Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are fast approaching. If you have a loved one in a facility you may be wondering about gift ideas. You know space is limited. Your mom or dad is no longer actively collecting. Senior living communities are designed to provide residents with almost everything they need right on site. But you still want to honor your loved one and mark the occasion. With a little creativity you can still surprise your loved one. Here are some ideas for gifts:
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Clothing. A comfortable outfit, a warm sweater, a cozy bathrobe or casual sweatpants could be just the thing for the casual lifestyle of an assisted living community. Many communities also mark the various holidays with theme happy hours, so consider upcoming events when choosing. Maybe think of red, white and blue they could wear on July 4th!
Food. You may know of a treat your loved one particularly favors. This could be something you make yourself, or special order from their favorite supplier. You could make it a variety of items in a gift basket. If they like to mingle, you could include enough for sharing with their friends and neighbors.
Personal Care Items. A box or basket of quality lotions, soaps, clippers and brushes could be a wonderful way to help someone in assisted living to relax and feel pampered. Consider options that will be easier for your loved one to apply with pump dispensers. There are options available that have easy-to-open containers for anyone who may have arthritis.
A Salon or Spa Gift Card. Many assisted living communities have a salon or spa on the premises. You could contact them and find out what they have to offer. They may even know what your loved one’s favorite services are. If there is no spa on-site, it’s likely the community has transportation services available. The staff may even know of a salon nearby that residents frequent.
Useful Appliances. For residents that are comfortable handling basic tasks, small appliances can be a great gift. A handheld dust buster, a single-pod coffee maker, a foot bath, or tools for gripping and opening containers are all useful to have, and an easy way to make their day-to-day life easier and more pleasant.
Plants or Flowers. Arranging the delivery of some living plants or beautiful flowers is a great way to bring color and life to an assisted living apartment. There are many delivery services, and if your loved one doesn’t have much of a green thumb, you can choose plants that don’t require much direct sun or frequent watering. You could even send a subscription to a flower-of-the-month club to keep giving all year. Note-always consider any allergies your loved one may have.
A Magazine Subscription. Reading and staying informed is a great way for anyone to feel connected to the world. Whatever special interest your loved one enjoys, you can give them ongoing access to entertainment and information. And it will also serve as a monthly reminder that you are thinking of them.
A Window Bird Feeder. It’s likely that your loved one has a window in their space that they spend some time sitting by. Sending a bird feeder that can be attached outside the window in sight of a favorite seat will bring some enjoyable friends from nature.
Craft Supplies. Arts and crafts are tremendously popular, and great gifts for assisted living residents. It’s a great way to spend time, either alone or gathered with neighbors. There are also the well-established benefits of suing motor skills, lowering blood pressure, stress relief, and cognitive skills boost from using arts and crafts. Choose something you think your loved one will enjoy-there are so many options.
Games. Another great idea for assisted living residents is a pack of puzzles, sudoku, crosswords, or board games they can play with friends and neighbors. Games also stimulate as a cognitive exercise, a reason to socialize and have fun.
Photo Book. There are many services online these days that offer custom-made photo books that can be assembled digitally and shipped directly to your loved one’s door. It’s a great conversation piece and a tabletop item that they can revisit over and over to their heart’s content. Consider including photos of other loved ones such as grandchildren to really spark joy.
Gifts from the Grandkids. If you loved one has grandchildren or other young family members, creating a handcrafted gift box can really delight them. Hand-drawn pictures, photographs, scrapbooks, crafts made either at home or at school, handwritten letters, even graded school work could all bring a smile, and likely find their way to the fridge or wall for bragging rights to visitors.
If you have a loved one who is considering a move to assisted living, or has moved to a nursing home, please call our office 239-434-8557. It is likely that we can assist you in finding and applying for assistance with their cost of care, and also making sure their estate planning documents meet their current needs, especially with regard to medical care decisions.