One of your parents is really struggling right now, but you can help alleviate that. 

Dementia is not an easy disease to deal with, especially when the person suffering from it is your parent. You don’t ever want to see your parents struggle, and you would hate to see them forget the important parts of their life, but all you can do is support them through it. Your mom or your dad will be having a really hard time while dealing with this illness, so you should be there for them as much as you can. Do whatever you can to make them feel comfortable during this difficult time. Perhaps even a gift for parent with dementia.

This issue may have you feeling absolutely powerless, but you can always do little things to help. You can’t get rid of the disease yourself, but you can always make things somewhat easier for your parents to deal with. As your mom or dad struggles with this illness, some small gestures can make them feel better by letting them know you care and want them to be happy. You should look towards getting them a gift that makes their days go by easier and a lot more comfortably. 

Gift for parent with dementia

A gift can make anyone feel better, even when things are hard. Dementia isn’t an easy illness to go through, but you can do what it takes to help out. Anything on this list is something your mom or dad will be very grateful for. 

Watch

A watch is a gift that will be really helpful for someone with dementia. Your mom or dad might have more of an issue keeping up with the time at this point, so a watch is very necessary. Make sure to get a watch that is easy to read so that they can always look down at their arm and remind themselves of the time whenever they need. Something simple that still looks good is best for this gift. It’s something they should be able to wear every day, so it should look good with every outfit. Neutral colors will work best for an everyday watch. 

This watch from Amazon would make a very useful gift. Black goes with everything and won’t clash with any future outfits your mom or dad might wear. A watch will go a really long way towards making sure each day goes as planned when your parents are having a tough time keeping track because they frequently forget what time it is. 

Calendar

There is so much room to fill in any obligations. Image courtesy of Homemade Gifts Made Easy.

A calendar is something that can really help your mom or dad keep track of each day. Whenever they forget what day it is, they just have to look to the calendar to figure it out. If they cross out each previous day whenever they wake up, the days will be even easier to track. They can also easily write down key words on certain days just to make sure they will remember  when they look at the calendar. 

This is something that can make the life of someone with dementia so much easier. It can eventually become a habit for your mom or dad to walk straight to the calendar once they wake up so they can figure out how to go about planning their day. And make sure to help them put it in a prominent spot in the house where they will be sure to notice it. 

Clock

A clock is also a great gift to get for your struggling parent. A watch is helpful for when they are out, and a wall clock is good for them to have in the house. Your mom or dad will still need to keep track of time even while they are in the house, so they need to have a clock hanging where they can see it. You need to get them a clock that is easily readable and also great looking so that it looks good hanging on the wall. When it comes to picking out a wall clock, you can go with something fun that both your parents will enjoy looking at. Get something that will draw their eyes toward it. 

Consider a clock specifically created for memory care and dementia, like this one from Amazon. It displays the time, date, weather, and important reminders like Drink Water, Wash Hands, Take Medication… All without any confusing abbreviation, so your parent can establish themselves in time just by reading it.

Planner

A planner is one of the best gifts you can give to someone with dementia. They may not have thought of it on their own, but once they have it, they may realize just how necessary it is. A planner gives a person daily and weekly room to write down in detail the things they need to do. Writing short notes on a calendar is definitely helpful, but having a planner allows a person to go even more in depth with the details. A planner can easily work side by side with the wall calendar and make responsibilities easier to manage. 

This should be a planner that is small enough for your mom or dad to carry whenever they might need it, and large enough so that they can easily write and read from the planner. Every planner is laid out differently, so you should make sure to get a planner that lays everything out in a way you feel will work best for you mom or dad. When they are able to write down some details about the things they need to do whenever plans come up, they will have a much easier time keeping up with commitments than they would have on their own. 

Alexa

Since you have a parent that is losing their memory, you probably worry that they don’t have enough help with getting through each day. Alexa is a digital personal assistant that can offer your mom or dad help in certain times of need. This probably isn’t something they are used to using, but over time they will likely end up getting used to it and appreciate the benefits they offer. All they have to do is call Alexa’s name, and Alexa will respond and be ready to help with a technological need. 

With Alexa, if your mom or dad wants to call you, all they have to do is call Alexa’s name and tell Alexa to call you. They can also have Alexa control the television, make video calls, and more. Alexa will help your parents find out the weather reports, read audiobooks, and answer any questions they might have. Alexa can serve as a personal Google. Your parents won’t even have to pull out their phone or their laptops to search up certain information. All they have to do is call Alexa and mention what they want. 

Bathrobe

A bathrobe will keep your mom or dad super comfortable. Whether they are coming out of the shower or just lounging around the house, a bathrobe will make the whole experience even more comfortable than before. You need to get something thick and fluffy for maximum comfort. When someone isn’t feeling well, they will usually need a lot of rest, and your mom or dad probably really needs some rest right now. Getting them something really cozy to lounge in will only make the rest process even easier. 

Your mom or dad will feel so good lying around the house in a fluffy robe. It will feel so good for them to lounge around and read, watch TV, or even fall asleep while wearing a robe. You can find a large robe in your mom or dad’s favorite color and let them enjoy it.

Slippers

When making sure your mom or dad feels more comfortable, you should also think about their feet. A nice pair of warm slippers can make it more comfortable for your parents to walk around their house as they go about their day. If someone has cold feet, they likely aren’t feeling very relaxed. Warm slippers will keep your mom or dad’s feet snug and cozy as they walk across hard floors. 

You can have some fun while buying a pair of slippers for your mom or dad. You can go with a pair that’s more classic or you can go with something more wild and fun. Whatever you think your mom or dad will like the most, get it for them and watch them sashay around their home even more comfortably than they did before. 

Meal Train

Your parents have cooked for you for so long, and now it’s time to return the favor. Setting up a meal train for your parents is something that will be a big help to them. A meal train involves a person’s friends or family preparing and delivering meals to them during times of need. Eating is something everyone has to do each day, and the process to prepare food can be time consuming and costly. It can take hours to plan and prepare a meal to enjoy, and that often isn’t a pleasant way for someone who is struggling to pass their time, especially when they have a tough time even remembering to cook. Any daily activity can feel like a burden when life isn’t necessarily going too well, even when it’s a chore someone usually enjoys. 

One of the best ways to help a parent who is suffering through dementia is to set up a meal train so that you can ease some of their burdens. Give InKind is there to help you the whole way through setting up a meal train for your parents. They are there for all of life’s most challenging moments. Everything you need to set up a successful meal train can be found right on their website. You can create an InKind page for your friend in only five minutes. And then you can share photos, food and delivery preferences, and much more.

GiveInKind will help facilitate the whole process. You can write down your parents’ favorite meals on the InKind Page you’ve set up for them. All anyone who wants to help out has to do is pick a meal and choose how they will have it delivered. They can choose to make and deliver it themselves, have it delivered by a restaurant on GrubHub, or pay for a gift card from a specific restaurant. 

Framed Photographs

A photograph or a few will make a great gift for a parent suffering through dementia. Pictures are important memories, especially for a parent with dementia. You can help by framing the best pictures of you together. You can help remind them by framing some of the best pictures you have of you all together. They might not remember some of their fondest moments with their family.

Having some memorable moments framed so they can’t completely forget it will mean a lot to them. They can always glance at them whenever they need to feel some comfort and joys. 

Your parents are some of the most important people in your life, and when one of them gets dementia, it can hurt everyone. No one wants the people they made the strongest memories with to forget them over time, but you will have to find ways to cope. You will especially want to help them through this difficult time. It will be upsetting to experience your parent losing their memory, but they are having a much harder time with it. So consider gifting them something to help make life a bit easier to manage.