Holiday Gift Guide from Caring.com

Great Gifts for Aging Parents to Answer the 'What to Buy' Question

San Mateo, CA; Nov. 20, 2008 — If you're caring for an aging parent and have no idea what to buy this holiday season, or are late to the shopping game, let Caring.com be your guide. Caring.com, a leading online resource for adult children caring for aging parents, has put together a Holiday Gift Guide for Seniors - an informative guide to help novice and advance shoppers find unique gifts for that hard-to- buy-for parent or grandparent. Developed in partnership with Susan Ayers Walker, founder of SmartSilvers and a respected expert on seniors and technology issues, the guide includes unique items for today's boomers caring for aging parents.

"Whether it's seeking advice on how to manage day-to-day, or recommendations on products or services that make life easier, caregivers need all the help and assistance they can get." says Andy Cohen, Caring.com CEO. "Our Holiday Gift Guide is another example of how Caring.com is helping to care for those who are caring for aging parents."

Caring for an aging parent is a time consuming, emotional experience. Often, caregivers rely on advice and recommendations from other caregivers to help navigate the journey.

"The Caring.com Holiday Gift Guide for Seniors includes a variety of items that will be appreciated and enjoyed by a parent that is sometimes difficult to buy for," says Ayers-Walker. "Products selected take into consideration the emotional, physical, and mental well being of aging parents living at home with their adult children, or on their own far away."

The Caring.com Holiday Gift Guide offers fun and unique gift ideas across a variety of categories, including:

• The Gift of Memory - Memory Journal from LifeBio gives parents an easy to use journal to pass along stories and wisdom to younger family members. And, to stay on top of important events, nothing beats Jenda's Voice Calendar . Jenda provides a simple solution for keeping dates and activities organized. Reminders can be recorded in your parents or another familiar voice.
• For the Hobbyist - Does your dad have dozens records stacked in egg crates lining the shelves of the garage? Ion's LP 2 CD converts records into CDs, complete with software that makes it easy to import music into an iTunes library. If music isn't your parents love, but gardening or golf is, Bionic Gloves are a perfect fit. Designed with "anatomical relief pads" between hand's bony prominences, these gloves have superb grip and help tired, achy hands.
• Nature Nut? - Try the Squirrel Buster , which enables older, less mobile seniors to bird watch from inside the comfort of home. Question about the weather? A Wireless Home Weather Station measures both outdoor and indoor temperatures, as well as relative humidity, air pressure, and pressure trends. For the gardener that's no longer mobile, or living in an apartment or smaller residence without a yard, try Aero Garden ; an herb garden kit that will continue cultivating even the greenest of thumbs.
• For Parents on the Go - Bath Safety Grips are portable 12-inch bar that can provide extra stability in a hotel bathroom, on a cruise, or even while visiting family for the night. If your parent loves to get up and move but has problems finding where they left their keys, handbag or wallet, the Loc8tor is a personal homing device that helps find possessions that always seem to disappear. Nothing helps enable mobility more than a mobile phone, and Jitterbug is a simple-to-use cell phone for the tech-wary seniors.
• Welcome to the Digital Age - If you're caring for someone who is still using rabbit ears to tune in their television, it's time to upgrade them to the digital age. At midnight on February 17, 2009, all full-power television stations in the U.S. will stop broadcasting in analog and switch to digital broadcasting. A Digital Converter Box can help make the digital leap.
• Items for the Home - The Aktiv Reacher is perfect for elderly persons that shouldn't be climbing on ladders. It's ideal for kitchens, with secure jaws that can grasp cans, boxes and bottles. However for the senior that's in fighting shape, a Nintendo Wii brings the fun of bowling, golf, tennis - you name it - right into your living room.
• A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words - If you're caring for a parent that doesn't use a computer, preload a Digital Picture Frame with your favorite family photos. Many allow capacity of hundreds of photos and music. A simple on, off button will give your parent the chance to enjoy snapshots of the family all day long. And for the tech savvy parent, the HP Presto printer is a great way to print out pictures emailed from family and friends.
• Parent Seeking a Pet? - While pet ownership may be out of the question for seniors in apartments, living communities, or living with their adult children, Pleo is a life like pet designed to entertain and relate to humans.

Stocking stuffers and gifts for families far away are also featured in the guide and include items such as personalized calendars, coffee mugs, and gift baskets. To visit the Caring.com Holiday Gift Guide for seniors visit: https://www.caring.com/articles/holiday-gifts-for-seniors.

With millions of visitors to its flagship website, Caring.com, Caring is a leading senior living referral service and the nation’s top site for senior care reviews. Founded in 2007, Caring’s mission is to help as many seniors and their caregivers as possible through empathetic, expert guidance. Applying cutting-edge technology to this humane mission, Caring provides relevant senior care information and support, as well as comprehensive senior living and senior care directories for the United States, including nearly 400,000 consumer reviews. Through a toll-free referral line at (800) 558-0653, Caring’s trusted, nationwide team of Family Advisors — who are among the most highly trained, highly skilled, and knowledgeable experts in senior care — helps seniors and their families research and connect to the most appropriate services and support for their specific situations. For more information about our organization and our free services for seniors and their families, please visit http://www.caring.com/about and join with Caring on F