Christmas Gifts For The Elderly
With Christmas just around the corner, you might be starting to think about choosing a gift for an elderly friend or relative – or maybe even putting together your own Santa’s wishlist! Original Christmas gift ideas can be a challenge, so we’ve come up with a few of our festive favourites that include practicality, comfort – and a dash of sentimentality!
- A massage pillow or heated mattress pad is a lovely luxury and will help your loved one stay comfortable and toasty warm during the cold winter months.
- Smart watches and wearable tech, such as a Fitbit, makes a great gift and will encourage gentle exercise, as well as monitoring health and activity levels. The Apple Watch Series 4 even comes with built-in fall detection, to alert someone else if they’re in any trouble.
- Smart home devices such as an Amazon Echo or Google Home can be a game changer for the elderly. The speaker can be used to play music, read books and recipes – even jokes out loud to them, set reminders, timers and alarms, and control lighting using just their voice. It’s like having their own personal assistant around the house – especially useful for those with mobility issues.
- A smart key finder is a great stocking filler and one of the most useful gifts for anyone who frequently misplaces their house keys, wallet, bag – even umbrella! Bluetooth technology also connects it to a smartphone.
- Give the gift of a day out. A gift card or voucher is the perfect way to treat loved ones at Christmas with an outing you know they’d enjoy, but wouldn’t normally do. Choose from a spa day, cinema trip, tickets to a music concert, theatre show or live sporting event – or a special meal in a local restaurant.
- A rechargeable handwarmer is ideal for cold weather; powered up via a USB port it also doubles up as a mobile phone charger.
- Alzheimer’s patients and people with dementia will enjoy a jigsaw puzzle (ideally with larger pieces) or an adult colouring book, to ease anxiety and agitation, as well as stimulating their mind.
- Membership to an online genealogy service such as Ancestry.com can guide your gift recipient as they research and document their family history, helping them fill out the branches in their family tree.
Happy shopping – from all the team here at Birchwood Care!
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