by Melanie Jongsma
Director of Communications
If your parents or grandparents are living in a retirement community where most of their needs are met, it can be difficult to think of meaningful Christmas gifts for them. And if your loved one has Alzheimer's or some other memory impairment, appropriate gifts can be even more difficult to think of. So we've compiled here a list of 5 gift ideas you might find helpful — and if you have any others to add to the list, please share them in the Comments below!
- Music. Burn a CD of favorite songs, perhaps in a personally-designed jewel case.
- Planning. A giant dry-erase calendar for tracking upcoming activities. (I gave my grandfather one of these a few years ago, and he loves it!)
- Memories. Have a family group photo or an old wedding photo enlarged and framed.
- Family. Put together an album or scrapbook that includes childhood photos, photos of significant events, and current memorabilia, arranged in chronological order. (Arranging them in chronological order can be a help for people with memory issues.) In fact, this scrapbook might even be something you work on with your loved one.
- Time. Many retirement communities have special events going on in December — such as this "Meet, Greet, and Eat" event at Holland Home. Attending such an event with your loved one — and other family members — can be a blessing for everyone.
Christmas is a wonderful opportunity to re-connect with family — in ways that are both creative and traditional. What ideas do you have for bringing the spirit of Christmas to a family member in a nursing home or retirement community?
One year when my grandparents moved from their house into an apartment, I saved some of their old dishes and my family members all signed a message to grandma and grandpa onto an old Plate and gave it to them for Christmas. They still cherish that plate and talk about it all the time when we go to visit. It sits on their shelf with all the pictures of their grandkids. Great memories.
ReplyDeleteGrandparents are, well amazing. Light up your Grandparents' Christmas with a little tip from Providence. Decorating or cleaning for Christmas can be overwhelming to arthritic or tired grandparents. Spend some time with them and help them remember the feeling of Christmas by putting up some Christmas lights and decorations in their home. This gift will bring your grandparents Christmas spirit and joy. Trust me.
ReplyDeleteGreat ideas! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteDigital photo frames are awesome! We purchased a frame along with two 4GB memory cards so we can swap them when we visit and keep adding more photos. Mom gets new photos every time we visit. They can be played in random order or in chronological order. We've also added JPGs of the grandkids' artwork. We also have a slide show of Grandma's life from her 80th birthday.
ReplyDelete