Christmas Gift Ideas: Gifts for People with Alzheimer’s Disease

In The Loss of Self, Donna Cohen and Carl Eisdorfer wrote, “As [Alzheimer’s] disease progresses, there is little or no hope of recovery of memory, but people do not exist of memory alone.  People have feelings, imagination, desires, drives, will, and moral being. It is in these realms that there are ways to touch patients and let them touch us.”

The Christmas season offers the perfect opportunity to touch the life of someone with Alzheimer’s disease.  But finding a Christmas gift for a person with dementia can be challenging.

Life Without Memories, a caregiver support blog, suggests that you keep it simple, useful, and limited to two or three gifts.  While visual and auditory stimulation is important for people with dementia, too much stimulation is a bad idea.

Gifts for People with Early-Stage Alzheimer’s Disease

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, more than five million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease.  Half of them are living in the early stages of the disease.  They are active and healthy, but are starting to notice subtle memory problems and changes.  Christmas gift ideas to consider for people living in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease include:

Gifts for People with Middle-Stage Alzheimer’s Disease

Memory problems continue to worsen for people living in the middle stages of Alzheimer’s disease.  They generally need assistance with their daily activities.  Items that provide sensory stimulation may bring back pleasant memories.  Here are a few gift suggestions for people living in the middle stages of Alzheimer’s disease:

Gifts for People with Late-Stage Alzheimer’s Disease

People in the later stages of Alzheimer’s disease experience significant personality changes.  Their memory problems continue to worsen, and they need extensive help with their daily activities.  Here are some Christmas gift ideas for people living in the later stages of Alzheimer’s disease:

A Merry Christmas and a Safe Return

Finally, consider giving the Safe Return bracelet for Christmas.  It’s a good idea for people in all stages of Alzheimer’s disease, particularly those in the later stages. Safe Return is a nationwide identification and emergency response service sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Association.  Safe Return provides assistance should your loved one wander and become lost.

(Sources: Alzheimer’s Association.  Accessed December 1, 2009;  “Christmas Gifts for Alzheimer’s Patients.”  Life without Memories: Support for Alzheimer’s Patient Caregivers.  Retrieved December 1, 2009; “Gifts for People with Alzheimer’s and Their Caregivers.”  Best Alzheimer’s Products.  Retrieved December 1, 2009; “Holiday Gift Ideas for People with Alzheimer’s Disease and Their Caregivers.”  Today’s Caregiver.  Retrieved December 1, 2009;  Thompson, Rosalie. “Choosing Holiday Gifts for Alzheimer’s Patients.”  Suite101: September 13, 2009.)