With the holiday gift giving season in full swing, finding a gift for your loved one with Alzheimer’s or Alzheimer’s dementia can be challenging. Alzheimer’s dementia changes a person on many levels and the gifts you once purchased with ease to match a hobby or interest may no longer be the same.
These gifts are both practical in their use, allowing the person with Alzheimer’s to engage with them and helpful at supporting their condition to make daily life easier.
Gifts:
- Compression Socks
- People with Alzheimer’s typically sit for long periods of time. With age, mobility decreases in general. Compression socks provide support and increase blood circulation to the legs. Help with common venous conditions that occur with age. They are practical but can also be personalized. Lots of companies make fun prints that can reflect your loved ones personal style.
- Music
- Music is something lots of people with Alzheimer’s enjoy. Nostalgic tunes from their past, or soothing classical music or jazz can be restful or a way to engage or pass time. Subscribe to a music service like Apple Music or Spotify and give them an easy to navigate speaker to listen to their music on.
- Coloring books with ergonomic color pencils
- Coloring is an amazing activity to engage cognitive skills and maintain motor skills for those with Alzheimer’s. It also helps keep them busy, is non stimulating, and something they can do with others as well like their caregiver or visiting family members of any age. Ergonomically designed color pencils can help with better grip.
- Massager with heating pad
- Aches and pains are normal aspects of aging. Alzheimer’s confusion or being disoriented leads to a decline in motor skills so there is less physical activity or in the case of Parkinson’s, muscular rigidity. A massager with a heating pad can be a great way to relax tight muscles or just a nice treat.
- Medication organizer
- Medication organizer can seem like an obvious one but there are many different kinds that can help organize medication by time of day, type of medication etc. It can make life for the patient and their caregiver easy. Some medication organizers can also hold medications for multiple weeks, and have larger sized containers for different sized pills, as well as many customizable features. A gift that’s both practical and extremely useful.
- White board with daily routine
- Little white board that can be placed somewhere accessible in the home with notes for reminders about the daily schedule, meals, medication etc. It can help the person with Alzheimer’s feel independent and involved in their routine. It can also help caregivers organize the daily routine or write it down for easy access.
- Comfortable clothing
- In recent years the activewear and comfort clothes market has really grown. Gifting a comfortable set of clothes that are easy to put on but also look put together can help the person with Alzheimer’s dress themselves but also help them feel dressed and ready for the day. Seniors with Alzheimer’s often say that they tend to lose their sense of self as their condition progresses. Dressing oneself is an important aspect of feeling a sense of self and maintaining an independent identity.
- Grocery delivery service
- While it is not the most exciting gift, a grocery delivery subscription is immensely thoughtful. Having groceries delivered makes daily organization much easier. Grocery lists and needs are easy to customize and deliveries can arrive within a few hours for urgent items.
- Audible or audiobook subscription service
- Audiobooks are a great way to stay engaged for avid book fans who might not be able to read. Caregivers can read aloud but to do so for long periods of time really is not practical. An audiobook subscription can help with that. This is a wonderful way to pass time or enjoy a previous hobby.
- iPad or tablet style device to stay in touch
- Tablet can help with calling via video call to stay in touch with loved ones who are not nearby or unable to visit frequently. Tablets are easy to navigate and if an older person cannot use them, a caregiver can help. There are also a variety of games and creative activity options available on tablets to help engage and stay active as well.
All the gifts are great for your loved one to utilize independently, or for their caregiver to help them use.
Care Mountain
At Care Mountain, we have over 17 years of focused experience providing in-home care and support for you or your loved ones across the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex. Our thorough and extensive hiring process ensures that we work with experienced caregivers who understand the multiple factors that require in-home caregiving.
Our experience also helps us provide a nuanced and personalized level of Alzheimer’s home care throughout Dallas and Ft. Worth areas. Caregiving is a full-time requirement that most family members cannot provide on a part-time basis and Care Mountain works to help alleviate the pressure on families facing the long-term care of a loved one.
Care Mountain’s extensive network of in-home caregivers can provide support across the Metroplex across Plano, Allen, McKinney, Preston Hollow, Dallas, Highland Park, Fort Worth, Southlake, Arlington and many more. Contact us today to see how we can help provide support and 24/7 care to help you or your loved one navigate their journey of in-home care.
2022-12-08 11:30:05
Gift Guide for Loved Ones with Alzheimers
Gagan Bhalla is the Executive Director of Care Mountain Home Health Care. For over 19 years, Care Mountain has offered dedicated expertise in senior in-home care in the Dallas Fort Worth area. Managing seven locations across Texas, Gagan has committed his life to enhancing the well-being of seniors and their families needing home health care. Through insightful articles and blogs, he shares his wealth of knowledge, empowering families to make informed decisions about home care. Trust Gagan’s experience to guide you on the path to compassionate and professional senior care.