Ideas on Gifts For Elderly People
Posted on Fri, Nov 19, 2010 @ 01:03 PM
By Gabriel Stiller
Buying gifts for elderly people can be a tricky proposition. Many of them have all that they need. Most of them are not particularly fond of receiving the latest gadgets or appliances. Most elderly people receive gifts that they didn't want in the first place. They do not always want to receive practical gifts like soap or slippers. Here are some ideas on what you can gift elderly people based on their preferences and tastes.
Gifting a magazine subscription is a good idea for those elderly people who enjoy reading. Weekly or fortnightly magazines are the best option since they provide new material to read often. You can also choose the magazine depending on the receiver's interests.
Audio books make a good gift for those people who can't see very well. You can choose from a wide range of books from both classic and contemporary titles. You may want to gift a subscription to a DVD rental service that delivers movies to the receiver's doorstep. This is great option for those elderly people who don't enjoy watching too much of TV.
You could arrange for organic farm produce to be delivered to your receiver's door. These make healthy and great gifts. For those who enjoy drinking wine, you could also enroll them to a wine club.
Most elderly people don't like receiving very practical gifts such as blood pressure monitors as they remind them of their age. If you want to gift something useful make sure the gifts are slightly different from the ordinary. For instance, if you are gifting a remote control with oversize buttons for someone who can't see very well, throw in a bunch of DVDs as well.
If you know what kind of music your receiver likes listening to, you could record a CD containing their favorite tracks and gift it to them. This gift is both soothing and therapeutic for elderly people.
All elderly people may not be interested in gardening but most will welcome a potted plant. Plants add warmth and cheer to a room and motivate the elderly to nurture them. This prevents them from slipping into inactivity. You can gift either flowering plants or food-yielding plants like sprouts or strawberries that don't require too much care.
You could frame a photograph of old friends or family members and gift it to an elderly person. Elderly people often bestow more value on such gifts rather than very expensive ones.
Games like Sudoku, Scrabble or even card games are now available on hand-held devices that you can gift an elderly person. These are not only entertaining but also help in keeping senior citizens mentally alert.