Gift Ideas for Seniors and Nursing Home Residents 2

Finding that perfect gift for a senior or a friend confined to a nursing home can be hard. 

Peg served as a caregiver for over a decade. Here are some useful tips and things she learned in the process.

What nursing home residents want more than anything else is a visit from you. Your visit makes them feel special and valued.

If you live a distance away or your work schedule keeps you from visiting, a useful gift is the next best thing.

How do you know what they want? You could ask them, but their answer is usually, "I don't need anything."

In that case, here are some tried and true gift ideas they'll love.

Residents like board games to stimulate their minds and help them remember things.

Dominos, Scrabble, crossword puzzles, coloring books, card games and jigsaw puzzles are popular with seniors. 

A wreath or colorful door decoration helps residents find their room in a hallway of doors that look exactly alike. 

For mom's 90th birthday, all her children and grandchildren came from around the world to celebrate.

The pictures from that dinner made a great photo book. Everyone's names were printed below their pictures to help with remembering everyone. Photos help ease the loneliness of isolation.

Space in a resident's room is limited. Countertops are often filled with medical equipment, cosmetics, books, and other things, leaving little room for framed photos or other keepsakes.

Using wall space to display photos of loved ones, pennants from favorite teams and other familiar items can help stimulate memories.

When the days become a blur as time passes, residents enjoy having a visible way to help them keep up with the day and date. The changeable calendar pictured above comes with removable wood planks with writing on both sides. There are additional planks for special events like holidays and birthdays. This would be a great project for a student or crafty person to make or purchase ready-made online.

Finding suitable clothing can be difficult. When Aunt Louise entered the home, she was wearing pull-on tops with elastic pants. Once she became wheelchair-bound, she couldn't stand up without holding onto the handrail. Pants made life difficult.

We found dresses with a modest neckline that slips on over the head. She likes her dresses to have side pockets. They need to be machine washable and hold up to frequent washings.

A lightweight jacket with a zipper makes a great gift that can be worn year around. This machine washable jacket is a favorite that Aunt Louise wears often. Temperature can be adjusted in a private room, but the common rooms and hallways can be uncomfortably cold for seniors. While everyone else may be wearing shorts, Grandma is usually wearing a jacket.

Drawer space is limited in most facilities. The built-in dresser only had five drawers for clothing and personal items. The nightstand had two small drawers for personal items.

A set of plastic drawers for the bathroom gives extra room for personal wipes, hand towels, toothpaste, denture cups, shampoo and cosmetics.

If you can play an instrument or sing, the residents will always gather to listen. Songs from their favorite era engage them and encourage participation.

You can also volunteer to read stories to the residents individually or in a group.

Seniors benefit from daily exercise to boost morale, increase muscle mass and improve circulation. This video shows how the residents keep the seniors actively engaged in using their hand and eye coordination as well as their upper bodies.

Here's a clip of Aunt Louise playing balloon volleyball.

Time and distance permitting, it's nice to drop in and share a meal with your senior. Stop by their favorite fast-food place and pick up take-out to enjoy with them in the lunchroom.

A visit during meal time and your company is one of the best investments you can make. For the small price, your presence will let them know they are loved and cherished.

Wishing you the best as you keep your loved ones close.