by Melissa D. Ing

Created on: January 30, 2008   Last Updated: February 28, 2008

Everyone appreciates receiving a great and appropriate gift, and elderly persons are no exception. Before you embark on any gift buying for an older friend or relative, make sure the gift you give is appropriate both in terms of age, and interest. It is absolutely no use buying anyone a gift they won't use!

Elderly does not mean old!

Forty is the new thirty, therefore; fifty is the new forty and sixty is the new fifty! Our population is living longer, working longer and remaining more active than ever. Keeping this in mind, along with knowing what the interests and needs of the elderly person are will go along way in choosing an appropriate gift.

The gift of Technology

Contrary to pop culture myth, the elderly are just as enamoured with technology as we are, except people rarely take the time to explain it to them. Giving a gift of a computer training certificate to learn such things as basic email, Internet searching, uploading photographs, can go along way in helping an older person to keep in touch with friends and relatives. The same can be said of cell phones; you need not buy an expensive one, many pre-paid cell phones with both built in camera's and web browsers sell for less than $100.

The gift of Travel

Many elderly people live on fixed incomes making it difficult to afford to travel to see friends and family. Giving an airline ticket voucher towards at least part of the cost of a flight, or a train or bus ticket is a great way to help someone keep in touch with their peer group. This gift works especially well if a group of people share the cost; this way you may be able to afford the total cost of any travel ticket.

The gift of Health

There are numerous vitamin and health products on the market today designed to help promote longevity, and they are often by no means inexpensive. A gift card or voucher for the pharmacy or local health store is not just a compassionate gift but a useful one.

Exercise equipment is also a great gift for the elderly who have trouble getting out of the house. Balance balls, yoga mats, hand held weights and exercise DVD's are all relatively inexpensive and help the elderly remain active, especially during harsh winter months.

The most important gift you can probably give anyone, the elderly included is the gift of your time. One thing the elderly love to do is recount tales of their youth, and perhaps bringing along a tape recorder and journal will enable you to get some of these great stories down on paper. You never know, they could make for your next best seller. Just remember to split the profits with the elderly person you get the stories from!

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