When the flowers and trees start blooming, I begin making lists on my phone and on post-it notes about what items to include in this year’s Mother’s Day and Father’s Day gift guide. This is one of my favorite posts to put together because finding the right collection of gifts that says ‘thank you’ or ‘I love you’ is a joy-filled quest.
Mark your calendar for this year’s parental holidays:
Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 9th
Father’s Day is Sunday, June 20th
Before we dive into the collections, here’s a money-saving reminder: you can earn cashback for online purchases from MANY sites with Rakuten. Rakuten also automatically applies the online promotion codes before you checkout no more hunting from them on other coupon sites.
Some of these gifts will bring smiles to a family caregiver and some will bring joy to a care recipient. You know your gift recipient best! We’ve got gifts broken out into categories: including ‘the lovers’ of particular items or activities, gifts for those with cognitive disabilities, self-care, subscription, practical, and free.
For The ________ Lover
Photo: Mixtiles display favorite memories in frames. No nails needed to hang – just peel and stick a favorite photo, quote, or work of art.
Dog: A great conversation starter is a favorite sports team leash or dog collar.
Arts-n-Crafts: Udemy offers online beginner art classes such as drawing cartoon characters or watercolor painting projects.
Coffee: I have this Nespesso Aeroccino 3 and I appreciate that it has 3 froth options: cold foam, hot foam, or just hot milk.
Food & Drink: Order a special meal to be delivered via DoorDash or gift a wine-tasting class. Take a special handwritten note or family recipe and have it engraved on a bamboo cutting board.
Outdoor: Wooden walking stick, fairy garden kit, or custom golf balls.
Gifts for Persons with Cognitive Disabilities
Constant companionship is always appreciated for someone who has dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. This tabby cat is realistic-looking and interactive.
A Tabletop dry erase board with markers and eraser could provide a great surface for a game of tic tac toe or a reuseable drawing pad.
How about some adult aromatherapy dough? Pairing it with a fun playset could provide even more hours of fun.
Self-Care Gifts
My sister applies this organic Rose Hip Seed Oil from The Ordinary to her skin nightly. It’s such a treat for me to use it when I visit.
Shaving can seem like such a chore sometimes. A cordless/rechargeable shaver for Men or Women also is a safer option.
We all could use a bit more humor in our days. You don’t have to be a dad to find a book of Dad Jokes funny.
The Just for You: a Daily Self-Care Journal makes a great gift for anyone. I wrote it with caregivers in mind but we all benefit from self-love and self-reflection. A completed journal leaves a treasured legacy behind.
In a recent podcast episode, family caregiver and mom, Michelle Seitzer shared that she finds bursts of creative self-care in magnetic poetry kits. Here are just a few to pick from:
Subscriptions
These items will cost a bit more since they are likely recurring charges but the idea of a gift that shows up with surprises is so appealing to me. We currently get Barkbox for our dogs (but still fun for me to open!) and I’ve tried Stich Fix in the past and recently found out that they Stitch Fix for Men, too.
Other subscription options:
Page I Books for the reader.
Causebox for the socially-conscious
Clearday At Home offers a dual gift – for the caregiver looking for coaching and activities for their loved one with dementia. The HHC community receives 10% off one month of membership with invite code HHC10.
Annie’s Knit Afghan Block of the Month Club is something my sister is using right now. You knit an afghan square a month and then use the remaining yarn to stitch it all together.
Practical
For the person that has everything or prefers functional gifts, here are a few options:
A Hero membership can provide medication management ease and peace of mind. Use promo code HAPPYHEALTHY to receive $100 off the initiation fee + free shipping. Watch the Hero unboxing videos.
The Handsfree Health WellBe® voice-enabled virtual health assistant has many benefits for a caregiver and care recipient. Check out my product review.
LifeStation’s Luxury pendant necklace provides the capabilities of a standard medical alert button wrapped up in a discreet and elegant package.
FREE Gifts
Certainly, it’s the thought that counts. A handmade gift or thoughtful expression of your love and appreciation will not go unnoticed.
Reach out to friends and family members and create a custom playlist. Here are a few to inspire you from the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, and my own from the 80’s.
Write a poem about how you feel about them.
If ‘acts of service’ is their love language – why not cook them a meal, clean up the yard, or do their laundry.
You can get borrow audiobooks from the library – all you need to do is get your gift recipient a local library card and download the Libby App. Search and select a few books to put in their queue that you feel they would enjoy. Here’s a list of some great reads I’ve discovered.
From May 6-10, 2021, AlzAuthors is offering free Kindle copies of their first anthology Alzheimer’s and Dementia Caregiving Stories: 58 Authors Share Their Inspiring Personal Experiences.
Coordinate a virtual happy hour and play a game or have a dance-off!
Need more ideas? Here are some previous gift-themed posts:
- Delivery Services Provide Extra Helping Hands for Caregivers
- Happy Healthy Caregiver Holiday Gift Guide 2020
- Thoughtful Gift Guide for Our Moms and Dads (that you can ship or deliver!)
- 10 Unique Mother’s Day Gift Ideas for Seniors
- Podcast: Gifts for the Family Caregiver
