If you know an elderly person or you have an elderly neighbor who lives by themselves or with a spouse who’s also older, you probably want to give them gifts that they can actually use without cluttering their houses up. These ideas for presents that are useful and also thoughtful will give you some ideas for things to give this Christmas or at other times of the year.
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Think about the person first.
Before you give someone a gift, make sure that you’re thinking about them personally. Do they have mobility issues? What about health concerns? My husband’s uncle was 97 and lived in his own home by himself his whole life, and he was diabetic but could get around fairly well on his own. The gifts that we gave him would be very different from the gifts that we would give to my 97-yr-old father-in-law, who couldn’t hear or see very well and needed help getting around.
If you’re not sure about food gifts or health issues, keep the presents a little more generic and avoid things that might not be usable by the recipient.
Dog-themed handmade soap.
The Sudsy Goat Soapery makes cute handmade soap
with dog portraits on the bars. This is something that anyone who has a pet would like, but even if they don’t, everyone can use soap!
To see the full directory of all of our verified members, click here.
Printed patchwork toiletry bag.
This customizable toiletry bag can be edited to add their name, or you can delete the text to leave that off entirely. Add your choice of name to it in our Zazzle shop.
Reusable heating pads.
If your friends or family member has access to a microwave in their home, a reusable therapeutic heating pad by Natural Body Comfort would be a nice gift. You can get one that’s used for a specific body part, like this knee wrap, or one that’s rectangular that can be used as a general warmth source. It’s a nice warm gift for an elderly person that can be reused.
Pet products.
If they have a pet, getting them things for the animal is going to be a good gift. A lot of elderly people are living on a budget that might not allow for extras like cat toys or treats. A catnip toy and a bag of cat treats (or dog treats and a chew toy) would be nice for them to be able to give to their pet.
Dishcloths or paper towels.
Giving things that are purely practical might seem boring, but lugging big packages of paper towels home is something that nobody likes to do. Give the gift of paper towels or dishcloths to an elderly person who lives by themselves to help them out with a necessary but unlikeable expense.
For more ideas for “gifts that go away,” click here.
Personal services.
If you have the time available, it would be nice to help an older person out with your own effort doing basic errands. A once-a-week grocery trip or helping them out with driving them to a doctor’s appointment is going to be more appreciated than you know. I used to go to my in-laws’ house to help them do light cleaning once a month. It didn’t take much time, and it helped them out a lot since they were at the point where they were having trouble with housekeeping.
Things you can do to help someone out:
- Grocery shopping
- Driving to doctor appointments
- Picking up things for them when you’re doing your own errands
- Once-a month housekeeping
- Dog walking
- Mowing their lawns
- Rolling the garbage cans out to the curb and bringing them back for them.
- Help buying or replacing furniture or appliances and arranging for the delivery
- Light home repairs or helping them hire professionals so that they don’t get ripped off
Custom return address labels.
If your person likes to write letters to friends to stay connected, custom return address labels are a nice gift. We have a lot of designs in our shop that would be nice for someone who enjoys writing and receiving letters from friends.
To see the full directory of all of our verified members, click here.
A sturdy cane for stability.
If you know someone who uses a cane for stability, and they’re open to discussing their health with you, get them a good quad cane that will help them balance without being wiggly. This one from Amazon is a good one to get because it’s adjustable and the feet on it let you use it on different surfaces.
If the person you’re buying for isn’t interested in talking about their health, this can be a gift that’s a little too intrusive, so be careful with anything health-relted!
Lap quilts.
KraftyBox makes unique lap quilts that would be both useful and a pretty addition to brighten up a living room. This is a nice gift for anyone, and can help cut down on electric bills if you use a good lap quilt so that you can turn the thermostat down a little!
Birdwatching supplies.
If your friend likes birds and has a bird feeder (or would like one), get them some birdseed to fill them up. It’s something they can use and it gets used up, so you could bring over a bag a month to keep the feeders filled. Check out my list of birdseed and feeders on Amazon.
