Staying personally and emotionally connected with loved ones who have dementia or Alzheimer’s disease is so important. Especially as the disease progresses, they may not always remember who you are or the memories you’ve shared together, but you can still have special moments going forward, ensuring that your loved one still knows that they are cared about and loved. And gift-giving is a common way to show that we care.

So, through the challenges of dementia, let’s look at what kind of gifts you can give to celebrate your relationship, whether that’s with a parent, a spouse, a friend, or another family member.

Their favorite media

Music, in particular, is great for triggering memories, so gifting your loved one a CD, record, or even something like an iPod with their favorite music from different points of their life can be a nice gift for reminiscing and sparking specific memories or emotions. Similarly, you could gift them DVDs of their favorite movies or TV shows for them to enjoy and reminisce over.

Photographs

Remind your loved one of all the great times you’ve shared together or moments and relationships from different points of their lives with photographs. You could frame a few memorable and meaningful photos or put together a whole photo album for them to look through. Or digital frames that automatically switch between the pictures uploaded. Again, this is a great way of reminiscing with them while also potentially triggering their memory.

Arts, crafts, and puzzles

Arts, crafts, and cognitive activities are great for keeping the mind engaged, which can even help to slow down the progression of their symptoms. So, you’ve got lots of possible gift ideas there, especially if you know they enjoy puzzles or arts and crafts. You could purchase puzzle books or a puzzle game if they’re savvy enough with technology. Then there’s adult coloring books, paint sets or paint by numbers kits, and various craft materials. Creating art can even serve as a way to communicate how they’re feeling once their speech and conversational abilities start to decline.

Flowers

A simple gift such as a bunch of flowers can show that you care while also stimulating their senses through the bright, attractive colors and the nice smells of the flowers. A low maintenance houseplant is another good option, keeping nature and greenery in their everyday environment. These are especially great ideas if your loved one doesn’t have their own garden with plants and flowers.

Make sure that your loved one has the special care that they need as their condition progresses, with assisted living from Brookstone of Clemmons. Get in touch to find out more about our care services in Clemmons, NC.