Gift Ideas for the Elderly

It can be difficult to think of gift ideas for the elderly people on your holiday shopping list. The elderly usually have collected plenty of knickknacks, so what about some gift ideas for the elderly that don't contribute to clutter or give the dust bunnies a place to hide? Following are six gift ideas for the elderly that are useful or edible. I hope they will be helpful to you this holiday season.

Useful Gift Ideas for the Elderly

Nonskid socks-Seniors are often cold, so warm socks are great gift ideas for the elderly on your shopping list. The nonskid socks that have grippers on the bottom are the best gift ideas for the elderly because they offer a little extra traction that can help keep often-unsteady elderly people from falling and injuring themselves.

You can usually find these in an assortment of colors at department or discount stores for just a few dollars per pair. But you can also find them online. For example, at Amazon.com, you can buy three pairs of high-quality nonskid socks made by Crescent Moon for $24.99. These are called ExerSocks, and they are nice gift ideas for the elderly because they have extra cushioning on the soles.

Tabletop Playing Cardholders and Easy-to-Read Cards-Sometimes seniors like to play card games but have trouble holding or seeing the cards, so cardholders and jumbo-faced cards are great gift ideas for the elderly. If the seniors on your shopping list like to play a mean game of canasta, bridge or poker, visit Wellhaven.com, a Web site that specializes in products for senior citizens.

Search for item number 30-120-2007, which is a set of two blue, plastic cardholders that can hold up to 15 playing cards fan-style. You'll pay just $7.99 for the set. For another $7.99, you can buy two decks of jumbo-faced playing cards to go with the cardholders. These have very large numbers and faces on them so those with failing eyesight can easily read them. The cards are item number 30-110-3007.

Giant Solar-Powered Thermometer-Another of the gift ideas for the elderly on this list is a giant stainless steel thermometer that seniors can place out in their yards. For $99.95, Signals sells this 42-inch tall mercury-free thermometer that has a built-in spike so it can be easily stuck into the ground. From 30-feet away, the seniors you purchase this thermometer for can see the temperature in easy-to-read numbers. Or, they can look at the scale that is also printed on this thermometer to find out how much snow has accumulated. The thermometer even has solar-powered lights that illuminate at night. For more information on this gift idea, search for item number HD4042 at signals.com.

Edible Gift Ideas for the Elderly

A Gift Basket Full of Goodies-Home-baked breads such as banana nut or pumpkin breads are always favorite gift ideas for the elderly. If an elderly person on your shopping list is diabetic, you'll have to use sugar-free recipes for the baked goods. You can easily find these online if you search for "diabetic recipes." Or, you can opt for a basket full of sugar-free candies. You can find these in most grocery stores; just ask for directions to the diabetic foods section.

Other variations that make great gift ideas for the elderly are baskets of canned soups or buckets of pre-popped popcorn. (Just be sure the elderly person you're buying popcorn for doesn't have false teeth!)

Fruit-of-the-Month Club-Fresh fruit delivered to their door is one of the most wonderful gift ideas for the elderly. Harry and David (harryanddavid.com) has a light-sized fruit collection that is just the right amount of fruit for people living alone or for couples. You can select a three-month collection for $59.95 (item number 1064Y), which includes gifts of Royal Riviera Pears in December, Jonagold Apples in January, and Royal Navel Oranges in March. Other choices are a five-month ($99.95), eight-month ($149.95) or 12-month collection, which sells for $209.95.

Full Meals Ready to Heat and Eat-One of the best and most helpful gift ideas for the elderly is arrange for healthy, ready-to-heat-and-eat meals to be delivered to their homes. DineWise.com offers several different meal plans for seniors. Prices start at $199 for seven days of meals. You can also purchase gift certificates. Visit www.dinewise.com or call (800) 749-1170 for details.