The holiday season is such a great time of joy and celebration – sharing time with loved ones & showing appreciation for friends and family.
One of the lovely ways we show our appreciation and gratitude during the holiday season is gift giving. So this week on the AlwaysOn Healthcare blog, we’re sharing great gift ideas for seniors and caregivers to help inspire you on what to give this holiday season.
Gifts for Seniors You Love
Gifts for seniors to help them remember things.
As we get older, it’s hard to keep on top of daily life and these gifts can help a senior you love stay on top of their day to day activities such as medication reminders or important upcoming events.
Large Print Photo Calendars
Large print calendars are great for daily event reminders of things such as doctors appointments or holiday get-to-gethers. You can even custom print your calendars with family photos to make this gift extra special.
Pill & Medication Reminders
These range from in home medication reminder services such as those from AlwaysOn Healthcare to pillboxes with alarms and timers that will provide medication reminders in person or by phone or e-mail.
By the time a person reaches age 70, they will be taking about 12 medications.
The Gift of Music: A Great Gift Idea For Seniors with Alzheimer’s or Dementia
This is a gift that’s more than just fun; it borders on the miraculous. Recent research has shown that listening to music has many positive, sometimes astounding, effects on Alzheimer patients.
Music & MemoryResearch has shown that listening to their favorite music has a positive effect on Alzheimer’s patients, sometimes “reawakening” their inner selves and allowing them to connect with family members.
In fact, there’s a new program called Music & Memory, which brings the gift of music to seniors living in long-term care facilities. This program started giving Alzheimer’s patients iPods to listen to, and the results are incredible as many Alzheimer’s patients “come alive” – singing, smiling, moving to the music, and even re-engaging with their loved ones.
There’s a great documentary film about the Music & Memory program called Alive Inside, that is an inspiring movie to watch – it’s amazing to see the clear change in the seniors they feature in this film.
You can give this same gift to someone you love with Alzheimer’s by getting them an iPod or other portable digital music device loaded with their favorite songs.
Gifts for Caregivers
Caring for someone with Alzheimer’s can be physically and emotionally draining. So, if you ask the typical caregiver what he or she needs most, [three items tend to top the list: money, time, and stress relief.] , and nearly 10 million caring for someone with this disease
Give Regular “Good For You” Goodies.
One tip to avoid caregiver burnout: eat regularly, healthy meals and snacks as well as get some exercise. Perhaps a “fruit of the month” club or a gifted gym membership can help assist your caregiver in taking care of themselves when they aren’t taking care of you or someone you love.
Give Your Family Caregiver the Gift of Time.
Respite care from AlwaysOn Home Care in Phoenix is short-term in home care (3 hours or more if you need), that allows some time-off for your family caregiver to attend to their extra holiday chores and take some time off to relax and simply enjoy the family gatherings this holiday season. While your non-medical in-home caregiver’s top priority is to attend to the needs of your ill or elderly loved one, they can also help with household cleaning and chores to take the stress off your regular family caregiver this holiday season.
A Tip on Tipping Your AlwaysOn Home Caregiver a Tip or Bonus.
Tipping is a pretty common practice for the older generations, but we have a tip for tipping your paid caregiver. If you’d like to give your AlwaysOn Home Caregiver a financial bonus or tip this year as a gift – you are welcome to, but please do so by contacting our Main Phoenix Office Location, as we track all financial transactions between our clients and our caregivers for accurate record keeping and safety for those with memory care issues.
The Holiday Season Can Be Stressful – Let AlwaysOn Help with Our Home Care Companion Services, Transportation Services & Respite Care!
AlwaysOn Home Care provides elderly companion care that can help you beat away the blues.
Not only can our certified caregivers keep you or your loved one in good spirits and good company, but our caregivers can help you clean around the house to prepare for holiday company in your home or help you with other chores around the home and holidays like wrapping gifts.
Thankfully, AlwaysOn Healthcare provides transportation as part of our Phoenix home care services. So, if you need assistance getting around Phoenix to do your holiday shopping or to see loved ones this holiday season, AlwaysOn’s Transportation services can help you get around Phoenix safely as your personal driver.
Remember – taking time for yourself, isn’t selfish – it’s healthy!
Simply taking a few hours can help reduce your stress, strengthen family bonds, and allow you to reconnect with those you love and care for regularly.
