We all know them. That person in the family who seems to have everything and needs nothing. They are the most difficult to find a gift for, no matter what the occasion. Plus, they never give any suggestions. Here are 20 gift ideas that you may not have thought of and they’re sure to love!
1. Magazine subscriptions. Whether online or by mail, this can be a great gift that they receive all year. Wrap up a paper copy of the current issue of the magazine with a note that they will receive it for a year. Think out of the box. There is a magazine for every interest, from archeology to quilting and art. If your senior likes to garden, snag a subscription to a magazine devoted to herbs. If they are into technology, there are magazines that show you cutting-edge developments ahead of mainstream magazines.
2. A garden seat. This is the type of seat you use when working in the garden. There are a number of different versions, but the best is one with a seat that swivels and is on wheels, so the gardener doesn’t have to get up each time they need to move down the row. These really help save your back, as you don’t have to bend over all the time, and they’re a great help if you have bad knees—no more squatting!
3. Travel. Travel for senior citizens doesn’t have to be overnight; it can be a day trip. There are bus tours that take people to sporting events or theater performances. They also tour museums or historic sites.
Give your senior a ticket for themselves and a friend. The professional home caregiver can accompany your senior, as long as you give them advanced notice. If you want to give your senior a more personal experience, take them on a trip to see important places in their lives. Include the house they grew up in, the church they were married in, and places they lived and raised their children.
If they are able to travel a longer distance, give them a trip to visit their siblings or best friend who lives in another state. You could provide the transportation and hotel if necessary.
Does your senior have a bucket list of someplace they want to see? Maybe the ocean or the Rockies? Maybe they always wanted to go to New York or another city? Your gift could make that dream come true!.
4. Yard Maintenance. Hire a lawn service or snow removal service. Even if they can still mow or shovel, there aren’t too many people who enjoy it. If they are one of those rare people who likes to mow, hire a service to mulch the flower beds or trim the bushes. These are labor-intensive jobs that your senior will love seeing done by someone else.
5. Cleaning Service. Hire a cleaning service to clean the house—enough said. Anyone would love this gift. You could set up a weekly cleaning or maybe a deep cleaning in the spring and fall. You could give your seniors a gift certificate to have all the house’s windows washed. Almost nothing feels as good as a clean house you didn’t have to do yourself!
6. Car wash. Give them gift certificates to the car wash or purchase unlimited car washes. Better yet, arrange to have their car detailed. Like the house cleaning idea, there’s nothing better than sitting in a fresh, clean vehicle. Your senior will appreciate not having to haul a vacuum outside and not having to crawl under the steering wheel to pick up an errant piece of candy. Plus, any carpet messes will be cleaned as well. Goodbye, spilled Jello from Thanksgiving!
7. Remote Start. Purchase a remote start for their vehicle and have them say goodbye to shivering in the winter or sweating in the summer. This is a great gift, especially if they live where there is no garage. With a push of a button, their car will start and, by the time they are ready to leave, the window defroster will have cleared the windshield, and the car will be nice and warm. In the summer, the air conditioner will have cooled the car to a comfortable temperature.
8. Induction cooktop. These cooktops are great if you’re worried about safety for your senior. The surface of the cooktop never gets hot, so your senior can’t get burned or set fire to things on the cooktop. The only thing that heats is the pot. Plus, the surface is solid and easy to clean.
9. Medication dispenser. There are many different versions of these, but they can sound an alarm when it is time to take meds or send a prerecorded message from you that will remind them to take a pill. There are also systems that can notify you if your senior doesn’t take their medications. You may also consider medical alert systems for seniors that will alert the senior that it is time for them to take their medicine.
10. Companion care. If your senior lives alone and you live too far away to visit often, give them home care services. This is a trained person who will come to their home and spend time with your senior. They can help your senior with tasks, but they can also provide companion care. They can play a game or work on a puzzle. They can watch a movie together or bake cookies. This is a way for them to have interaction with another person in a casual setting.
11. Home-cooked meals. Give them a gift of frozen dinners that you have made. All they have to do is warm them up. This gift is made even more special if you cook the meal the way your Mom always made it.
12. Food delivery. Give your senior a once-a-month box of fresh, in-season fruit that’s delivered to their door. They will love enjoying the fruit, and you will know that you are contributing to a healthy diet for them. There are other food clubs that deliver cheese, wine, nuts, teas, and coffees.
