If your parents are getting older, they might not want a lot more stuff, and the things that they do want might not be the kind of thing you think about when you buy gifts. Thoughtful and useful gifts are often the best for this age group, and will be the most appreciated.
This list should give you some ideas with a combination of meaningful gifts and ideas for experiences that you can share with your elderly parents, which is often the best present you can give them.
Some of the links in this article are paid ad placements or affiliate links that will pay a small commission if they’re used to purchase something. To see the entire affiliate policy click here. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
First…What does “older parent” mean?
Just to get this out of the way, “old person” is relative. When I was 20 anyone over 50 was “older.” However, now that I’m on the other side of 50 it’s not old at all!
When I was putting this list together I had a vision of people who have adult children in mind, whatever the age of those children are. So if you have kids when you were 20, and they’re 21 now, you count, sorry.
But for the most part, I’m thinking about anyone who would qualify for the senior citizen discount at the movies, and that can be a HUGE range of ages. So don’t get mad about it, because senior citizen discounts start at age 50 in some places! Just go with it for the purposes of this list.
A subscription to a meal delivery service.
This was one of the things that I considered when my Grandmother was getting older and living by herself. She hated cooking, and she had meals on wheels deliver a few meals a week, but it would have been good to take the expense of shopping and preparing her other meals off her plate, so to speak.
Personalized calendars.
A personalized calendar with family photos is a nice, useful gift that they can enjoy throughout the year. Custom calendars are fun to put together, and it can be a family gift if your sibling or other relatives want to contribute some of their photos.
Audiobook subscription.
A subscription to Audible on Amazon is a great gift for someone who likes to read but whose eyesight isn’t as good as it used to be. My father-in-law had terrible eyesight but he loved books, so a gift of Audible would have been good for him. Add in a tablet that’s easy to use to listen along, and your parents will get a lot of enjoyment from it.
Click here to buy gift memberships to Audible on Amazon for 1 month,3 months, 6 months, or 1 year.
And get a free trial for yourself if you’d like to!
Monthly flower arrangements.
If your older parents like flowers (who doesn’t?) a subscription to an arrangement-of-the-month service would be a nice way to give them a little gift every month.
Or if you’d like to make an arrangement yourself to add a personal touch, you can do that, too. It’s fun to learn flower arranging, and it’s a nice hobby that you can share with people. I have an article about that here: Making Flower Arrangements
A gourmet tea or coffee sampler.
If your parents are tea or coffee drinkers, you can put a gift basket with a sampler of different gourmet choices for them to try. Add a handmade pour-over ceramic set for them to use if they only make one cup at a time.
Customized puzzle.
A custom puzzle can be fun to put together, and you can create one of your own from Zazzle with a digital photo. Just to to Zazzle’s Puzzle page and choose your design, then upload the photo and follow the instructions to make a favorite photo into a puzzle that your parents can put together.
Click here to see the puzzle sizes that are available.
To see the full directory of all of our verified members, click here.
A home cleaning service.
My father-in-law used to do all the vacuuming, but then he hurt his back so he couldn’t do that anymore. I would go in and do that plus some other light cleaning for them, and they really appreciated it.
If your parents are open to it, you could offer to give them a visit from a cleaning service to help them out with whatever they need to have done. However, I would say that if they’re NOT open to it, don’t push it and move on to another idea. Some older people don’t like the idea of strangers coming into their homes, and you can’t really blame them for that. But for people who don’t mind, it would be a nice gift!
In-person or online classes or workshops.
If your parents like to learn new things, an online or in-person class or workshop might be a fun gift for them. If you check around you can probably find classes that are local to them that they can attend, or if they’re comfprtable using a computer there are plenty online classes.
Just make sure that whatever you sign them up for is age-appropriate…A cooking class that’s designed as a singles mixer for 20-somethings might not be the right match for a 70-yr-old. Or it might be, you never know, they might like to go and give people relationship advice!
A digital photo frame.
A digital photo frame that you can load up with family photos that change automatically is a good gift for someone who doesn’t want to deal with tech. If the frame does the work then your parents can enjoy the photos without having to mess with it themselves.
