10 Gifts for Mothers in Nursing Homes

Your mom will have a much better time in her nursing home if she feels comfortable each day. A pair of nice, comfortable pajamas can become some of the most valuable items in her wardrobe. Search for something that’s in her style but offers optimum comfort.

To add another cozy element, you can giftwrap the pajamas along with a pair of cozy slippers or a heated blanket. Just make sure your mom has enough space in her room to store these gifts when she’s not using them.

If your mom’s a reader, books can be a great way for her to spend her free time. However, maybe she recently parted with her home library, or perhaps the print in some books is too small for her eyes to read comfortably. E-book readers are a handy solution to these problems, since they can store many digital books and can accommodate some vision challenges.

The NOOK Glowlight, for example, offers a high-resolution, glare-free screen that makes words easier to read. Your mom can change the font size to make the text as big as she needs. You can also help her download her favorite books so she has everything at her fingertips.

A piece of customizable jewelry is a wonderful way to let your mom know how much you care for her. Add a sentimental touch by incorporating her family’s names or birthdays into the jewelry.

For example, you could give her a necklace that has each of her children’s or grandchildren’s birth flowers engraved on it. If she prefers rings or bracelets, consider a piece of jewelry that can hold different birthstones or charms with her loved ones’ initials.

Let our care assessment guide you

Your mom’s time in a nursing home will be more pleasant if she makes friends with the other seniors and staff living there. If your mom is a friendly extrovert, she may not need any help with that. But if she’s at all shy, consider something like these Table Topics cards. They provide many different topics that can help your mom start conversations with her neighbors and keep them going.

Whether it’s in the traditional form of framed photos or you go for a custom photo gift like blankets or t-shirts that have family photos on them, this is the kind of gift that provides your mother with daily reminders of the family that loves her. It’s a great way to let her know you’re thinking of her often.

Grandbox, a subscription box meant specifically for seniors, is another creative way to share meaningful photos with your mom. You can send in photos and a customized note to include with each box, so your mom always gets up-to-date pictures of her grandkids and other family members, making it that much more special.

Read more:10 Father's Day Gifts for Dementia Patients

Adding a lovely sensory experience to your mom’s nursing home room can brighten her day. Find your mom’s favorite scents and gift them to her in the form of scented candles, calming pillow sprays, or essential oils.

Make sure you check with your mom’s nursing home before bringing these gifts to her room, because they may have rules about such items. For instance, your mom may need to use a candle warmer instead of lighting the wick to enjoy the scent. Or, if you know she appreciates the warm glow of a candle just as much, you can opt for a battery-powered candle.

Moms with a knack for writing or keeping track of their family’s history may appreciate a new journal. Maybe your mom kept up with a daily diary before she moved into her nursing home and you want to help her reconnect with the practice. Maybe she’d like a dedicated space to capture her life’s story.

You can gift her a nice journal and pen set, or you can take a moment to create a customized journal that will suit her exact tastes. If your mom has a more difficult time writing than she used to, you can set her up with a voice recorder or phone app so she can create an audio journal instead.

If your mom is a knitter or might like to take up this new hobby, accessing the materials she needs to keep up with it in a nursing home may be challenging. You can buy her a knitting kit that includes everything she needs to make cushions, hats, scarves, and more.

Seniors with arthritis may have a harder time keeping up with a knitting hobby. If this is true for your mom, consider giving her helpful tools such as compression knitting gloves or a combination of thicker yarns and thicker needles that will be easier for her to handle.

If you buy stationery for both you and your mom and pre-address all the envelopes in advance — all of your stationery with her address, and all of hers with yours — you’ll give her the promise of regular correspondence between you. Whether or not you live close enough to the nursing home to visit often, getting letters regularly can make her day-to-day experience brighter and help ward off some of the loneliness she might feel otherwise.

Read more:7 Reasons Why Visiting Elderly Parents Is Important After a Move to a Senior Living Community

Talk with a Senior Living Advisor

Seniors in nursing homes may live in close proximity to their neighbors, so your mom might have to be considerate of volume when she wants to enjoy media like music or audiobooks. Headphones are a useful way to help her listen to whatever she wants, as loud as she needs, without disturbing her neighbors.

Wireless headphones provide that useful benefit without the annoyance of cords. Just make sure you help her get the headphones set up and connected for her so she can use them easily with all of her devices.

It’s possible to give your mom a great Mother’s Day in her nursing home. Take the time to consider her favorite pastimes and what might bring her joy, whether it’s a new e-book reader, written correspondence with family, or tools to help her stay engaged in her community. Maybe simply spending the day with you will mean more to her than any physical gift. Whatever you choose, finding the right gift for your mom and making sure you connect with her can brighten her day and let her know how much she means to you.