Fingerless mittens.
My mother-in-law had trouble with her hands being cold all the time, and I know that a lot of older people also do. These fingerless gloves by Vaida Petreikis will help by keeping the pulse points in the wrist warm, which can help warm up the entire hand.
Fleece blankets.
Pretty fleece blankets in sizes from lap to full-sized, all from the Artisan Shopper Designs store on Zazzle. These are great for someone who’s in a wheelchair because they can be used as a small lap blanket, and they’re machine washable.
An easy-to-use phone.
Get a phone on Amazon that has pictures in addition to numbers so that they can press a photo and dial with one touch. It’s easier to use than a regular phone, so calling family members won’t be as frustrating,
A nice throw pillow.
Throw pillows are decorative and they also serve a purpose. These are a useful gift and they also brighten up the decor in a room.
Simple arts and crafts.
If your friend or family member enjoys doing crafts, Markets of Sunshine sell slow stitch kits so that you can make small projects at your own pace. This would be a cute project for someone to work on when they feel like doing it, and they can give the finished project to someone else as a gift later.
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Custom welcome mat.
A custom welcome mat is something that anyone can use, and it doesn’t take any room to store it! Get one in our Zazzle shop that you can customize with different names.
A music subscription or player.
Get a subscription to a streaming service and pair it with a device that will play the music with minimal tech required so that your friend or relative can listen to their choice of music. Make sure that they know how to use the device, or write down the steps to take to get to the music they like so that they have an instruction list in case they forget how to use it!
This simple player doesn’t require a service, you download the music to put into it: Music player for the elderly on Amazon (affiliate link)
Handmade tile coasters.
Use our tutorial for kids (adults can make them, too) to make some tile coasters. This is something that can be used as a coaster, or displayed as a shelf decor item, or hung on a wall with a hanger. Kids can make these, so they’d be a fun craft activity that they can make to help them feel included in the gift-giving at Christmas or on another occasion.
Nightlights.
Me Plus Thee creates personalized nightlights, which can be handy for an elderly person (or elderly pets, too.)
For a gift guide for new grandparents, click here.
Writing journals.
Ila and Alice makes junk journals and postcards for journaling and writing. You’re sure to find something interesting on her website, and whoever receives one of her handmade junk journals will think that it’s fun to look at even if you don’t write in it!
Custom portraits of pets.
If your family member or friend had a favorite pet, a custom needle-felted portrait would be a nice addition to their hoem decor. Mariela Felts makes these by hand using needle felting, so they have a soft texture to them.
For more gifts for people who like to sew, click here.
A useful tray.
Having a small tray to put things on and to corral small items is a good idea for seniors who need to keep track of things. This cute strawberry tray can also be personalized in the Artisan Shopper Zazzle shop, so you can add a name or a message on the surface before it’s printed and sent to you.
Cute mugs.
Everyone can use mugs, and getting one or a set of new mugs as a gift is a useful present. If they’re not personalized they’ll work for a wide range of people and personalities.
A new calendar.
This customizable calendar is available in our shop, and features a different flower photo for each month. You can add your own photos or leave them as-is, and you can get it customized with the year and any interior choices you want when you check out.
eBooks.
If the person you’re buying for is able to use an e-reader or an audiobook device (you can help get them set up with a simple one) they might appreciate an audiobook subscription. Make sure that they’re able to figure out the system first, though, because it can be more frustrating than satisfying if they can’t!
Click here to buy gift memberships to Audible on Amazon for 1 month,3 months, 6 months, or 1 year. (affiliate link)
And while you’re doing that, you can get a free trial of Audible for yourself here: Free trial of Audible on Amazon (affiliate link)
Custom pet blanket.
A personalized pet portrait blanket makes the perfect gift for all pet lovers. It can also be a cozy, comforting, and much appreciated gift.
There are a lot of options for gifts that would be nice for an elderly person that are less practical and more on the fun side. I hope that this list gives you some ideas.
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