Gifts For Older People

 

As our elderly parents, aunts, uncles, godparents and senior family friends age, the gift needs and wants become different. 

They may not be as spry as they once were.  Physical abilities and interests change as we get older. 

But older loved ones still love seeing us and/or receiving gifts letting them know we miss them.

We have to consider limited mobility and limited space if they have moved into a nursing home, previous interests of the older person and potentially arthritic hands. 

Lets explore these great gift ideas for an older adult!

 

Inexpensive Gifts for Senior Citizens

A great present doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. Some of these just a few bucks!

1) I Survived the 60s Mug

For a simple gift that is cute, quick and easy, mugs! 

This groovy mug has a cute 1960s theme which works as a gift for people born in or before the 1960s. 

My mother in law would love this gift because she was mad about the Beatles back in the day! 

She saw them in person!  I would suggest pairing it with your loved one’s favorite tea or coffee for a thoughtful present.  

 

 

 

2) Clear Window Bird Feeder

For a shut in or anyone with limited mobility, I recommend a clear window bird feeder that attaches to their window with clear suction cups. 

Your elderly loved one can enjoy watching the birds come up and eat from the cozy comfort of their home or room. 

A great way for an older person to not feel lonely and to have an activity brought to them. 

My sister works in senior homes and nursing centers and these are always well received. 

 

 

 

 

3) Big Hug Candle

Just a thoughtful gift candle with a happy message “sending you a big hug.” 

We cannot always be with someone in person, but we can send them a little something to let them know that we are thinking about them. 

And don’t we all need a big hug?  

 

 

4) In Shower Foot Scrubber and Massager

Here is an affordable gift that can help an older person out with the foot scrubbing in the shower. 

This sticks to the floor of the shower and lets a person stand on it or run their foot across it and clean their feet.

It provides that little bit of extra help that they may need to get their feet clean. 

This is a gift that I wouldn’t mind, but an in shower foot scrubber would be very handy for someone with limited mobility that can no longer (or temporarily is unable to) reach their feet and scrub and give them a squeeze.  

 

 

 

 

5) Personalized Tea and Biscuits Mug and Board

This mug and biscuit/cookie board is a great personalized gift! 

You can buy this for a parent, grandparent or any special senior adult and make them feel cared about. This is the perfect Christmas gift for your elderly mom that loves her tea. 

The mug and the board can say their name or the special occasion. 

This works wonderfully for an elderly person that is now living alone. 

I used to buy an aunt and grandparent that lived together a pair of mugs every year, but since the passing of the aunt I still keep the tradition with a special solo mug. 

You could turn this great gift idea into a care package with some favorite snacks of theirs or yours!

 

 

 

Practical Gifts for Older People

 

6) Picture Landline Phone

My grandmother needs a phone that is loud with pictures of her loved ones to press and call. 

This phone has those options.  You can program faces with numbers and the large buttons are so easy to use. 

This practical gift is perfect for most people, but especially persons that are elderly and cannot hear as well anymore and constantly misplace or forget to charge their cell phone.

My nana makes phone calls every single day but still doesn’t know anyone’s numbers.

She still uses the book she keeps beside the phone. 

My grandmother and many more older persons still have landlines and need them for safety because of forgetting to charge the cell phones.  

 

 

7) Scrubber Attachments For Drill

Confession time, I may be an old lady.  I own this set and use it to scrub things lazy-like. 

That said, this gift is practical and useful for the elderly and the lazy. 

You attach whichever shaped scrubber you need to the drill and spray your cleaner and start drilling! 

For people with low mobility, being able to independently scrub something without injuring your elbow and working too hard is wonderful. 

For me, it is a time saver and it makes it a bit like a fun game. 

I bet my father-in-law would even like this set because he would feel like he is a handy toolman.  

 

 

8) Essential Oil Diffuser Set

An essential oil diffuser set is essential during cold and flu season and would be a very practical gift for the elderly during that time and while in a nursing home. 

This set has everything the gift recipient would need to start out with a diffuser and would aid someone in feeling healthy or relaxed depending on your need.  

 

 

9) LED Page Magnifier

Here is another practical gift for an elderly person (or a friendly gag gift for a parent that recently had a landmark birthday), a large magnifier for reading that has an LED light. 

Unlike other options, this useful gift is quite large, meaning not easy to lose and easy for someone whose fine motor skills are failing or failing eyesight to use without much trouble.  

