[samhass]

This may be going beyond the scope of what I had in mind. Invalids can pay someone to do those services. It may be harder to find someone to do the type of service initially sought.
A home cooked meal or a visit, a trip to the doctor, something to nourish the soul..these are the things I was suggesting. You don't want this thing to snowball out of hand so that no one will want to do anything. True need should come into play here. For the other stuff, I think they should call a handyman. IMHO only.