• Set priorities and a routine for the holidays in advance. Decide what is most important and focus on those priorities
Gift ideas can include:
• Talking and sharing stories
• Looking at photo albums together
• Listening to music and watching old movies together
• Hand lotion and a hand massage can be very well received- gentle touching can be appreciated
• For those in the later stages, picture books of animals and babies are often well received.
Our American colleagues at Aging with Grace have provided this list of suggestions for great senior gifts this holiday season: Senior Fast Food Holiday Basket which contains food items which are quick and easy for the senior and also fast and nutritious. Health and Beauty Basket: an assortment of the vitamins that they may take on a regular basis, Tylenol, soaps, hand creams, shampoo, etc. Pre-pay telephone and or cable bill for a few months. The payment will go as a credit on their bill.
Large face clocks or telephone with oversized keypads and adjustable volume (pre-programmed of course by a family member with all the most frequently called numbers.) Gift certificates for the barber or hairdresser’s, neighborhood grocery store. Memory Box filled with pictures and mementos of significant events in the senior’s life. Home Safety Box with Batteries for smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, night lights with built in sensors and don’t forget to include a supply of replacement bulbs. Video tapes of old TV shows such as I Love Lucy, Carol Burnett, Golden Girls, Milton Berle or tapes of old movies. Lawrence Welk is always a big hit!
Dinner for One (or Two) Club: prepare several dinners complete with dessert, freeze and place in their freezer for their future use. Be sure to mark what is in each container. Make a “Family Memory” video. This is a wonderful gift that reminds the receiver how much they mean to the family and a chance to thank them for all they have contributed over the years. Of course the best gift we can give our loved ones (and ourselves) is meaningful time spent together. It only takes a moment to create a lasting memory.
Best wishes for a healthy 2010 from Elder Caring Inc. www. eldercaring.ca 1 866 473 8887/416 658 8887.