 

 

 

10) Microwavable Therapy Mittens

With age comes some nagging aches and pains. 

Whether that be arthritis or just a pain of unknown origin, some nice heated gloves that are quickly microwavable for relief are a welcome gift.

These warm mittens also have lavender aromatherapy and would be nice to relax with.  

 

 

 

 

11) Shower Steamers

As your loved one gets older, they may or may not be able to go take a nice aromatherapy bath soak due to low mobility.  But they can take a safe shower and still have a relaxing shower bomb for clearing the nasal passages and receive benefits of eucalyptus – a useful and delicious smelling gift!

 

 

 

12) Table or Under the Desk Bike Exerciser 

I bought an under the desk bike exerciser for my husband and we both use it. 

This practical gift would be great for elderly persons that need to keep moving or need to do some physical therapy. 

This exercise device can be placed in front of a chair for leg exercise or it can be placed on a table top to work on shoulders and arms. 

The more mobile a person stays the better quality of life we will maintain.  

 

 

13) Stand Up Weed Puller

I, an able bodied person right past the prime of my life, really want one of these weed pullers. 

You are speaking my language when you tell me I can do a dreaded chore easier. 

So you have a stick with a device at the end that you stab the weed and twist and it removes your weed problem. 

This practical gift is a great mobility tool for elderly persons that still want/need to get out into their yard and work.  

 

 

 

 

Paper Magazine Subscriptions For Seniors 

 

14) National Geographic

This magazine subscription gift is fun for the young and the old! Kids love to read National Geographic and look at the pictures, older folks like to read and keep up with the news – and on real paper, not a screen.

Reading, learning and keeping the brain thinking helps keep cognitive skills as we age. 

Reading material is a great gift whether your loved one is living independently still or if they are in a nursing home. 

Either way they can share the magazine after they are finished with it.  

 

 

15) Car and Driver

My father in law loves this magazine!  People that are over a certain age really enjoy holding their reading and turning the page. 

Car and Driver magazine is a great gift for any car guy – i.e. most older men – in your life. 

Pre-pay for them a subscription and they will tell you what kind of car you should buy! 

For my father in law, this magazine kept him going and gave him ideas for his next project while he was recovering from a quintuple bypass surgery.  

 

 

 

Technological Gifts – So Easy A Senior Could Do It

Tech can often be tricky for someone older.

Nowadays there are so many simple to use items out there that will really make their lives a ton easier. 

16) Smart Speaker

Another practical gift (and an affordable gift as sales frequently occur) is a smart speaker. 

You could get one or more of these smart speakers so that your elderly family member or loved one can receive information from the internet without having to google it from a cell phone or computer. 

The smart devices can tell them the weather or if you give more than one – they can act as an intercom system within their home. 

A helpful gift making them feel more independent and in control of their environment.  

I have this Echo dot at home.

The kids love it as their alarm clock and radio to listen to their favorite songs, and I love that I can talk to them from anywhere in the house. 

 

 

17) Video DoorBell

Getting your elderly or aging loved one a video doorbell can help with your peace of mind for them, their safety and this great gift helps so they don’t have to hop up and down to see who is at the door. 

Their cell phone will let them know who or what is at the front door – be it a person or a package.

This is a practical gift that can help during the holiday season or while they travel as well. 

Bonus points if you help them set it up because that can be tricky for some people. 

 

18) Fire HD 10 Tablet

If your loved one does enjoy technology, might I suggest the largest Fire Tablet. 

So many books can be read for free with a Prime Subscription.   Shows can be watched as well! 

Grandchildren can be entertained!  You can make video calls to each other through these devices. 

Seeing each other over a video screen can be the next best thing when apart.

This smart device can also hold pictures of their loved ones. 

You could send the grandparents clips of the events the children have participated in recently. 

This is a gift that will keep on giving!

 

 

 

 

When shopping for elderly people, try and think about what will make their life easier and how it can be a practical gift that works for someone with lower mobility. 

We all could do better communicating with our elder relatives, so find a perfect gift that they will enjoy, that they will appreciate your effort in procuring and a thoughtful gift  helps us all stay connected.  

 

More Gifts For Grandparents And Older Loved Ones:

• Gifts For Expectant Grandparents
• Best Gifts for Grandma
• Small Gifts to Mail
• Flat Gifts You Can Mail
• The Best Gifts for Your Nana