Cedar Hill’s Top 40 Best Gifts for Residents

Giving a gift to a friend or family member who has moved into a Senior Living Community can be a bit tricky. The “usual” gifts – such as perfumes, flowers, or food – can actually impact the medical conditions of your loved one or their neighbors. And with space at a premium, any new knick knack needs to be carefully considered, must serve a purpose (sometimes more than one!) and take up as little room as possible.

We’ve gotten a lot of questions from family members about what type of gifts would be appropriate for your loved ones who live here with us. We know everyone is different in their interests, activities, and comfort level with electronics, so we asked around the different departments and got some wonderful ideas! These suggestions come from our staff members as well as from residents and should help you find just the right gift for your friend or family member.

1. The top most requested present is the gift of TIME – often the most appreciated gift is a personal visit, and if possible, an outing. Consider a homemade coupon booklet with items like visits to a favorite place, whether it’s a restaurant, museum, shopping, or even a drive in the country.
2. Gift Certificates – many of our seniors enjoy having friends and family come for meals. You could give a pre-paid gift certificate in any amount to pay for a number of guest meals, visits to the hair salon, or even the on-site pet groomer! Please ask Kelly Baptie for more details.
3. Boxes of all occasion greeting cards and/or stationery, pens, return address labels, and stamps; One of the biggest requests we heard about was STAMPS – they always need them! Also helpful would be a sheet or two of printed name labels for items like canes and walkers
4. Pre-filled address book
5. Nice slippers and bathrobes are always appreciated. Slippers should fit as a shoe, not a clog (to avoid falls) with good grip on the bottom. A few pairs of socks would be welcome as well
6. Comfy pajamas
7. Electronic picture frame loaded with family photos
8. Art supplies – paint by number/sketch pads/colored pencils etc.
9. Notebooks, journals, or small note pads to carry around
10. Magazine subscriptions like large print Reader’s Digest or Birds & Blooms
11. Puzzles – always a favorite
12. Activity books – any mind-stimulating pads/books, crossword puzzles, sudoku, depending on the individual person’s interest
13. Nail or manicure kits/supplies
14. Hand lotions or toiletry gift basket
15. Nice shavers and after shave for men
16. Pretty hand towels for bathroom and kitchen
17. Swimming supplies – We have an active group of swimmers who regularly visit the pool for exercise and they could use carrying bags, hair caps, water balls, or water weights
18. Calendars – cute wall calendars with large print, or even better, personalized with family photos
19. Cozy, soft fleece blankets or a soft throws
20. Anything that applies to their favorite hobby.(e.g., yarn for knitters).
21. For residents who prefer a specific beverage (soda), get a case or two
22. IPods, labeled, loaded with the resident’s favorite music, with headphones
23. Scrapbook pre-filled with photos and mementos
24. Create a memory box for your loved one with dementia – here’s a great article on how to make Memory Boxes
25. Kindle or other e-reader; Books on tape
26. Make sure their room is personalized
27. Cards and letters from family
28. Flowers that will bloom throughout the winter
29. Candy dish pre-filled with wrapped candy like hershey kisses or miniatures (for non-diabetics only!)
30. Snack or cookie tins; homemade gift basket of the senior’s favorite cookies, candies, jams, crackers, cheeses, meats or other snacks
31. Old photos – preferably copies, not originals – so that we can use them when we do special projects like “Guess Who This Is? Baby, and childhood, early marriage pics are all good. Please make sure to let the activity directors know that you’ve brought them in!
32. Washable fabric walker caddy https://www.etsy.com/market/walker_accessories
33. Fitness tools – Light weights, stretch bands and similar items can help seniors stay healthy. The Arthritis Foundation has a list of easy-to-use exercise, hobby and home items for seniors with arthritis or limited joint mobility.
34. Memory phone that can store photos with the names and contact info of your loved one’s family and friends
35. Automatic night lights
36. Large numeral clock with both date and time
37. For late stage dementia, and doll or stuffed animal
38. Comfy clothes like sweatsuits and shoes with velcro ties to make dressing and undressing easier
39. Bed jacket, shawl or nice cardigan sweater
40. A reading lamp

Do you have any other gift ideas for a loved one that we haven’t mentioned above? Share your ideas with us!