If you made an extensive holiday shopping list in November, but still find yourself looking at your parents' names with a big blank space next to them, you may need a little inspiration. As our parents grow older, it may seem like they’re harder to shop for, but that’s just not the case if you pause for a moment and really think about their current list of needs.
For instance, have you noticed that certain tasks around the house are harder for them to accomplish or get ignored for weeks on end simply because they no longer get around in the manner in which they did when they were younger? Or maybe they don’t quite have the energy to cook and meal plan multiple meals per day, but they certainly appreciate it when things are made simpler for them in the kitchen.
Keeping all of those things in mind, this is our list of seven useful gifts that any aging parent will appreciate (that can nicely wrap up your holiday shopping).
An autonomous vacuum cleaner helps check off one big chore from the cleaning list.
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We’ve all seen the ads for robot vacuum cleaners that hustle their way through your house, picking up dust and dirt left on the floors and carpeting. For some people, it’s just a bit too much or they don’t like to leave them running throughout the day while they’re out and their pets are at home alone, but for some people, particularly aging parents, they can make a lot of sense.
Vacuuming and dusting can be a physically demanding job, but when you grow older and develop stiff joints and your strength and balance simply aren’t what they used to be, it may become a chore that your parents aren’t doing as often as it needs to get done because they no longer feel physically comfortable heaving the vacuum cleaner around the house.
This is where an autonomous vacuum cleaner steps in. There are all kinds of them on the market, including the uber-popular Shark Ion Robot Vacuum, and not only do they help reduce the physical demand that comes along with daily or weekly vacuuming, but they can also help to free up your parents’ time for activities they enjoy.
If they’re all about earning those steps, a fitness tracker watch makes a great gift.
If your parents are retired and love to challenge themselves by getting out on daily walks, why not allow them to take things one step further by gifting them a fitness tracker or Fitbit that will help them track their steps and keep their health and mobility at the forefront?
Sometimes we need a little motivation to get out of the house, especially when it comes to exercising or even venturing out on our daily mental health walks. A fitness tracker can be a great motivator that can also allow them to feel more in tune and in charge of what their body is accomplishing each day because they get to take in the results of their hard work. Plus, if your parents have each other as further motivation, they might feel inclined to set up little challenges for one another that can help them stay more mobile.
Plus, if you choose something like a Fitbit Charge 6, it not only tracks steps but can also monitor heart rate, cardio fitness levels, and more, which is never a bad thing to keep an eye on as you get older.
The gift of a twice-weekly meal kit for a month or two could give them a taste of simplified meal planning.
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For parents who find themselves constantly on the go between work and carting their kids to school and a multitude of extracurricular activities, they likely already know the value of having weekly meal kits delivered to their homes. The big question is though — does the senior generation fully take advantage of these meal kits?
Even if your parents have cut back on having bigger meals, most of the different meal kits available offer a wide range of different foods, including soups, flatbreads, healthy bowls, and more. So, there’s really no excuse as to why they wouldn’t appreciate the variety of the meals offered.
Most meal kits provide the exact amount of ingredients that are needed to make the meals — plus, there are some other weekly food delivery services available that offer frozen and premade meals for seniors if they’d prefer, so there’s not a lot of food waste either.
An e-reader for easier reading and a gift card to their favorite coffee shop makes a great gift for true book lovers.
Remember how when you were younger it seemed like one of the coolest things in the world to try and collect some of your favorite things? Well, as it turns out, if reading was your hobby of choice, books can take up a ton of room, plus they can get quite heavy, especially for the older generation who may be looking to declutter.
An e-reader can make an inspired gift for your aging parent because not only can they store thousands of books in a single device, but most e-reader allow you to enlarge the print to a size that feels most comfortable for you to read so you no longer have to strain your eyes on books with super fine print.
For a cute bonus, you could always gift the e-reader with a gift certificate to your parent’s favorite coffee shop to ensure they can get a festive hot drink sometime during the holidays and cozy up with a new read.
A year’s subscription to a new streaming service can allow them to be in the digital age in a painless and entertaining way.
A lot of parents who are in their 60s and 70s may not ever care to admit it, but they still want to feel involved in pop culture, and nowadays so much of what’s happening in the world of television takes place on streaming services.
And even though they may feel like adding something like a streaming service into their lives might be a little too frivolous for their retired wallets, buying your senior parents a year’s subscription to a streaming service that you feel has a good amount of TV shows on it that they might enjoy, makes a great holiday gift.
Another part of the gift that’s super helpful is setting everything up and showing them exactly how they can load the streaming service on their television and watch all the shows they want. There’s nothing quite like getting frustrated with technology, but when you’re a bit older and not quite used to it, it can take that anger to a whole other level.
A good back massager comes in handy for helping with aches and pains.
According to Forbes, a good back massage can help reduce stress and pain as well as help seniors “enhance [their] well-being, health, and quality of life.” So if a parent hasn’t been able to get to visit or even afford the costs of going to a good masseuse or chiropractor as of late, a back massager can make a great holiday gift idea.
More from LittleThings: How To Manage The Holidays With Kids While You Also Care For Your Aging Parents
Or a massage chair...
If your budget is a bit more flexible and your senior parent has shown a true affinity and appreciation for the world of massage, a massage chair might be the way to go as it offers more of a full-body treatment where they can sit down, relax, and enjoy daily. If they suffer from a lot of neck and upper back pain, a good neck and back massager is more of a budget-friendly option that can certainly do some good.
A Bluetooth or smart speaker can come in handy for listening to music or daily news.
Some people, even in the older generation, are more into watching television or the news to feel connected to the world while there are others who much more enjoy spending their day listening to music, podcasts, or news reports. If your parent falls into the latter category, you might consider adding a Bluetooth or smart speaker to your shopping cart for them this holiday season.
The Bose Smart Speaker makes a great choice for those who are all about great sound but don’t want to clutter their home with large speakers. An option that’s more budget-friendly and can safely accompany your parent anywhere from the garden to the bath is a portable and waterproof Bluetooth speaker from SOWO. As a bonus with this gift, you can help your parent connect the speaker to their phone or device and show them how to use it to listen to podcasts and music.
*Psst: if you choose to purchase an item from this post, LittleThings may receive a small cut. Each item and price is up to date at the time of publication; however, an item may be sold out or the price may be different at a later date.
