Unforgettable Mother's Day Gifts for a Mom Who Forgets
By Paula Spencer Scott, Caring.com senior editor
Stumped for ideas beyond flowers and chocolates for Mother's Day?
If your mother, grandmother, or godmother has dementia or Alzheimer's, look no further than this thoughtful list from Alzheimer's Daily News. That blog is part of the Ageless Design company, which also runs The Alzheimer's Store, one of the most comprehensive resources out there on products for people with Alzheimer's or dementia and their caregivers. It was founded by gerontologist-architect Mark Warner, who personally evaluates everything sold: wandering alarms, memory stimulation tools, aids for daily living, and more -- including, of course, gifts.
Some basic giving guidelines:
- Consider what brings pleasure now (music, TV classics) and what areas are giving her trouble (for example, if pushing the TV remote buttons is hard, switch to a simpler model).
- Select items that are failure proof and can instill a feeling of success (like a phone where you press the picture of the person you want to talk to, no numbers to recall).
- Stick to simple, easy-to-understand gifts (skip the complex gadgets, however senior-friendly, in favor of, say, a clock that shows the time and date together).
Don't forget to mail your Mother's Day cards on time (or to help her send some): A first-class letter stamp goes up a penny to 42 cents on Monday, May 12, 2008. Which brings up another gift possibility: A roll of 1-cent stamps and new custom stamps featuring her photo, at the new rate. How will you celebrate Mom?
Those are some good ideas and I'll add mine--it doesn't have to be chocolates and flowers. My Mom's getting a package of pastrami and all the fixings from Katz's! She's been jonesing for that for some time now. But I have to add: Mother's Day this year (2009) is May 10th. I should know, it's also my birthday. Postal rates go up the next day, May 11th.
Thanks for adding this. (Everyone, Susan has written a nice resource, and from the enlightened perspective of a professional dementia caregiver.)
Good ideas Here are some more an adult picture book(ones with pictures of babies or animals are great) anything to do with music a classic musical movie on VHS or DVD an audio or video sing along of their favorite songs some body lotion with a hand massage do not forget the gift of yourself either by phone call or in person by Susan Berg author of Adorable Photographs of Our Baby-Meaningful Mind Stimulating Activities and More for the Memory Challenged, Their Loved Ones and Involved Professionals a book for those with dementia and an excellent resource for caregivers and healthcare professionals. You may visit my website at http://www.alzheimersideas.com or my blogs at http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/dementiacare/ http://dementiaviews.blogspot.com