As family members and friends get older, they tend to want less material things as gifts. People have years of accumulated things and are starting to downsize their possessions and living space. This is a guide about gift ideas for seniors.
We all have someone on our gift list who is hard to shop for because they already have it all, or have limited space, such as someone in a nursing home or assisted living home. Most often, without being too nosy, you usually have an idea of their income as well. Here are a few gift ideas (many can be used year around, not just at Christmas time), of items they will really appreciate, want, use, and that won't take up a lot of space.
- How about a box of envelopes, tablet of paper, pens and book of stamps? You could even pre-address a few of the envelopes with your name and address so you get a letter or two! You can also include a pad of return address labels.
- For someone in a confined space, a wall calendar is nice, one that you have made with family photos appropriate for each month. Then, on the calendar you can write birthdays and other special days for them.
- Are they on prescriptions? Many seniors are, and even if they have good insurance or Medicaid or Medicare, the co-pays can add up. Get them a gift card to their pharmacy, one that can be used on OTC and their RX co-pays.
- Pay a month (or more) of internet or their cable TV for them, or their trash service.
- Do they like to eat out? Get them some gift certificates for their favorite restaurant and remember some deliver, so check that as well for those who no longer get out and drive.
- How about a box of food? Something non perishable, that contains items in the sizes that they like, such as a few cans of soup, tea or coffee, canned fruits, veggies, PB, jelly, or small canned ham. Just remember to watch the package size. If the household is 2, you want enough for both, but if it consists of one, you don't want food to go to waste. Make sure it can be frozen.
For someone on food stamps or a very limited fixed income, this is a real blessing. You might also include in that box a couple of Rubbermaid food storage type containers.
- Along that same line, after a holiday dinner, package up some of the leftovers in small containers for them to take home and freeze. A senior lady at my church once told me her only food money was the $70 a month she received in food stamps. I asked her how did she make it on that? She laughed and said she was blessed to have local family who had at least one birthday a month with a family dinner. They always picked her up and took her to the dinner, and sent her home with leftovers enough to get her through the month. She said the secret was to freeze them and rotate them so she wasn't eating the same thing over and over.
- A photo album is a good idea. Start it off with a few photos in it, and encourage other family members to send a few each month to help fill it up.
- If they have a VCR or DVD player and family that lives away, make some home movies and send to them to play.
- Other ideas include, flashlight with extra batteries, portable radio and weather radio, smoke alarms, fire extinguishers, auto club dues (if they drive), pay some on their cell phone, or if they have no cell, get them a throw away phone or add them to your cell plan.
- Do something to spend time with them where you pay the way, such as a movie, dinner out, or go to their favorite outing spot.
- If money is an issue on your end, issue coupons for each month, such as January: good for one dinner at our home, February: good for using coming to your home, and we bring the popcorn and board games, March: good for a drive to where you used to live and listen to your old stories (and record them!), April: good for a picnic with the grandkids.
Also add coupons for services they might use, such as washing their car, cleaning their carpets, windows, and mini blinds for them, mowing their lawn, working in the garden, painting, etc. Be creative; just look around and see what needs to be done, that due to finances or physical labor needs to be done and do it for them.
