Apartments at facilities for assisted living in San Marcos or San Diego County typically aren’t very large. Even a one-bedroom or two-bedroom apartment has a limited amount of space. While this actually simplifies life in many ways, if you are buying a gift for a loved one in assisted living, it does mean you need to think about items that take up little room.
Even with all the activities and socialization available at a residence for assisted living in San Marcos, it’s good to get away for a day. One great gift would be to take your loved one somewhere special. It could be tickets to a concert or play or perhaps dinner and a movie. Take your friend, parent or spouse whale watching or on a dinner cruise. If they love museums, take them down to Balboa Park for the day. Even a picnic in the park or a simple family dinner can be a great change of scene.
If you live far away, consider sending a thoughtful gift such as a bouquet of flowers or even a live plant. A couple of plants don’t take up a ton of room, but they add definitely add ambiance to your apartment for assisted living in San Marcos. You could also send a gift basket filled with soaps, lotions and bath products or perhaps some favorite snacks.
Even if you live close by, a food basket can be a thoughtful gift and you can create your own. Fill it with easy-to-prepare snacks, tea, coffee and other favorite beverages. You could even include gift cards to local restaurants that deliver as a special treat. Also, most facilities for assisted living in San Marcos allow friends and family to come and eat dinner at the facility. Be sure to come and enjoy lunch or dinner once in a while. It’s a great way to meet your loved one’s friends and also get to know the staff a bit better.
Create a bunch of CDs for your loved one featuring their favorite music. This might include theme CDs such as hits from the year they were born or favorite music that was popular during their high school days. Put all the CDs in a case and present it with a portable CD player with a radio that’s easy to use. You can also download the songs and create playlists on an MP3 player or smartphone if your loved one is comfortable using this technology and these days, many seniors are tech savvy.
Along the lines of technology, a tablet can be a great device for a person in assisted living in San Marcos or San Diego. They can use it to store family photos, read books, listen to music and audiobooks, surf the web, watch TV and play games. Tablets take up little space and most are easy to use. You can even help set it up by putting music, photographs and some books on the device prior to giving the gift.
DVDs can be a great gift, particularly if you help your loved one build a library with their favorite movies. However, DVDs can take up a lot of space, so consider ditching the cases and placing DVDs in a folder with DVD sleeves. You can create a section for each letter of the alphabet and then organize the movies alphabetically. If they have a laptop or tablet, a gift subscription to a streaming service such as Netflix or Hulu also might be a great gift that takes up no space.
During the holidays, a personalized calendar can be a handy and thoughtful gift. You can create your calendar online and add tons of family photos, as well as adding in special dates such as family birthdays. You could also give the gift of an electronic picture frame. These can store hundreds of pictures and then display them in a slideshow setting. It’s a great way to enjoy family photos without having to store tons of photo books.
Soft blankets, robes and slippers are a few other options to consider. Even taking someone on a shopping spree and getting some new clothes can be fun. Take your loved one to the salon for a hairstyle, manicure and pedicure or take Dad to the barber shop for a haircut and professional shave. In some cases, a hair stylist or barber can come directly to the assisted living facility to provide services, although it might be more fun to spend a day out on the town being pampered.