You can also get frames on Amazon that you can control with an app, so you can add photos yourself to keep them updated. That’s a fun way to be able to share your newest photos right away to keep your parents in the loop.
A memory book or journal.
Give your parents a customized book that’s made especially for them, either a scrapbook, family history, or a combination of both. You can buy an album to decorate from Artisan Shopping Directory member The Scrapologist. Add your own photos and write in your memories to create a truly personal keepsake.
Personalized recipe book.
I have a recipe book that my mother put together for me, and it’s a nice reminder of her whenever I pull it out. You can do the same thing for your parents to collect your favorite recipes from your childhood and to add ones that you make today.
Or put a recipe book together that has family recipes, and add photos of the people who made them. It’s a thoughtful gift that combines a useful recipe book and a photo album.
Garden tools or magazine subscription.
If your parents enjoy gardening, consider giving them a set of new garden tools from Amazon that are designed to be ergonomically easy to use. You can add in a subscription to a garden magazine that they would enjoy, or a few gardening books that are about the region they live in.
A comfortable throw blanket or quilt.
A nice throw blanket or quilt is always useful, and will be appreciated by your parents. You can find a lot of options on our member’s website at Tahoe Quilts.
Senior fitness class or membership.
If your parents are interested, you could pay for a membership to a local fitness center that has classes for seniors. It’s a good way to get out of the house and socialize while also getting a little fitness in.
This is a good gift to give if their doctor has started telling them that they need to be more active, too! A lot of times people don’t have access to a gym or the means to pay for a membership themselves. And if you’re a member at a gym you could offer to take a few classes with them, since spending time with them is probably going to make the arrangement more attractive.
Board games or video games.
Depending on how old you think “older” is, your parents might have played video games when they were younger (or they still do.) I’m almost 60, which I don’t think is in the “older parents” category, but my kids might have a different opinion. Either way, we’ll all get there at some point, and if your parents like board games or video games, those are good options for gifts.
I just bought a new Nintendo Switch from Amazon because I killed my old one from years of button mashing. And when my kids were visiting recently we all played a bunch of rounds of Boggle. Board games are fun for times when the family is together, and video games are good for fun when you’re by yourself. Both are good options for gifts for your parents if you tailor the games to the person.
Pet care services or supplies.
If your parents have a pet, they probably have to spend money on that pet, which can often mean that they have less to spend on themselves. Especially if your parents’ pets have medical issues…You should see how much I have to spend on my cats’ prescription food!
Buying your parents practical gifts for their pets can relieve some financial stress and let them have more money for other things. And it’s a good way to help them out financially without actually giving them money.
For Grandma gifts from the grandkids, click here.
Tech support services.
We all know that tech is tricky, and figuring out new tech is difficult for everyone regardless of age. The joke about giving a kid a rotary dial phoe and telling them to make a call is real…I did that with my kids and their friends when they were about 12 and they were totally befuddled.
If your parents have trouble with the computer, you can offer to get someone to give them help learning how to do certain things on it. When my kids were in middle school they volunteered at the nursing home my inlaws were in and they taught people how to use the computers that they had there for the residents. People wnted to learn simple things like how to look up the stock market results, or how to send and read emails.
It wasn’t a hard thing to teach, but it was really helpful and it made people feel like they were more connected to the world outside of where they live.
Local event tickets.
Get your parents tickets to a single event, or an annual subscription to a local theater venue. They’ll enjoy being able to get out of the house and see some performances.
Personalized aprons or kitchen accessories.
Get some custom aprons or kitchen accessories like this cutting board from Jari Jade Creations. Parents who like to cook will enjoy the presonal touch.
Hobby kits and craft supplies.
If your parents enjoy crafting or doing creative hobbies, buying them an assortment of craft supplies or tools will be appreciated. Just make sure that you know what kind of thing they use and/or need.
For example, for people who like to sew, you can get them things like fabric, machine needles, thread, bobbin oil, etc. Anything that wears out and has to be replaced is a good idea. Keep your ears open when they talk about their hobby and you’ll be able to pick up some ideas.
For more gifts for people who like to sew, click here.