While COVID-19 restrictions are easing up around the world, nursing homes have yet to lift visitor restrictions. This makes it difficult for friends, families, and loved ones to visit or spend time with their loved ones who are living in nursing homes at the moment.
While the internet allows you to remain connected, there are other ways you can show your love and affection through the gifts you send. These are great gifts to send loved ones in nursing homes.
Lotion and Personal Care Gift Baskets
Consult with nursing care staff to make sure your loved one isn't restricted from certain items, especially those containing certain perfumes or dyes. Dry skin is a constant problem for aging populations and gift baskets with lotions designed for aging skin can be a true blessing for people who live in nursing homes today.
Photo Albums or Scrapbooks
You could even send them an electronic photo frame filled with family pictures to make them smile and help them feel closer to loved ones who are far away. Scrapbooks are great because you can also fill the pages with messages of love and support while showing off images of loved ones near and far. Photo albums are something they can easily store and use to feel close to home whenever they miss family. Most nursing homes have no restrictions on items like this and are happy to have families involved in the lives of their residents — even while social distancing.
A Tablet Device
When choosing tablet devices for loved ones in nursing homes, it's important to understand that you won't be there, during this time of social distancing, to show your loved one how to use it. It needs to be one that is intuitive and easy to understand and, preferably, one with a larger screen to accommodate aging eyes.
Once they have the tablet device, you can walk them through the process of getting started with things like Skype or Facetime so that you can communicate freely even if you can't connect in person.
The thing to remember during these trying times is that it is still all about connections. Shower loved ones in nursing homes with gifts that allow them to feel connected to you and others even when you can't be there in person to connect. Perhaps the greatest gift to send loved ones in nursing homes, though, is a hand-written letter or card that is something they can hold in their hands and read over and over again.
To get more information about nursing homes, visit a site like http://www.vvrconline.org.
