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Some Ideas for Christmas Gifts for Seniors

No one needs handkerchiefs anymore. Many people would love to come up with better gifts, but have trouble thinking of something both appropriate and indulgent. Why indulgent? Because many seniors can afford what they NEED, but hesitate to spend money on something unnecessary.

Here's some ideas:

  • Gift certificate for a plane trip, or transfer your Frequent Flyer miles to their account.
  • Gift cards at nearby restaurants.
  • Gift card for an Uber or Lyft ride. There are times you just can't drive - after visits to the eye doctor (particularly if they have to have drops put into their eyes), when recovering from injury or illness, when roads are unsafe, after dark.
  • 1 year's free fitness club membership.
  • Time and help - make a date to come over to help them wrap Christmas gifts, address cards, bake cookies. Let them set a date for a get-together with friends, and be the caterer and clean-up person.
  • Lawn service. Find a younger person to help them with weeding and gardening.
  • Window cleaning. At the same time, add in curtain or blind cleaning.
  • Gutter cleaning.
  • Snow removal.
  • Leaf clean-up.
  • Several times a year, pay to bring in someone to do the deep cleaning. I've had elderly relatives who missed dirt/grime, due to vision issues, or couldn't reach top cupboards, or had other issues that made a thorough cleaning difficult (for example, asthma or COPD causes problems with dust).
  • Spring for a holiday trip - assist them with their purchases for others, and make sure they get at least one really nice outfit for entertaining.
  • Podiatrist visit, followed by a new pair of shoes and good hosiery.
  • Haircut and styling, along with providing for the ride to and from. For men, a haircut and a barber shave - men tell me this is the ultimate indulgence.
  • Alexa - my daughter tells me this is so helpful in managing other electronics in the house, and it bypasses typing, which many seniors have problems with.
  • Amazon Prime.
  • A Kindle or Ipad to read on - the beauty is that seniors can magnify the type to eliminate the need for glasses in bed.
  • Go through the jewelry box with them. Find items in need of repair - necklaces, earrings, rosary beads. Get them fixed and box them for Christmas. Many of these have sentimental value far beyond the price.
  • Before taking them to the cemetery for a visit, head there yourself, clean up their loved one's grave, and put flowers on it. It will make their visit. See if you can pay someone to do this regularly for a fee, if you're out of town (no, perpetual care will generally not spiff up the headstone/grave that well).
  • Offer to assist with telephone calls to insurers/medical providers. This is unbelievably time-consuming and tedious - your help will be appreciated.
  • Help organize/label old photos - this is one that you will do with your senior. It's a great opportunity to learn who all of those people in the pictures are, before it's too late.
Do you have any more ideas? Put them in the comments.

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