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Elderly loved ones are often the most difficult to buy gifts for — they say they don’t need or want anything. That is why we put together a guide for 50 gift ideas for your elderly loved ones that includes gift ideas for those with Arthritis, Dialysis, and Dementia or Alzheimer’s. As primary caregivers for our dad for 2 years before he passed, we learned through trial and error the products we needed to make life easier for him and us. He had every type of therapist and we learned a lot along the way.
At the end of my dad’s life he had mobility disability, vascular dementia, and an autoimmune issue where he could not use or grip his hands. A lot of the products we are recommending below are products that he used, and some were recommended by My Sister Made Me Buy It Instagram followers for arthritis/pain relief, dialysis care, aging complications, and memory care.
We only focused on disease states that we have familiarity with but we would love to expand the ideas in the future. All of the links below are commissionable links, which means we will make a commission if you make a purchase at no extra cost to you. These posts take an incredible amount of time, and we appreciate your support!
While these guides are generally categorized into four categories, I think that all of the gifts would make a great gift for the elderly loved one in your life!
Our mom suffered from Rheumatoid Arthritis before she passed. She always had so much pain in her joints and loved heat therapy. This list is a mixture of things that make it easier to sit/lay-down, pain mitigation, daily life aides, and car support aides.
Sleeping | Stretching | Posture Support
Pillow Cube – I originally paid full price for this pillow because of an Instagram ad that targeted side sleepers. I used it in addition to the coop pillow for a week, and posted it was not for me. I received dozens of messages telling me to keep trying and only use this pillow. AND OH MY GOSH IT WORKED. This helped my neck pain and I have decreased the number of tension headaches I get. I bought the 5″ one. I also bought the travel size version.
Heather also likes this one, which can help with pain in the ear if you are constantly laying on one side vs. the other.
Cushion Lab Lumbar Support β I have had mine for 3 years in January and it has still held up and like new from the first day I got it. I have several β one downstairs for our couches, chairs and patio furniture and one for upstairs for my office. I also bring it along on road trips for the car and for the couches and chairs there!
Cushion Lab Seat Cushion Support β I have also had this for 3 years in January and am always so impressed by it. A college injury ( I like to say that so it sounds like I played college sports, but really I just fell down a bunch of stairs coming back from an 8 am English class) made me have a lot of scarring in my tailbone, that was then replaced with arthritis. Then pregnancy happened and my tailbone has never recovered. So I have tried A LOT of seat cushions. This one is my favorite. The fact that I use it all the time and it still has the support I need as a plus sized woman means that it is DURABLE.
Natumax Knee Pillow for Side Sleepers β A pillow for side sleepers to put between their legs to help with lower back, sciatica, and hip and joint pain. I like this one because it has a strap to keep it there during the night.
Chirp Stretching Wheels β I have had these for at least five years. They always showed up as a Facebook ad for me and I bought them because I was having so much pain from taking care of my dad. He needed assistance getting in and out of his wheelchair and for toileting and my back was not conditioned to help .These are amazing stretchers and really helped with my pain. The 6β wheel is my favorite because you can also use it to help with lumbar support in a chair or roll it against a wall for pressure spot therapy.
Headaches | Sinus | Dry Eyes
TheraIce Migraine Cap β A compressive cap that helps block out light that can either be cold or hot. I love this thing and have used for a couple of years and it is still holding up! I keep it in the freezer, but will also microwave it from time to time for heat therapy.
Sinus Relief Heated Electric Mask β I do not think this is a moist heat, but I do love how it is electric and I can wrap it around my head for sinus or migraine relief. Sometimes my headaches need cold, sometimes it needs warmth. This is different from the TheraIce because it does not have the compression, but it stays warmer longer. Β If you need a moist heat or want something where you are not tied to an electric cordβ¦
Thermalon Sinus Moist Heat Mask β I first learned about this mask because of my dry eyes. I send it to everyone who is grieving because it helps so much with dry eyes, styes and sinus pain. Just a few 20 second intervals in the microwave, tie it around your head and you are good to go!
Heat Therapy
Electric Blanket β I love electric blankets. I have purchased a lot of them and they never seem to last. Maybe because I accidentally leave them on? I posted about this last year and a lot of people said to try the Westinghouse brand, so thatβs what I bought! And I love it! It comes in different sizes, but I love the timer the most. They also have other types of blankets, but I do not like sherpa lined blankets, so I went with the regular flannel version.
Heated hand mittens β These are microwaveable hand mittens and feel SO good on. Kind of like when you are at the spa. My mom had Rheumatoid Arthritis and loved having heat on her hands and feet.
Heated foot warmer β I have not tried this because I never thought to try it. But I do love when my feet are warm so I am going to be buying it to try for everyone. Would be a great gift for those who are on their feet all day or have arthritis.
Weighted Upper Body Heating Pad β I like this heating pad because it is weighted and you can tie around your body β perfect for when you need to be upright.
My dad was on dialysis for 11 years before he passed, which is a long time for a dialysis patient. We attribute it to the fact that my mom never let him skip a treatment. The things in this guide are all the things that he used during his time going to dialysis three days a week — not including all the snacks he would bring, though.
Memory Care (Dementia, Alzheimer’s, etc) Gift Guide
We are not sure if my dad’s vascular dementia worsened before he passed, if it was his heart failure, or if he was still having delirium issues from his time in the ICU and multiple hospital stays. Regardless, we learned how difficult it is to care for someone with these diseases. Routines become so important. Brain stimulation every day. Conversations with others. These are some of the things that were recommended or I found through research.
