Best Gift Ideas for Seniors Citizens

 As the holiday season draws near, many people wonder what are some good gifts for the senior citizens in their lives.  As we know many seniors live on a very tight budget and there are many things that can be quite useful for them. Seniors Citizens, love practicality, so looking for practical, useful, gifts is always a good way to go.

As with anyone you want to look at the individual.  What interests them? What sorts of things do they like. But at the same time, since in most instances these people are our loved ones we can't help but to think of what would be best for them, something that they can get a lot of use out of.

I know in my own family, people got my grandparents, very practical gifts but so predictable.  There was always a robe, or house slippers.  They appreciated them but I often thought now that I am older and in the health care profession why didn't we think more along the lines of safety, and increased independence.

 If you have someone in your life, is a senior citizen, or in the elderly population, you may want to consider gifts that provide safety. Which will provide increased independence in the home.

Some examples would be:

• a tub bench or shower chair - these are great items to have in the bathroom and they provide increased safety in the bathroom, which is where many falls occur in the home.
• Increased Lighting - Such as lamps, or overhead lighting fixtures. Many elderly individuals begin to lose their sight, or are vision impaired and would benefit from well lit rooms.  Especially where there is furniture they have to see to get around.
• Walkers or canes - If you have someone who seems to not be getting around as well as they used to sometimes just a simple walking aid like a nice cane will help.
• Enhance their environment - Just giving them increased independence may just be as simple as adding reflective non-skid tape to steps, adding hand rails to steps, or Painting them with non-skid paint.

Of course many seniors love things that are handy. Things that help them do regular everyday activities. As we age we sometimes lose the agility in our hands or are unable to bend and stoop like we used to so there are many practical gifts that can help.

Some examples would be:

• Reachers or grabbers- these can be very useful for those who can no longer bend over to pick something up off the floor, or who has trouble reaching up high or into washing machines while do the laundry.
• Sock Aids - A sock aid is a tool many people use to help them put their socks on, because it is getting harder to reach their feet. They can just put the sock in the sock aid and let it dangle to the feet using the roped handles and then they are able to slip the sock on.
• Long Handled Shoe Horns - in keeping with not being able to bend over to reach the feet, there are long handled shoe horns that allow a person to slip a pair of shoes on more easily without having to bend over.
• Dressing Sticks, and Dressing aids - there are numerous other items that one can use to assist with dressing. Such as dressing sticks which have hooks that help to grab belt loops for putting on pants. Or Button aid that helps someone who has trouble with buttons or is one handed.
• Blood Pressure Cuffs - Many people are told by their doctor to keep an eye on their blood pressure and would love to have one for home. Now they make them highly portable and very accurate.

There are many more handy type gifts that promote independence and increased safety. If you would like further ideas you can search on the internet for assistive devices that will give you an array of wonderful sites who specialize in independent living devices.

This my favorite gift, because it provides security and peace of mind. Many senior and elderly people live alone or with a spouse. But many times they may be alone, and this is when trouble can occur.

If they fall or become ill and unable to call for help they often times become trapped in their own home on the floor with no way to call for help. They may have to lay their till someone comes to check on them.

Or they maybe in a situation where there is danger, such as fire, or intruders, and this is when they really need rapid response.

This is why I love the Personal Alert systems such as Lifealert. There are some others as well, It doesn't matter what brand or company you choose, just having any one of these systems in place in a great way to show them you care and want to look out for their well being.

Lifealert systems usually require an installation fee or set up fee and a monthly fee. But it is well worth it. The monthly fees range from $24 - $30+ dollars a month, depending on the company and the features you want.

They way they work, is they let you decide how you want them to work for you. Suppose you want one for your grandmother or mother, she can wear a necklace or a bracelet with a button that calls for help when pushed. You can set it to call the police, or 911 immediately or you can have it set to notify a loved one first who can go check on the individual or some systems accommodate for both.

These systems are a wonderful invention for someone who may need help when home alone.