2020 Holiday Gifts for the Older Adult in your Life

Have you already put your gift list together?  Are their older adults in your life you are thinking about.  More gifts will be mailed vs personally delivered this year given social distancing. USPS says to have packages in the mail by December 15. 

Here are some ideas for your older loved one you care about:

• Meals -not real creative but given we are staying put and ordering in more meals etc. they are a welcome gift.   Maybe take it a step further and tell them you have a meal being delivered each Wednesday for a month?  If living in their home, they may look forward to that.   Or there is Let’s Dish or Schwan’s  has prepared meals.  All they need to do is warm.   Or what about gift certificates to their favorite restaurant that delivers.   
• Warmth with a blanket– Gravity blankets have become popular.  Helpful for stress or anxiety.  Choose one that is not too heavy and easy to get in and out of.  Or a less expensive blanket would be a heated blanket.  There are throws and many options today to keep an older adult nice and toasty!
• Photos and Video-putting a picture of the grandkids on a sweatshirt was a favorite give I gave my mom many years ago.  Today putting pictures on things are easy through your own creativity or ordering from Walgreens or Shutterfly for example, i.e. calendars, mugs, canvas prints
• Digital devices for photos- A client told me about Aura she bought for her mom to see pictures she was taking on her phone that can be uploaded easily via WIFI right to this device.     Or you can load her favorite pictures to a digital picture frame.
  What about all those photo albums of trips your older loved ones took.  They are precious to them. Taking some photo albums off the shelf and putting then into a Shutterfly book is another nice gift for people trying to downsize.  It requires time to scan photos but it will be appreciated.   Or all those slides or videos that can be put onto DVDs that are more compact.

• Smart Devices-a smart home assistant is very helpful for older adults.  The 3rd generation Echo Dot can help with making calls to adjusting the thermostat to providing a reminder to take their evening medication.  

If you put some time and energy into thinking about your loved one and what they would like and need, I’m sure you’ll come up with a wonderful list.