explains confusing rules in plain language is not inefficient. It is exactly why public agencies exist.

Organizations must manage costs responsibly, and automation has a legitimate place. Many routine transactions can and should be handled electronically for those who prefer that option. The problem arises when digital service becomes the only service.

Too often, agencies proudly advertise twenty-four-hour online access while quietly eliminating the very people who once answered questions and solved problems. The result: seniors spend hours on hold, get disconnected repeatedly, get trapped in endless automated menus, or simply give up because they cannot reach another human being.

When people stop seeking the benefits or services they are entitled to because the system has become too difficult to navigate, that should never be viewed as success. It is failure.

I encourage elected officials, agency directors, healthcare executives, financial institutions, insurance companies, and every organization that serves the public to evaluate their customer service from the perspective of an 80-year-old widow living alone. Ask whether your system can be successfully navigated by someone with limited vision, limited hearing, limited computer experience, and understandable anxiety about making an expensive mistake with no one to help. If the answer is no, the system needs to change.

Technology should expand access, not restrict it. The goal should never be to eliminate human contact. The goal should be to give people choices:

  • Offer online services for those who want them.
  • Offer knowledgeable staff for those who need them.
  • Offer both.

That is what true accessibility looks like.

As our nation's population continues to age, this issue will only grow more urgent. Millions of Baby Boomers are entering their senior years. They bring tremendous experience and wisdom, but many will also encounter the physical realities of aging. The time to prepare for those realities is now.

Good customer service has never gone out of style. Sometimes the most valuable technology an organization possesses is still a telephone, answered by a compassionate, well-trained person who simply says, "How may I help you?"

For many older adults, those five words remain the fastest, most effective, and most dignified path to solving a problem—and to earning their votes.

What say you?

THIS WEEK'S QUIZ: Can disabled veterans receive both veteran and social security benefits?

Answer to Last Week's Quiz: The percentage of unregistered eligible Black voters is smaller than the number of registered voters who simply stayed home in the March 2026 primary. Before November, our priority should be turning out the 70%+ of registered voters who don't vote — not chasing new registrations. The numbers speak for themselves.

For Questions or Help: 773-817-0601 basheriff1@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The illustrations and examples presented in this column are not, nor are they intended to be, legal, financial, tax, insurance, or other licensed professional advice. Readers should consult the licensed professional of their choice regarding their individual circumstances.

Latest Stories

Latest Podcast

Victor Love- Mentalhood Cultural Initiative