Christmas Ideas for Seniors

Christmas is just around the corner and our already busy lives will accelerate exponentially as the Christmas season approaches.  We will strive to juggle work, kids, elderly parents, parties, and the laborious chore of shopping for Christmas gifts.  You may already be making your gift list and checking it twice, but what gift do you get your elderly parents?  

Buying gifts for seniors is difficult.  Whether your elderly parent is living with you or in a Senior Living Community, buying a gift for a senior adult can be a daunting task.  A senior’s living space is generally small and limited to the essentials.  The cute “knick-knack” gifts end up in a drawer if not thrown away due to lack of storage or shelf space.  They have a lifetime of accumulation and, as a senior adult, they are trying to minimize their possessions.
 
When considering gifts for seniors or gifts for your elderly parent, practicality should be top-of-mind. It is the epitome of the cliché, “it’s the thought that counts”.  Your effort in a thoughtful senior gift will demonstrate your empathy and love.  Consider comfort and convenience as the two primary factors when buying a gift for seniors.  Many seniors are unaware or unable to articulate a need due to a physical restriction assuming it is just part of the aging process, therefore you need to do some investigating and assess your elderly parent’s needs.
 
The next time you are with your elderly parent, watch how they move, where they sit, what and how they hold onto items.  Ask them questions such as “do you have trouble …….?”  And listen to their concerns, needs, and struggles.  Many times the solutions are easy and simple.  Acknowledgement of an issue, some creative thought of options, and implementation of your solution might be all that is needed.  Why not use these creative solutions as the perfect Christmas gift for your senior parent.
 
Below is a list of simple practical senior gift ideas:

• Many seniors are less active and tend to be cold even in warm temperatures.  A wonderful gift for seniors is an electric blanket for their bed and/or an electric throw for when they sit in a chair.  If you (or they) are uncomfortable with the idea of an electric blanket, your senior can use it to pre-warm the bed to take the chill off of their sheets (flannel sheets are also an asset), then shut the blanket off when they lay down to go to sleep.  Most electric blankets have an auto off that will shut off the heat after a specified number of hours.

 

• Many elderly people have difficulty forming a tight grip whether due to arthritis or loss of muscle strength.  Consider an electric toothbrush for a senior gift.  They have a larger handle to grip and do all the work!  This also might encourage them to maintain good dental hygiene.

 

• A high number of seniors now live in an independent or assisted living facility.  Many have a “resort-like” atmosphere whereby the residents go to a lovely dining hall for their meals.  Accidental spills are common among the elderly and yet the terry or plastic adult bibs lack style and are humiliating to wear in public. Consider an elegant cover (bib for seniors) from Classy Clothing Covers as a gift for your elderly parent.  They are designed with beautiful fabrics and embellishments.  Classy Clothing Covers create adult bibs for women and bibs for adult men so that seniors can “Dine with Dignity”. Visit: www.classyclothingcovers.com

 

• Forming a tight grip on small items is especially difficult for seniors.  Consider a lamp for your elderly parent that you can tap-on & tap-off.  This eliminates their need to grasp the tiny light switch on their lamp.  Check Amazon for this type of table lamp. Additionally, the inexpensive small round tap-on-tap-off lights can be found at most discount stores and provide additional light when hung low in closets, shelves, near beds or laid on a dresser for easy access.  For nightly trips to the bathroom, consider a pretty nightlight that will come on automatically when the room is dark.

 

• Although your senior adult may think that water bottles are for the grandchildren, a pretty water bottle with a built in straw will encourage your elderly parent to drink more water – something that most seniors do not get enough of.  (Water consumption early in the day will lessen the need to use the restroom during the night)

 

• As we age we shrink in size.  Items that may be at our eye level may be out-of-reach for an elderly parent due to their height or a mobility issue.  Consider a “Senior Grabber Tool” for the light weight and hard to reach items on a shelf.  Additionally, clear plastic shoe bins are small, lightweight, and can used for small items in the refrigerator or on a low cabinet shelf.  These bins act as drawers and are easy for a senior adult to handle.

 

• Many of us think about larger circumference pens for seniors which provide a better and thicker grip, however many seniors also have difficulty seeing, so look for a thick shafted pen with a thicker writing point which will create a broader writing base with which they will be able to read what they write.

 

• Another great senior gift is a pouch which can be hung on their walker of over the arm of a chair.  The pouch can be used to carry non-valuable items, keeping a senior’s hands on their walker. A pouch over the arm of a chair can house a cell phone, TV changer, tissues, and is a perfect place for hearing aid containers.

 

• A couple of other thoughtful gift ideas for senior adults are large magnifying instruments (many sizes and types) and a shoe horn that has a long handle.

 
This list does not come close to covering the many practical items made for our senior adults, however it does provide a few Christmas gift ideas for seniors that might get you thinking outside the box!