Here are some ideas for the elderly seniors on your gift list:
Voice Quilt
This decorative box plays recorded voice messages to your loved one. Here's how it works: family members call a toll-free number with greetings, memories and messages for your elderly loved one. Next, select "a keepsake," such as a photo frame box or jewelry box that will play the voice recordings to your loved one. This is a great gift for those families separated by distance.
Memory Kits
From memory games and crossword puzzles to computer software and activity books, there are a wealth of products available that can be fun for seniors, while helping them to protect their memory.
Scrapbooking / Photo Albums
Everyone enjoys reminiscing about life's happy moments, and for the elderly, the past is oftentimes more revered than the present. Your senior would certainly love to receive a scrapbook or a photo album that depicts valuable memories. Pictures, as the old adage says, "are worth a thousand words."
Vintage Movies and Music
Nothing kicks in the nostalgia like old movies and music. Classics movies – Charlie Chan, Casablanca, Baby Face and The Ten Commandments, and music – Benny Goodman, Billy Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald – trigger memories, people and events sure to make your loved one smile.
Exercise in a Chair
Even physically limited individuals and those with chronic conditions can benefit from moderate exercise. There are a number of upper body fitness, flexibility, range of motion, balance, core strengthening and deep breathing techniques that have been proven to improve senior health. Look for DVDs, videos, books and classes.
Large Type Books
As eyesight deteriorates with age, products that offer enlarged or amplified text are always a welcome gift for seniors. In addition to books with larger type, also look at telephones, remote controls and clocks with large digits. Another option: books on tape.