How to Help Illiterate Parents

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: October 25, 2021 References

Illiteracy is a big struggle, especially for parents who have spent most of their life unable to read. It can make even simple tasks, like paying the bills or going to the doctor, intimidating if not impossible for them. Encouraging your parents to learn how to read is one of the best steps you can take to help give them freedom, opportunity, and a sense of stability. Beyond that, though, you can help them with important day-to-day tasks by doing things like setting up a bill paying system and making doctors’ appointments.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:
Supporting Your Parents in Everyday Life

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Set up a bill-paying system. Bills can be intimidating when for your parents if they don’t know what they mean or how to break them down. One way to help your parents is to set up a bill paying system. Take a day and set their bills to auto draft from their accounts.^{[1]
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- If automatic deductions are a concern or simply not possible, request that copies of their bills be sent to you so you can review them with your parents.
2
Assist them with meal preparation. While your parent may have some tried and true recipes, trying new or healthier options can be difficult if you can’t read a recipe. If you have time, come over once a week and help make some refrigerator-friendly meals. This will give your parents access to more food options on a regular basis.^{[2]
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- If access to food resources is an issue for your parents, reach out to your local food pantry. In many communities, these not only provide food but also things like cooking classes, recipes for low-budget meals, and connections to other community resources.
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3
Walk them through basic technology. Technology is more important than ever, and while many functions require literacy, others don’t. Work with your parents on how to do simple things like navigate calls and voicemails on a smartphone and open and print documents on a computer.^{[3]
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- Be patient with your parents. Learning new technology is difficult for most older people. Illiteracy will make the process even more challenging, but it is possible.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:
Assisting with Professional Matters

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Meet with an attorney for them. Finding and using quality legal representation can be difficult when for those who can’t read. Illiteracy also makes your parent an easy target for scams and theft where they may need legal help. Take your parent and meet with lawyers in their area. Find one that is trustworthy, and get a clear copy of their phone number in case your parent ever needs legal help.
- Ask for reviews and testimony from other clients. You don’t just want to take the attorney’s word that they are trustworthy.
- Let the attorney know that your parent struggles with legal literacy. Telling them your parent is completely illiterate may embarrass your parent and make them more reluctant to ask for help. Asking for help with legal literacy should get them the level of assistance they need.
2
Make their doctor’s appointments. Illiterate adults are more likely to suffer from health problems because they cannot read prescriptions or doctor’s advice and treatment plans. Help your parent move past this by scheduling a doctor’s appointment for them. When they get back, go over their prescriptions and instructions with them.^{[4]
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- It may help to write out a cheat sheet for things like prescriptions. You could put a simple sticky note on the bottle with a simple message like “2x” if the pills need to be taken twice a day, or “8:30 a.m.” if they need to be taken at a certain time.
- If you have time, accompany your parents to major appointments. You will likely have to wait in the lobby for the physical assessment, but may be allowed in the room when the doctor talks about medications, treatment options, and follow-ups.
3
Look into tax preparation services. Taxes can be incredibly daunting for parents who can't read because they require in-depth forms and a good amount of financial literacy. A good tax preparer can alleviate that burden and help keep them in good standing with your regional and national governments.^{[5]
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Internal Revenue Service
U.S. government agency in charge of managing the Federal Tax Code
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- Some companies and agencies even have low-cost or no-cost preparation done by volunteers for lower-income individuals and families.
- Some commercial tax prep chains target the financially illiterate and economically disadvantaged, so try to work with a non-profit or government organization when possible.
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:
Encouraging Them to Learn to Read

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Find a tutor that specializes in adult illiteracy. These days, people are increasingly aware of the challenges that come with adult illiteracy. That means there is an increasing number of programs dedicated to fighting it. Talk to a program in your area about getting help for your parents.^{[6]
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- Different programs will focus on different things. If your parents are literate in their native language but not their second language, look for programs like English as a second language (ESL). If they never learned how to read, a more comprehensive program may help.
- In many cases, these programs offer their service for low or no cost.
2
Read interesting stories and content to them. Reading to your parents can engage their mind and inspire them to read more by sparking their interest in new topics or content that they find relevant to their life. To really spark their interest, though, pick things that they like, even if they aren’t your favorite.^{[7]
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- If your dad likes to keep up with financial news, for example, read him a few financial articles from the newspaper. If your mom enjoys feel-good stories, look for a couple heartwarming human interest pieces.
- You don't need to read to your parents like you would to a child. You could offer to set aside 20 minutes every day to read them news stories, or you could even simply glance over your paper and let them know about interesting facts or headlines.
- You can also help them download audiobooks to listen to when you’re not around. These maintain their interest and allow them to engage in longer form stories.
3
Talk to a doctor about potential learning disorders. It is in no way true that all illiterate adults have a learning disorder. Still, some adults may struggle to read because of an undiagnosed learning disorder such as dyslexia. Talk to your parent’s doctor about screening for a learning disorder.
- If your parent has an undiagnosed learning disorder, getting a proper diagnosis can help their tutor or teacher better adapt their strategy to your parent’s specific needs.
- Your doctor may talk to you about your parent’s history and their home life and could ask your parent to fill out questionnaires, take neurological tests, and undergo psychological screening as part of the diagnostic process.^{[8]
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  Trustworthy Source
  Mayo Clinic
  Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
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