Elka Ostrovsky (Betty White)Elka Ostrovsky (Betty White) has been a widower for over 50 years. She is the caretaker of the home Melanie, Joy and Victoria live in and she lives in the guest cottage behind the house. The arrival of the three ladies adds a lot of excitement to Elkas life and thrusts her back into the world of dating. Now in her 80s, Elka has a very active and often more successful dating life. Often Melanie, Joy and Victoria suspect that Elka may be enjoying some illegal substances in her cottage.Elka often gets caught up in the ladies shenanigans and frequently pops into their home unannounced. She is very opinionated and has no trouble telling everyone, especially Joy, what she thinks. She allegedly takes care of the three women but she is more apt to dole out pointed barbs and delight in their gossip. But despite being a bit of an acerbic spitfire, Elka is very protective of Melanie, Joy and Victoria and only wants whats best for them.Elka was born in Poland and escaped from the Nazis as a child.