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Gifts for Nursing Home Residents Many people feel isolated and confined when moved to a nursing home. Treasured personal possessions are often left behind because of space limitations. Self-reliance and independence yield to managed care. Your thoughtful gestures, meaningful gifts, and sensitive concern can make a significant difference to those that experience this dramatic change in lifestyle. Arrange and pay for regular hair styling, pedicure, or manicure services. A supply of stationery, cards, and postage, along with your assistance in writing notes and letters, would make a very thoughtful gift. Food favorites, as permitted, make welcome breaks from institutional fare. (Be sure there is a place and staff available to store special foods.) If his health permits, arrange an outing for lunch, the theater, visiting friends, or a pleasant stroll. Give a subscription to his or her hometown newspaper or city magazine. Give a tote bag that can be easily attached to a walker or wheelchair. Regular letters and visits from loved ones are among the gifts most often requested by nursing home residents. Engage him in conversation about past memories, family traditions, vacations, homes, employment, and friends. Then write (or hire a professional to write) a personal history from the notes of your conversations. Hang a bulletin board in her room and arrange pictures and cards from family and friends on it. Or organize the pictures, cards, and letters in a photo album. Include pictures she remembers from her past as well as current snapshots of her family and friends. Give a new pair of comfortable slippers.
Arrange
with a florist to deliver fresh flowers on a regular basis or for
such special occasions as her birthday or wedding anniversary. (See 1-800-FLOWERS.COM Most nursing home facilities supply residents with such personal items as shampoo, soap, and toothpaste. However, some residents prefer brands other than those provided. If so, these items make much-appreciated gifts.
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