Holiday Gifts for When You Can’t Be There

This year more than ever, you might be trying to think of holiday gifts for your parent that are personalized and reminds your parent of the family that cares so much for them. As a caregiver of an elderly senior, you are probably considering scaling back on large family gatherings, but you want to make sure that your parent doesn’t feel too isolated or become too lonely.

While gifts can never replace the actual people in someone’s life, a thoughtful gift that is personalized may be just the thing needed to bring a smile to your parent’s face.
Your senior care provider may have some good ideas of items that would really be appreciated by your parent and they might even be available to help you arrange for some of the gift preparation, so make sure to ask your senior care provider for ideas and thoughts. Here are a few starting points to consider.

Personalized Photo Gifts

Almost anything can have a photo placed on it now. One fun idea for your aging parent is an ornament with each grandchild’s photo on it to hang on the tree. If there’s a new baby in the family, have the baby’s photo put on a large cuddly blanket for your parent to wrap herself up in on cold nights. For a little fun, have a puzzle created from your last family gathering with everyone in it and give that to your parent. This could be something your parent can do with her senior care provider to occupy herself on long winter’s days. Calendars can also be a fun way to give something with a lot of photos that your parent can enjoy all year long.

Family Videos

Most likely you have someone in the family that is really good at making videos (ask anyone under 25). Have family members all submit a holiday greeting video to one person and then have that person combine them all into a video with fun music and graphics for your parent to watch during the holiday season when he is needing a little extra love or is feeling a bit lonely. Ask your senior care provider to help your parent with any difficulties he may have with the technology so that your parent can easily access the video anytime he needs to.

Favorite Foods

If your parent in the past enjoyed going to large family gatherings and eating all of the delicious foods created by family members, have everyone create one large holiday basket of all of those traditional holiday goodies. From scrumptious stuffing to baked mini pies, your parent is sure to taste the love of each item. If some items need food prep once they are delivered, have your senior care professional help your parent freeze, bake or assemble whatever is needed to make sure the food stays fresh and is safe for consumption.

Holidays will be different this year and might even be difficult in many ways. As a caregiver for an aging parent still living at home, you’ll want to do your best to bring your parent as much holiday cheer as you can. A thoughtful gift that reminds your parent of the people who care for her is just one small way to do that.

If you or an aging loved one are considering senior care in Atherton, CA, please contact the caring staff at Innovative Healthcare Consultants today. Call us at (760) 731-1334.​​