Purchasing a gift for someone living in a senior community can be difficult. Of course, you want to get something that they will enjoy, but you also have to consider their health, safety, and abilities. Plus, you want to make sure it’s something allowed in their senior or assisted living community. However, there are many great gifts for seniors in your life to enjoy, and here’s a helpful list to narrow them down!
Extra Large Alarm Clock
Older adults might become more visually impaired as they age, and reading small print or clocks can become quite difficult. Thankfully, enlarged font digital alarm clocks can help them quickly and easily see the time, day, and date. This version on Amazon also displays whether it’s morning or evening and can set medication reminders that display “medicine” on the main screen. People in the early stages of dementia might easily get confused about what time of day it is and forget to do things like brushing their teeth or take their meds—this tool can help. It’s a practical gift, but a great gift.
Digital Picture Frame
A digital picture frame can be a great way to display family photos for your loved ones who have limited space in their senior community bedroom. Plus, a digital photo frame allows you to always have up-to-date photos of family, which can help those with memory issues recognize them as they come to visit! This digital picture frame easily loads and manages photos and also allows for background music to play during the slideshow. It turns off with the push of a button and turns back on right where it left off.
Window Bird Feeder
Did your elderly parents once have a garden where they tended to plants and fed the birds? If their senior community room has a window, a window bird feeder can be the perfect, nostalgic gift for them. A window bird feeder allows for up-close-and-personal views of small finches, sparrows, or even hummingbirds who come right up to the window to eat. This window feeder holds seeds for the local songbirds, while this one holds a sweet syrup for the hummingbirds.
Chair or Neck Massager
Who doesn’t love a good massage? As we age, our bodies get stiffer and stiffer, and we can easily pull a muscle or get injured doing the most basic things. Massages are great when our backs hurt, or we pull a neck muscle. But getting to the spa to get a massage isn’t that easy—and can get very expensive. Luckily a portable chair or neck massager is the perfect gift for seniors. All you need is a good chair or even a couch. You simply set the chair massager or neck massager where you sit, plug it in, and choose the setting on the user-friendly keypad. Remember, though, that it’s always best to check with the nursing department at the senior living facility to ensure that there are no safety concerns for your loved ones using a massager.
House Slippers With Grips
Good slippers with anti-slip grips are essential for individuals living in senior communities. Since they spend much of their time in their bedroom, they don’t want to wear their outdoor shoes inside and need something comfy to wear in-between as they go about their day in their room. Orthopedic slippers can do wonders for their comfort for those with diabetic nerve pain or other foot pain. These shoes come with arch support, anti-slip rubber soles, and an adjustable strap on top for varying heights of insteps. They are easy to get on and off and are always comfortable. For a comfy slip-on style, try these orthotic slippers.
Shower Bench
The assisted living community sometimes provides this, but a slip-proof shower bench is practical and convenient. Many seniors require at least a handrail in the shower to easily get in and out. Still, for those with more physical impairments, a shower bench allows them to take a shower worry-free while sitting and washing without fear of slipping and falling. They come in wood or plastic—wood benches are as aesthetically pleasing as they are functional. This adjustable shower bench is intended for seniors who still shower independently and want some security from slip and fall injuries.
Weighted Blanket
Weighted blankets have been shown to be incredibly effective for Alzheimer’s patients who get agitated and anxious easily, which affects their sleep. Weighted blankets can give anyone, not just the elderly, a sense of calm and security when they sleep. It promotes comfort and deep sleep for anyone dealing with anxiety and can help with restless leg syndrome. Find them online here. If you are considering getting your loved one a heated blanket, consider a weighted one instead. Heated blankets can be hazardous for those with dementia or Alzheimer’s especially.
Exercise Bands
It’s critical for seniors to work exercise into their everyday life. It helps them stay mobile and injury-free as they age. One low-impact but effective exercise is using exercise bands. You can purchase exercise band kits that come with a few different levels of stretchy bands and can be done from the comfort of a chair! Seniors can do arm and leg exercises without risking injury or falls, but still encouraging blood circulation and staying limber in their old age.
Amazon Echo or Google Home
Smart devices like the Amazon Echo or Google Home make perfect gifts for the technology-savvy senior. Thanks to voice activation technology, people don’t need to know how to navigate a screen or device; they can simply ask the device to do something or read something for them. These can make life easier by allowing your older parents to simply say “Alexa” or “Hey Google” and get the time, weather, play their favorite songs, and even set reminders to take medication or make it to activities on time. These devices can also allow for video chat or phone calls with a simple command. They can even request a ride service or connect other apps for ease of use.
Large Print Cards or Puzzles
For the senior who loves to play games, large print playing cards and activity books are a very thoughtful gift to give anyone who can’t see as well. So now they can play games whenever they want and don’t need their readers to do so! You can also find large print coloring books for adults, word searches, jigsaw puzzles with enlarged pieces, and other brain games to keep seniors sharp and work their brains a little every day.
Enlarged Button Remote
In line with that, you can purchase TV remote controls that have larger and more simple buttons to choose from. If your parent or grandparent has a television in their senior community room, think about getting them a large button remote. It ensures they never struggle with finding the power, volume, channel, or number buttons. Of course, it might take someone to program it for them, but when that’s done, they can utilize this super useful gift.
Arm Rest Organizer
For seniors who have sofas or armchairs in their room, an armrest organizer is just what they need. They can keep their big button remote control, their large-font puzzles, and whatever else they need! It makes it super easy for your loved ones to be able to sit back and relax in their chair and keep the things they regularly use right next to them, saving them a trip to grab it.
Glasses Holder
Is your mom always losing or scratching her glasses? She needs a place to keep them every day! What about a stylish glasses holder? You can purchase glasses holders that look like the bridge of a nose, which keeps the glasses off scratching surfaces, and they can be set in the same place every single day. If they don’t have the dexterity to balance their glasses on a nose bridge holder, try one of these faux fur-lined cups. They keep the glasses free from damage but also easy to quickly grab or put away.
Bulletin Board
Senior communities often have a regular schedule of events throughout the year, and they keep the calendars on a communal bulletin board. It’s the perfect place to make announcements, hang photos, calendars, and other notes that people should be aware of. So why not get the senior in your life one of their own? They can hang the events calendar, family photos, notes, cards, and other sentimental pictures, or just remind them of important things or events.
There are many gifts you can get for someone who lives in a senior community. They’re especially perfect for moms, grandmas, and other family members or senior friends living in those communities. Make sure they are practical, functional, sentimental, and your loved ones can utilize them in their lives! We hope this list helped you come up with some good gifts ideas.
If you or a loved one are looking for a place to hang their hat (and all these wonderful gifts), reach out to Sunflower Communities to schedule a tour of the facilities! We know you’ll love it.