Choosing the ideal present for a nursing home patient can be difficult, but the key is considering their personality. Grandma may claim that she doesn’t need anything, but some presents will make life more bearable for those who reside in nursing homes. The thought counts whether you select a useful gift like a walker bag or a sentimental gift like a handmade family tree quilt.
So if you’re looking for something to gift your older loved ones for a special day or on your next visit, we’ve prepared a list of gift ideas to help you.
Practical Gifts for Nursing Home Residents
Weighted Blanket
The National Sleep Foundation states that the natural aging process causes changes in sleep patterns and circadian rhythms. Poor sleep is a result of social isolation as well as other factors. A weighted blanket can make all the difference. It is believed to reduce anxiety and encourage comfortable deep sleep; it may be especially reassuring for people who miss the sensation of a hug. Anyone between 100 and 150 pounds should use the 12-pound version.
Wireless TV Headphones
Everyone is watching more TV than ever, and seniors living in nursing homes are no exception. With these sound-amplifying wireless headphones by RCA, you may enable them to take pleasure in binge-watching fresh shows and have the ideal audio experience on movie nights. They can sit as far away from the TV as they like because they have long-range transmission and produce crystal-clear audio.
Adaptive Clothing
It may be difficult for your loved one to button up traditional clothing if they have dexterity issues or hand arthritis. Even though they reside in a nursing home, giving them some self-dressing adaptive clothing can help them keep some of their freedom. For instance, home dresses for women offer a whole outfit in a single piece of clothing, no closures needed, while a pair of elastic waist pants will help them swiftly undress to use the restroom when needed.
Slip-Resistant Shoes and Socks
For the residents’ safety and to prevent falls, slip-resistant footwear must be worn at all times at long-term care and retirement homes. You should buy your loved ones a pair of slip-resistant shoes for swollen feet if they don’t already have one so they can stay safe and follow nursing home regulations.
Wheelchair Accessories
Get your loved one a gift that will spruce up their wheelchairs or walkers if they use a mobility device. These modifications will help them stand out from other wheelchairs and walkers in the facility and make their wheelchairs and walkers more organized.
For example:
- A wheelchair pouch to keep their essentials like eyeglasses, keys, and wallets organized and within arm’s reach.
- A wheelchair blanket if your loved one tends to run cold.
- A wheelchair cape if they want a bit more coverage than a blanket.
MP3 Player
For people of all ages, but particularly for older adults suffering from dementia or memory loss, the power of music cannot be denied. Music therapy is employed in nursing homes to assist residents in enhancing their cognitive abilities, reducing anxiety, and even engaging in physical activity. As the ultimate pick-me-up, consider creating a personalized playlist of their favorite songs and giving them an MP3 player.
A Digital Photo Frame
Moving into long-term care requires significant downsizing because a full house must suddenly fit in a single room, and decades’ worth of photo albums are likely too large to store. People with hand arthritis or weak muscles may find it difficult to hold a thick photo album and flip the pages.
They may view the pictures without flipping any pages, which takes up very little room in a digital photo frame. To create a digital photo album that can be uploaded to the frame, ask to borrow the physical photo albums, scan all the pictures into a drive, and move them there.
Moving Storage Cart
Residents at nursing homes have a place to put junk and trinkets, thanks to a mobile storage cart. The TV remote, a spare pair of glasses, or their Kleenex can all be stored there, and it can be a convenient location for such goods. Give them a model with wheels on the legs to make it even simpler. Depending on what they are doing, they can transfer the cart from their reading chair to their bed using this, saving them from having to constantly stand up and go to the cart.
Fun & Entertainment Gift Ideas For Nursing Home Residents
Puzzle & Games
When you’re not there, puzzles and games give your loved one an incentive to interact with other residents. They also give you something to do when you visit. A two-player game like chess will provide them with something to do with other nursing home patients as well as something to do to maintain their mental faculties. A study has also proved jigsaw puzzles to be good for visual and spatial cognition.
Bird Feeder
Many senior citizens like birding, but it can be challenging to keep this up after they enter a nursing facility. Installing a bird feeder outside their bedroom window can allow you to bring the birds to them if they cannot go outside to feed themselves; however, you must first get permission from the nursing home.
Craft Supplies
Hobbies help your loved one pass the time and provide them a sense of familiarity and purpose in addition to keeping their hands occupied. By purchasing them supplies and enrolling them in classes if they go to them, you can encourage your loved one to continue with whatever hobbies they can.
Monthly Subscription Box or Club
Giving monthly subscription clubs or boxes to older people in nursing homes is a great idea. You can select a subscription box depending on the interests or pastimes of your loved one, such as craft subscription boxes, beauty subscription boxes, and other entertainment choices.
Other options include a monthly flower delivery service or a large print book of the month club. The best part about these clubs is that your loved one has something to look forward to every month and that the fun lasts throughout the year.
Homemade Gifts for Nursing Home Residents
When gifting a loved one, it’s not about how expensive or big things are; for older loved ones, it’s the thought that counts. Hence, you can never go wrong with homemade gifts that are filled with your effort and love.
Some homemade ideas that you can gift your loved one in nursing homes are:
- A homemade pop-up card or letters from other family members, like their grandchildren.
- An advent calendar for the holiday season so that your loved one can celebrate every day of the holiday season.
- Something useful, like soap. It can be an easy DIY gift to create for an elderly family member. This is a functional gift that comes in handy to have as well.
- Bake them cookies or cook their favorite specialty.
- If you are a crafty person, try learning to knit and make them something they can use, like a beanie, blanket, or scarf.
Just being able to visit your older loved one in a nursing home would mean a lot to them but try to go the extra mile by giving them gifts to show you remember them. Gifts can also remind you how much you care for them even while away.
Apart from physical items, you can also give them experiences and memories by enjoying the gift you bought for them together, like building a jigsaw puzzle or playing chess. After all, your presence and time could be the best gift you could give.
Bottomline
The thought that goes into a present is what matters. Think about the interests, pastimes, routines, and preferences of the person you know who resides in a nursing facility. Don’t wait for a special occasion to give a gift you’ve found! Just offer a present that will make your loved one’s day brighter.