Seniors Count Suggests

Holiday Gifts for the Elderly

Seniors Count is a citywide collaborative community initiative involving many organizations and individuals partnering to ensure each elder receives the help he or she needs in order to maintain their independence, and to safely live out their lives with dignity and in the manner they choose.  For more information about Seniors Count please call 603.644.2240 or visit www.seniorscountnh.org

            They are our parents, our grandparents, our friends, our neighbors. They are our community’s elderly. 

The holidays are upon us once again. Many older citizens do not need (or want!) one more afghan, one more knick knack to display, or one more bottle of hand lotion.  Instead, they can use our companionship, our love and/or friendship, and our day-to-day help.

            Here are a few ideas that may just brighten the holiday of that favorite older person in your life:

• A ‘coupon’ redeemable for you to run errands for them a few times a month
• A book of stamps and pre-addressed mailing labels to frequently mailed addresses
• Tickets for 2 or a season pass to the theatre, a play, a movie, a concert or a museum (including transportation!)
• Arrangements to take them to weekly religious activities
• Pre-paid cab or bus ‘tickets’ for rides when they want them
• Help with a special project (clean out the attic? organize the closets?)
• Offer to arrange all their family photos into an album
• A large print magazine subscription, large print books, and/or books on tape
• Low vision products such as a large TV remote, magnifiers, large print calendars, large face playing cards, or large button telephone
• Install devices or home modifications to help prevent falls or accidents such as hand rails, non-slip stair pads, and automatic light sensors
• Gift certificates to grocery stores, restaurants, pharmacy, manicurist or hair salon
• Gift certificate for monthly house cleaning
• Offer to rake leaves, shovel snow, or mow the lawn on regular basis
• Prepay their utility bill (electric, cable, oil, telephone)
• A gas card or prepaid phone calling card
• Calendar with family birthdays marked, stamped and addressed cards
• Cook extra meals and place in individual freezable containers
• Wash their windows; get their homes ready for winter
• Write a letter telling them how you feel about them and memories you have shared with them
• Subscription to a local newspaper
• A month’s enrollment in an Adult Day Program
• A monthly lunch date
• Offer yourself as a willing, cheerful helper for the day to do chores (change light bulbs, put battery in  smoke detector, etc)
• Give them your frequent flyer miles
• Install devices to prevent crime or vandalism (deadbolts, door viewer, alarm system)
• Arrange for energy saving improvements such as installing weather stripping, storm door, storm windows, etc
• Membership for an emergency response system
• Deliver a fresh basket of seasonal fruit in person once a month
• Basket of craft projects they can do with a grandchild

Seniors Count is supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation through its Community Partnerships for Older Adults (CPFOA) national initiative. CPFOA seeks to foster community partnerships that are improving long term care and supportive services systems to meet the current and future needs of older adults.