Living at a distance from your aging parent can be challenging, especially when you are their family caregiver. Not only does the distance between you make it more difficult to fulfill their needs and address their challenges on a consistent basis, but it can also make you feel less connected to them and as if your parent-child relationship is not as strong as it could be. Gift-giving during the holiday season is a wonderful opportunity to connect with your parent and make the distance between you seem less impactful through meaningful, useful gifts that can improve their quality of life and boost your bond.
Let these ideas inspire you to choose meaningful gifts for a senior who lives at a distance from you:
–A new mobile device that has a camera feature so that you can enjoy voice chats.
-A membership to a subscription program that speaks to an interest of your parent’s, or something that they like, such as a specific food or a type of entertainment.
-A membership to a shopping site that provides quicker shipping or a discount so that they can enjoy more online shopping.
-Recordings of your children talking, singing, or playing so that your parent can see and enjoy them more frequently.
-Stationery, a nice pen, and pre-stamped envelopes along with a note requesting that the two of you start writing letters to each other regularly. Receiving actual, tangible correspondence in the mail is something that many people do not get to enjoy very often, and can be extremely meaningful to your senior, and to you.
-Travel tickets to come visit you, or an itinerary that tells them that you are planning a visit to come see them soon.
How can home care services help?
Starting senior care for your aging loved one can be one of the best decisions that you can make for your elderly parent during the course of your caregiver journey with them. An in-home senior care services provider can be with your aging parent on a fully customized schedule to ensure that they have access to the care, assistance, support, and companionship that they need to handle their individual challenges and limitations, and to pursue an independent and fulfilling lifestyle.
These highly personalized services can include everything from access to safe and reliable transportation to assistance with personal care needs and fulfillment of activities of daily living, to physical support and assistance with mobility needs, and companionship to boost mental and emotional health and well-being. As their family caregiver, this can give you tremendous peace of mind knowing that both when you are able to be with your parent and when you are not, they will have everything that they need to live the highest quality of life possible as they age in place.