Caregiver Gift Guide for Every Budget
Okay, you want to know what the caregiver in your life could REALLY use from you this holiday season? Here are some ideas:
1) The number one gift that you can give to a caregiver will cost you little. In fact, it only takes a few minutes and a postage stamp. Write to your local congressman and ask them what is happening with the Family Caregiver Security Act of 2005 (H.R. 175) - this is a bill that is before congress that would allow for family caregivers to be paid as nurses and is the very best gift that anyone could give to a family caregiver.
2) A collection of DVDs that the caregiver can enjoy when they are able to get some quiet time to themselves to help them relax and unwind.
3) eBay gift certificates. This lets the caregiver select from a world of possible things they might want or need to buy for themselves. Or if you know they are booklovers you could give certificates to something like Barnes & Nobel (the only major bookstore I know of that accepts PayPal), or maybe to Target (another one that has an online store that accepts PayPal).
4) An MP3 player and downloads for their favorite songs from a music provider. This allows the caregiver to relax and enjoy their favorite music, and everyone knows that the right music can be a true spirit lifter.
5) DSL. Okay, this is a selfish gift idea for me, but I would love it if someone paid to get DSL installed here for me and left it to me to pay it each month after that. DSL ain't a lot more than dial-up, but costs a bit to get set up. The Internet is a wonderful resource of information, entertainment and escape (never underestimate the power of FanFiction). Dial-up can be.... slow. So, if you want to be really nice maybe do some prodding to see if they want DSL but can't afford the set-up costs for it.
6) Sit and talk to the care recipient. You would not BELIEVE how much of a gift this can be for the caregiver. Yes, you aging parent may be difficult to sit and talk to, you may have nothing to say or they may just ignore you for most of the time, but they want to know that you care and by coming by and just sitting with them - even with the caregiver there to still do everything needed - you can cheer up the care recipient more than you could ever imagine and in doing so make life soooo much easier on the caregiver.
7) A gift basket. I've been posting advertisements for gift baskets for a reason, I genuinely think that they are a very nice thing to give someone when you are uncertain what else might be appreciated. If you don't want to go for an extravagant basket then maybe just a little basket that can serve as an escape treat with select coffees or teas and a DVD or something tucked into it work. Or flowers. Everyone loves flowers and in the middle of winter they can really brighten up a home and make it feel less dreary.
So, there you have it. Those are for the most part very inexpensive so you could even do more than one, and I can assure you, as a caregiver myself, they are things that a caregiver would appreciate more than many very costly gifts.
1) The number one gift that you can give to a caregiver will cost you little. In fact, it only takes a few minutes and a postage stamp. Write to your local congressman and ask them what is happening with the Family Caregiver Security Act of 2005 (H.R. 175) - this is a bill that is before congress that would allow for family caregivers to be paid as nurses and is the very best gift that anyone could give to a family caregiver.
2) A collection of DVDs that the caregiver can enjoy when they are able to get some quiet time to themselves to help them relax and unwind.
3) eBay gift certificates. This lets the caregiver select from a world of possible things they might want or need to buy for themselves. Or if you know they are booklovers you could give certificates to something like Barnes & Nobel (the only major bookstore I know of that accepts PayPal), or maybe to Target (another one that has an online store that accepts PayPal).
4) An MP3 player and downloads for their favorite songs from a music provider. This allows the caregiver to relax and enjoy their favorite music, and everyone knows that the right music can be a true spirit lifter.
5) DSL. Okay, this is a selfish gift idea for me, but I would love it if someone paid to get DSL installed here for me and left it to me to pay it each month after that. DSL ain't a lot more than dial-up, but costs a bit to get set up. The Internet is a wonderful resource of information, entertainment and escape (never underestimate the power of FanFiction). Dial-up can be.... slow. So, if you want to be really nice maybe do some prodding to see if they want DSL but can't afford the set-up costs for it.
6) Sit and talk to the care recipient. You would not BELIEVE how much of a gift this can be for the caregiver. Yes, you aging parent may be difficult to sit and talk to, you may have nothing to say or they may just ignore you for most of the time, but they want to know that you care and by coming by and just sitting with them - even with the caregiver there to still do everything needed - you can cheer up the care recipient more than you could ever imagine and in doing so make life soooo much easier on the caregiver.
7) A gift basket. I've been posting advertisements for gift baskets for a reason, I genuinely think that they are a very nice thing to give someone when you are uncertain what else might be appreciated. If you don't want to go for an extravagant basket then maybe just a little basket that can serve as an escape treat with select coffees or teas and a DVD or something tucked into it work. Or flowers. Everyone loves flowers and in the middle of winter they can really brighten up a home and make it feel less dreary.
So, there you have it. Those are for the most part very inexpensive so you could even do more than one, and I can assure you, as a caregiver myself, they are things that a caregiver would appreciate more than many very costly gifts.
posted by Sandra at 5:45 PM
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