Family caregivers are often on the clock 24/7. There are necessary things that have to be done every day. And then there are the things that tumble down the list of priorities, such as self-care, hobbies, non-essential household chores and just plain fun. Even if they have the energy and the ambition, where do they find the time?
Thoughtful gifts will take away stress and give them time to enjoy themselves. Bad gifts? Anything that requires assembly, maintenance or excessive care. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Regular Breaks – An hour or two can be a lifesaver for a caregiver. Set up a monthly or weekly schedule so they can plan activities or relaxation.
“Gift of the Month” Subscription - From make-up to pickles to flowers to coffee, you can have just about anything delivered once a month to let the caregiver in your life know you are thinking about them. They may have limited time to shop for their hobbies or specialty items they enjoy, so having them delivered right to their door is twice the joy. (Or offer to pay their streaming service subscription for the year.)
Spa Day – Caregivers deserve time for self-care and a little pampering. If they can’t do a full spa day, consider gifting a mani-pedi, facial or massage. Offer to step in and take over their duties, so they can relax and enjoy themselves for a guilt-free luxury.
Housekeeping Service – Caregivers are often exhausted. Have someone take over some of the energy-sucking tasks every household requires. You can get a whole house cleaned, or just have a crew come in to scrub the bathrooms. Or the kitchen. Or the windows. Or shampoo the carpet. Or cut the grass. You get the picture.
Run Errands – Commit to running a few errands every week, whether it’s picking up groceries, dropping off library books or paying a bill. Even when caregivers have the time to do these things, it’s more difficult and exhausting if they are running errands, in and out of transportation and buildings, with the person they care for in tow. When you go to the grocery store, hardware store or big box store for yourself, ask if there is anything you can pick up for them while you’re there.
Gift Card – People like gift cards, and caregivers love is the opportunity to use them. Give a gift card for a movie theater, bookstore, craft store, coffee shop or another favorite retailer with the caveat that they have to let you step in so they can have some time to themselves. Or give them two tickets to an event so they can use their free time to catch up with a friend.
Dinner Delivery – Give the gift of hot food at the door. Sure, technically, another gift card. But this is one they can use when they are either too tired to cook or just want a night off with a big pizza or a few boxes of Chinese food.
Crock-Pot Cooking – Gift a new slow cooker and a few healthy, frozen meals that can be dropped in and forgotten until dinnertime. Replenish the frozen dinner supply once a month.