13. Spa day. Give your senior a gift certificate to have their hair done or get a manicure or pedicure. How about a massage or a facial? You could also purchase a foot massage machine or a foot bath.
There are also massage pillows that would be great to relax sore muscles or backs. The pillows are great because you can move them wherever you want like a chair, the sofa, or even the bed. Many of the massage pillows often have a heating element included. Massage is great for reducing joint and muscle pain or stiffness, and it can be a wonderful stress relief.
14. TV listening devices. If your senior has difficulty hearing the TV but the rest of the family can’t tolerate the louder volume, give them a TV listening device. There are a number of different types, but the main difference is some work on radio frequency while others use infrared.
The problem with the infrared system is that, to use it, you must be seated directly in front of the TV transmitter. The transmitter and receiver require a line of sight. If any obstacle moves between the two—for instance, your dog walks in front of the TV—the signal will be lost and your senior might miss some of the dialogue.
The same is true if they turn their head and cause a loss of signal. The radio frequency works through walls and other obstacles. Your senior will be able to sit at an angle to the TV or even go to the kitchen to get a snack and still know what’s going on in their favorite show!
15. Puzzles. If you feel confident that you know what type of puzzle your senior likes, buy a selection for them. There are lots of jigsaw puzzles available in varying numbers of pieces. If your puzzles need to be fewer pieces, be careful that the puzzle picture isn’t childish. Include crosswords and word search puzzles. There are books devoted to hidden pictures.
If your senior uses a computer, there are puzzles online—like jigsaw. Some puzzles are works of art that are reproduced as a puzzle. The beauty of these is that you can decide how many pieces you want the puzzle to have. It also gives you the option of separating out the straight-edge pieces so that you can complete the border edge before the other pieces are on the board.
16. Gift Baskets. If your senior has a hobby, make up a gift basket of things related to the hobby. If your senior likes to sew, fill her basket with a new scissors, a pin cushion, a wool pressing board, a quilting ruler, needles, and stick pins.
If your senior is a woodworker, get him a new toolbox and fill it with pieces of rare woods that your senior might not usually buy, a level, and clamps. Add some antique woodworking tools for a display in his home or workshop.
17. Pay TV. If your senior likes to watch TV, pay for Netflix or Hulu. If they really like British TV, subscribe to Acorn for them. Into sports? Purchase all the football or baseball games of the season. Choose which service based on what they like to watch. Set them up with Roku and pick their favorites.
18. Grow plants. Purchase a seed starter kit and start some seeds. You could grow some herbs for a window herb garden. Start flower seeds to plant outside in pots this summer. If your senior still grows vegetables in the garden, spend a day with the seed catalog and let them choose what they want to grow. Start the tomatoes and peppers indoors and grow them indoors instead of purchasing greenhouse vegetables in the spring.
This is a great activity because it gives your senior something to nurture, it’s cheerful in the long winter months, and it can give your senior a chance to share their gardening knowledge with you.
19. Feed the birds. Give the gift of bird feeders or birdhouses to attract birds to your senior’s yard. There are hummingbird feeders, or seed feeders for the goldfinches, and all different kinds of regular bird feeders.
There is a special bird feeder made especially with seniors in mind. This feeder comes with trays of birdseed that just slide into place on the feeder. When the birds have eaten all the seed, just slide off the empty tray and slide in the new one. Your senior won’t have to deal with heavy bags of birdseed any longer.
You could purchase unpainted birdhouses and combine the gift with a day of painting the houses with the grandchildren.
20. Books. Give your senior a Kindle and pre-fill it with books on topics they like. Kindles are great for seniors because they are lightweight, backlit, and the size of the print can be adjusted. A senior who is having vision problems as they age may be able to continue to enjoy reading if they have a Kindle. If their vision has deteriorated to the point that they can no longer read, give them a collection of audiobooks. They will be able to enjoy old classics as well as today’s best sellers.
As you can see from this list, you might have to think out of the box a little. Listen to your senior throughout the year and make note when they say, “I wish…” Whatever they finish the sentence with is a potential gift idea. Write it down so, when you need an idea, you have a list to refer to. Think of things that will make their life easier and possibly contribute to their ability to stay in their home. The best gift is something that will enhance their lives—and it doesn’t have to be expensive to do that.