Whether you’re looking for gifts for someone in a nursing home, assisted living, or memory care, shopping can be tricky. It’s more than just choosing a gift that you know they’ll love. You also have to consider facility restrictions and space limitations. With the following list of gift ideas, you’ll find gifts that your loved one will find thoughtful, useful, and comforting.
Our free tool provides options, advice, and next steps based on your unique situation.
When shopping for your loved one, consider what they would enjoy the most and how it will fit in their space.
It’s also wise to check if your loved one’s community has any guidelines regarding the following:
You’ll want to pick out something that adds convenience or comfort to daily life. It helps to think about what role the gift will serve. We’ve included several categories of gifts to help you begin your search.
A great way to add a personal touch to a senior living apartment is with sentimental gifts. They’ll remind your loved one of special memories, and show how much you cherish them.
Memories become easily accessible in scrapbooks, making them great gifts for assisted living or memory care residents. Scrapbooks are easy to store, and they don’t need electricity or outlets like digital picture frames do. Plus, putting them together yourself adds an extra touch.
Pictures capture special memories in time and allow us to look back fondly on those moments. Remember some assisted living homes don’t allow nails or screws in the walls, so check first before hanging anything. Free-standing picture frames or photo collage towers are great ways to bring special memories back to life in assisted living. You can also consider hooks that adhere with gentle adhesive stickers.
Any gift that’s customized to reflect important milestones or memories is sure to put a smile on your loved one’s face.
Consider any of these options:
Our free tool provides options, advice, and next steps based on your unique situation.
If your loved one loves to cook, creating a cookbook of family-favorite recipes can bring back memories of family traditions. Be sure to keep the community’s cooking amenities in mind when thinking about recipes to include. If your loved one’s suite only has a kitchenette, see if the community has a communal kitchen that they can use. If not, it may be hard to make more complex meals. If any of the recipes make your loved one particularly happy, you might even ask if the community’s kitchen staff can prepare it.
Read more:20 Easy, Nutritious Recipes for Seniors
Friendship lamps and touch bracelets are a unique way to connect from afar. These items come in sets of two, and with just a tap or press, your loved one’s lamp or bracelet illuminates, letting them know you’re thinking of them. This can be especially meaningful if your loved one lives in an assisted living community with low staff-to-resident ratios, which typically result in less one-on-one interactions between staff and residents.
These gift ideas can make life easier around the assisted living community. These are gifts that cater to daily wants and needs, with convenience being the focus.
Make coffee time a little more fun with a Keurig or another small single-serve-coffee-pod machine. With these machines, seniors can quickly and easily make themselves a cup of tea or coffee, and there are more flavors available than you can count. These machines don’t take up a lot of space, and they’re easy to clean.
Smart speakers can serve many purposes and are easy to use with voice commands. If your loved one is cozy with tech, consider signing them up for a Spotify subscription and making a playlist of their favorite songs. You can also preload apps that your loved one might like.
Smart speakers can help with the following:
Additionally, Amazon’s Alexa speaker and other devices can integrate with several home systems.
With an able tray, seniors have extra support when getting up or sitting down. These trays are great for small suites because they can be used with chairs, beds, or couches. Able trays are also multifunctional and can hold a plate, tablet, or book.
Tablets are great as they’re versatile and compact for senior living spaces. Some models are relatively inexpensive, and they only need a charger and Wi-Fi connection to get started.
Tablets are great for many interests, including:
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Read more:10 Gifts for Fathers in Skilled Nursing
Add to your loved one’s favorite pastimes with gifts that cater to their hobbies. No matter what it is they like to do, hobby accessories are sure to make your family member happy.
Just because they’re in assisted living doesn’t mean your loved one’s passions have waned. Sports memorabilia is a quick and easy way to personalize their suite and remind them of the things they love.
Great gift options include:
As a bonus, most of these items are relatively small, easy to display, and can be an excellent conversation piece.
To add a personal touch to any gift that supports your loved one’s hobby, consider ways to customize your gift.
Some ways to make small gifts more personal include:
Sewing, knitting, and crocheting are all popular hobbies for many in assisted living. Consider a kit that has everything a craft enthusiast might need for their work. Many kits for beginners up to experts now exist. Also, check if the facility your loved one lives in has a craft room. Find out what tools they already have available, and give gifts that complement those.
If your loved one already has lots of supplies, consider a bright crafting lamp and magnifying glass to make it easier for them to enjoy this hobby. Many of these are relatively small, and the lights and magnifying glass can be easily adjusted and moved for different crafts.
Does your loved one have a green thumb? Gift them gardening accessories that’ll make their time in the garden even more relaxing and enjoyable. Does your loved one only have access to a window? Potted plants still need plenty of care.
Any of the following options make great gifts for the gardener in your life:
Make life as relaxing and homelike as possible with these gifts aimed at optimal comfort.
Add comfort to your loved one’s stay in their assisted living community by gifting them a nice pair of house slippers that can be worn in their room or around the property — maybe even a pair for both! When picking out a pair of slippers, consider those that are easy to wash and have grippers on the bottom for extra support when walking to avoid slips and falls. Also, consider those that hold the entire foot — open-backed slippers may slide off and could be a tripping hazard.
Even if your loved one needs assistance with bathing, shower gels or bath bombs are a great way to add luxury and relaxation to the routine. Think about a fragrance your loved one enjoys, and pick out a shower gel or bath bomb with notes of that scent. Scents are a great way to remind your loved one of a special time in their life and bring that feeling into their new home. Plus, aromatherapy has several benefits for seniors experiencing cognitive decline.
Putting together a basket of your loved one’s favorite things is a great way to make them smile. Think about favorite snacks, lotions, reading and puzzle books, drinks, or other small items they use. Add flowers from the region or even those they may have grown at home to complete the presentation. Gift baskets might be the perfect gift if you’re not sure what to get because they bring many things your relative loves together.
No matter the occasion, picking out gifts for assisted living residents can be challenging. But, with the right frame of mind, finding the perfect gift can be a source of joy for you and your loved one. The gesture will be something both of you remember a very long time.
Original article by former A Place for Mom copywriter Michaela Kitchen.
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