I need a source for the requirement to help the elderly. Can you please help me?
There are 2 mitzvos in the Torah that you could use as a source for helping the elderly.
Firstly, there is a general mitzvah called ‘VeHolachto Bidrochov‘ – “and you shall walk in His [i.e. G-d’s] ways” (Deuteronomy 28:9). In other words, we have an obligation to try to be like G-d – just as G-d is kind, merciful and caring, so too must we be the same (see the Maimonides in Mishna Torah, Hilchos Deos 1:6). This mitzvah, of course, would include helping all people not just the elderly.
There is another mitzvah, however, that is directed specifically towards old people. The verse in Leviticus 19:32 says: “Stand up before a white head and give respect to the old” (translation from Rabbi Ayreh Kaplan’s Living Torah, page 605). From this verse we learn that one has to give any old person greater respect than one would give to a younger person. For example, we have to stand up as they walk past, and are generally obligated to respond to their needs. In fact, the Talmud (Kiddushin 33a) actually tells us that Abaye, one of the great Talmudic sages, would often fulfill this mitzvah by letting an old man lean on his arm for support. (See the Maimonides Mishne Torah, Hilchos Talmud Torah 6:9 and Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh Deah Siman 244).
I hope this helps you!
Ari Lobel