Meaningful Gift Ideas for Seniors That Strengthen Family Ties

The holiday season is here - it's time to shop for Christmas gifts for your friends and family! Do you know who is usually the most difficult to get the right gift for? Teenage girls and seniors. While your teenagers will usually tell you what they want for Christmas (and most of the time it will be something either ridiculous or ridiculously expensive), your older loved ones seem to have everything they need. Nevertheless, it is possible to find the gifts they'll appreciate, especially if the gifts are meaningful. Here are some ideas your elderly parents, family members or friends are sure to love.

Wi-Fi Digital Photo Frame

Even if your parents don't often ask for photos of their grandchildren, they would love having more of them. Giving them a couple of photo prints every now and again is so old-fashioned. A Wi-Fi-connected digital photo frame will make it possible for your older loved ones to watch their grandchildren grow, see the important and fun events in your life, and stay connected to you because you can upload new photos to the frame from your phone, any time.

Amazon Echo or a Smart Display

These are exceptionally useful gifts for seniors because they are voice-operated and hands-free, and they perform a huge range of tasks. Connect them to Wi-Fi and they will tell you the weather, play music, offer reminders and alarms, and even manage the lights in the house. If you go for a Smart Display, your senior will be able to watch videos, find everything on Google, and even video-call their loved ones. Perfect for parents living far away from their adult children!

My Life Story Book (So Far) https://www.uncommongoods.com/product/my-life-story-so-far

Available from UncommonGoods.com, this journal is a gift for both the senior and the family. It will inspire parents and grandparents to write a lasting family keepsake. The journal offers prompts, making it easier to remember details from the past. Friendships, events, first dates, fun facts - there's room for it all.

A Family Cookbook

How often do you long for your grandma's cooking and wish you had her recipes? There are tons of recipes online but they're not at all like what she used to cook. A Family Cookbook journal will make sure you'll never forget your mother's recipes. Cookbook journals come with room for about 80 recipes, and there's space for photos, notes and even hand-written reviews by family.

Ancestry.com Membership

Many older people are very interested in family history and their roots. An Ancestry.com membership will let your older loved one to not only document the family history but also find out more about their genealogy.

A Picture Phone

If the senior in your family has dementia or Alzheimer's, a picture landline phone will help them to stay connected with the family. These phones come in different designs, but the main idea is the same - there are buttons where you can insert pictures and program them to call certain numbers. The senior only needs to press a button with a picture to call the person they want.

A Recordable Book from the Grandchildren

Recordable books are a perfect gift for grandparents from their small grandchildren. These books are designed so that children can record a story in their own voice and the story will play when the grandparent opens the book. This is also a lovely gift for grandchildren, as grandparents can record the stories for them.

Tickets to an Event

If your older loved ones are in good health, give them something they will enjoy - tickets to a concert, the theatre, or a sports event. An evening out enjoying their favorite performance is a great gift for people who have it all and tell you that "they don't need anything". If you can, make this a family night out!

Finding memorable gifts for elderly people doesn't have to be difficult. I hope my list inspired you and will make your loved ones happy this holiday season!