We hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday! With Thanksgiving behind us and Christmas around the corner – this becomes a stressful time for many people as we prepare for the hustle and bustle of the season. However with organization and planning you can eliminate some unnecessary worries. Let us help by providing you with some ideas to mark a few people off of your gift list. It is time to give some thought to thinking about gifts for those precious seniors in your life.
According to Yahoo Contributor – Anna Swan in her recent post at http://voices.yahoo.com/top-ten-gift-ideas-senior-citizens-116809.html, these are the Top Ten Gift Ideas for Seniors this year.
1. For an elderly loved one who lives alone or in an isolated location, a Medical Emergency Notification System such as Life Alert, MedScope, or LifeLine Services is not only a wonderful gift – it could save a life! These devices are designed to be worn by the individual at all times, in either the pendant style or wrist bracelet. In the event the wearer has a medical emergency, such as falling, and is unable to reach the telephone, they can press the big button on the device and emergency medical services will be automatically summoned. These systems cost as low as $14.95 per month, and in some cases the cost my be completely covered by Medicare.
2. Large Button Cell Phone – such as the Jitterbug Cell, and the Jitterbug One Touch. These large button cells make calling easier for the senior citizen, with a lighted display, large buttons, speed dialing, caller ID on a large visual display, and all the functions of a standard cell phone. Price: around $147.00
3. If your elderly loved one has a pet companion, a truly appreciated gift would be pre-paid pet exercising services. Check your local telephone yellow pages for pet exercise services in your loved one’s area. These services are especially appreciated during winter months and the heat of the summer when walking a pet may be dangerous for senior citizens.
4. Check with your local Barbers and Hair Dressers, many will do in-home hair grooming for the elderly. You can pre-pay for the service and arrange the in-home appointment for a convenient time and date for your loved one.
5. Call the local landscapers and lawn care professionals in your loved one’s area and pre-pay for a season of lawn mowing and general lawn care. This is also a service that is greatly appreciated in extremely hot summer months!
6. Large faced electric wall clock. As we age, our eye sight sometimes diminishes. Digital clocks can be confusing and hard to set. A great gift idea for an elderly loved one would be a large faced electric wall clock. No battery to replace, and easy to see from some distance. Price: around $29.00
7. Designed primarily for the hearing impaired, a flashing light doorbell and flashing light telephone can also benefit an elderly loved one who may not always hear the doorbell or the telephone ring. These devices do require installation, and some knowledge of electrical wiring. Price: around $49.95
8. Large Button Universal TV Remote, as electronics strive to become smaller and smaller, they get increasingly harder for the elderly to use. A large button universal TV remote control can make seeing the numbers and pressing the right buttons so much easier! Price: Around $14.95
9. Lap Tables, such as the ones designed for using a lap top computer. These inexpensive tables can be very handy for the elderly to eat meals on, keep track of things such as the cordless telephone, TV remote, and eye glasses. They have literally thousands of uses, and weigh less than 3 pounds so your loved one will have no trouble pushing and pulling them to and from their chair. Price: around $19.00
10. Zippered clothing with large zipper pulls. As we age, buttons and snaps may become increasingly harder to open and close. You can find large zipper pulls in the craft section of most large department stores. A zipper with a large pull tab makes getting dressed a zip! Price: about $2.99 per large pull.
Don’t forget your Seniors this holiday season. Stop by and share a special meal, or reminisce about past times. Offer to assist them with shopping – remember if you are feeling the pressure to mark everyone off your gift list they probably are as well. Often the best gift of all is the gift of time, and you can’t put a price tag on that!
Has your stomach recovered from your Thanksgiving feast? Are you looking for an easy meal that doesn’t include Ham or Turkey? Why not try the BBQ Doctor’s recipe of the week –
Submitted by Gail McCulley, Cook at Jamestowne Assisted Living – Kingston, TN
Burgundy Beef Tips
2 lbs. Beef Tips (Sirloin)
1 pkg. Onion Soup Mix
1 cup Burgundy Cooking Wine
1 Lg. can Cream of Mushroom Soup
2 (4oz.) cans Mushroom pieces
Layer ingredients into crock-pot as follows in order: Beef Tips, Onion Soup Mix, Cooking Wine, Cream of Mushroom Soup, and Mushroom pieces. Heat on low overnight (8-10 hours). Serve over a bed of cooked egg noodles or rice. Enjoy!