This post, along with last week’s and my Planning for the Holidays article, could be printed out and left for family members in a prominent location. Think of it as your gift to every nursing home family.
To add to last week’s post on Holiday Gifts for Nursing Home Residents, here are more gift ideas from Dr. El at My Better Nursing Home to brighten the lives of loves ones in long-term care:
- Magazine or Newspaper Subscriptions
- Kindle or other reader that allows for enlarging print
- Cozy slippers or socks
- Radio or portable audio player
- Telephone and monthly service (if folks are going to call)
- Sheets and pillow cases, for a homey touch
Great gifts from the heart:
- Decorate the room for the holidays (electric candles only)
- Go out to the movies
- Go out to a restaurant, even if it’s just for coffee
- Go on a holiday lights tour
- Bring in your laptop to nursing homes with Internet access and make Skype calls to friends and relatives
- Commit to doing the laundry on a weekly basis
- Organize closets and dresser drawers
Dr. El,
I’ve been trying to think of a fabulous idea to add to your list, and I can’t. You covered it all! I particularly like your suggestion to make Skype calls to friends and family. Even if this is not possible, why not just make the traditional phone call, I think it would be meaningful for all even if they can’t see each other.
Great point, Sue — low tech help is good too! Many residents have difficulty using the telephone — it’s hard for them to find the telephone number in their old phone book, the numbers on the phone are small, or buttons hard to press. Finding the number, dialing the phone, and handing the receiver to the resident can be a big gift. Also, many people only have local calling ability on their telephones, so using your cell phone for long distance calling is much appreciated (as long as they don’t have a pacemaker!) I sometimes go to whitepages.com to find out people’s phone numbers when the residents don’t have the number of the person they want to call, or make some calls to other family members until we find the number we’re looking for. Connecting the residents with family and friends is one of the best gifts that can be given.