Posts Tagged ‘gifts’
Thursday, December 13th, 2012
Senior gifts can be difficult to come by when your loved one seems to have it all. Making your senior gifts useful, not just decorative, can be a key to successful senior gifts and presents.
So make stuff for your senior gifts. If you’re handy in the shop, a book holder or playing card holder, nicely finished and supplied with large face cards or a new novel, would make wonderful senior gifts. You can find ideas and patterns on-line. Make cookies, bread and rolls or soup and freeze them in appropriate-sized portions. Home made food makes splendid gifts for seniors.
Simplicity has patterns for a number of senior items, from aprons and wheelchair robes to walker bags. It would be a fun event if you supplied a gift box including a pattern and a selection of fabrics, and arranged to bring a portable sewing machine and spend an afternoon with your senior, putting together these simple necessities as a custom gift.
Senior Gifts Can Solve A Problem
Think about helpful senior gifts that solve a problem. If your loved one is hard of hearing or spends time focused on the TV or computer, there are flashing doorbells and phone flashers/amplifiers. Choosing and installing products can ahve a realy positive long term benefit. How about a portable phone that can move easily from room to room? Senior gifts that are functional can be especially good choices.
Do you have a senior who really needs to declutter or downsize? Take photos of pieces of furniture or treasures that need to go. Often, seniors can part with the item if they have an image that triggers the good memories. Senior gifts can include creating a “memory picture book” of dad’s old sweater, the cookbooks from 30 years ago, or a beat up chair that used to hold all the kids.
Don’t forget the cozy sheepskin slip-ons (with a good non-skid bottom), lightweight fleece tops and bottoms, or even a lightweight fleece hat to wear around the house. Easy, washable layers should be somewhat tailored fitting, however, to avoid tripping, catching on doorknobs or coming in contact with hot burners.
Finally, given senior gifts that honor your loved one and recognize their community interests. Gifts to Habitat for Humanity in your area, the Heifer Project or a Kiva account are wonderful. Heifer Project gifts are wonderful senior gifts for farmers, folks who raised chickens or rabbits, bee keepers and foresters. Kiva allows the recipient to invest (in $25 increments) in entrepreneurial project all around the world, with frequent updates.
Giving thoughtful gifts with a generous spirit means so much more than a generous wallet. Check out gifts for seniors for more ideas! Merry Christmas and happy holidays!
Tags: Christmas gifts, fun, gifts, holidays, preserving memories
Posted in Health and Wellness, Home Support, Information You Can Use, News | No Comments »
Wednesday, December 12th, 2012
Still looking for gifts for seniors? Stretch your imagination! Sometimes gifts for seniors are waiting at the grocery store, in the sewing aisle at your local home goods store, or even on-line.
First, check out your local garden center, grocery store or a place like Reny’s for bulbs. Amaryllis bulbs make great gift gifts for seniors when you plant them in a nice pot. Put three of a kind in a small window box for a fabulous display. They don’t take up much room, can survive a wide temperature variation (but not freezing), don’t need much watering, and grow slowly and reliably, giving weeks of pleasure. And the blooms last for several weeks. Or make a calendar garden. Start with narcissus in a clear pot with gravel for January. Get a hyacinth or two in little water jars for February. The amaryllis will bloom by March. Add a pot of daffodils kept in a cool location and your senior will have early spring flowers.
While pets can sometimes make great gifts for seniors, they require a financial commitment and care. If a cat, dog or bird is too much for your senior, consider Beta (Siamese fighting fish). They don’t require much care, live in a regular sized fish bowl (rather than an aquarium) and come in a striking array of colors. They do best in a fairly warm house. Make sure you include fish food.
Gifts for Seniors Can Include Services
Give a service. Gifts for seniors could include time with a loved one doing something special. Make up a little manicure kit with clear nail polish and other necessities, and supply a gift card for monthly manicures and a nice visit. Mark it on the calendar so you’ll both remember. Home made gift cards for snow shoveling, foot massages or specific household tasks are appreciated. Or supply an event: movie tickets, theater tickets, a trip to the Gray animal farm, or a lighthouse tour with lunch might be a great gift for someone who wants companionship and time with you. Or offer garden tilling with some seeds, or car washes with a new sponge.
Check out senior gifts for more ideas.
Tags: Christmas gifts, fun, gardens, gifts, holidays
Posted in Health and Wellness, Home Support, Information You Can Use, News | No Comments »
Friday, November 16th, 2012
With freezing temperatures and winter weather on the way, Merrymeeting Bay Triad announced that the “Coats For Seniors” collection drive will again culminate at the L.L.Bean Flagship Store in Freeport on November 16-18, 2012, during the opening weekend of L.L. Bean’s Northern Lights Celebration.
Volunteers from Triad, Maine’s Area Agencies on Aging (AAA)and local communities will staff a “Coats for Seniors” collection table in the lobby of L.L.Bean to accept clean gently worn adult winter coats, which then will be distributed to seniors in need through the AAAs and other community agencies. In addition to providing support for the coat collection, L.L.Bean will also donate $5 for each coat received to Maine Association of Area Agencies on Aging to provide emergency heating assistance to low income seniors.
“Over the past four years, local businesses, community groups, congregations and concerned individuals all over mid-coast and southern Maine have collected thousands of warm winter coats that have helped make the winter season a bit warmer and brighter for a senior in need,” said Connie Lewis Hooker, co-chair of Merrymeeting Bay Triad. “Coats For Seniors” is a great excuse to check out L.L.Bean’s Northern Lights Celebration in Freeport! However, if you cannot make it to Freeport during the Coats for Seniors Collection, several satellite collection spots have been established for those interested in donating a coat,” she added.
Lewis-Hooker advised checking the Maine Association of Area Agencies on Aging website for a list of satellite collection sites for the Coats for Seniors program.
Coats for Seniors Requires Dedicated Volunteers
“We couldn’t pull off this wonderful event if it weren’t for the many dedicated volunteers collecting, transporting and distributing coats, or other partners including Pratt-Abbott Cleaners and Goodwill Industries,” added this year’s volunteer coordinator Michele Walters of Bath. Goodwill Industries is working with several AAAs to provide vouchers for the purchase of a winter coat from a Goodwill Retail Store where storage of the coats is not practical. Coats are expected to be available to seniors in need starting on November 19th.
Jessica Maurer, Executive Director of the Maine Association of Area Agencies on Aging emphasized the need for donations. “Unfortunately there are too many older Mainers living on fixed incomes who are struggling every day to buy food, heat their homes and pay for prescription drugs. They simply don’t have money to buy extras, including adequate winter coats. This program makes an immediate positive improvement in the lives of hundreds of our elders each year and the funds donated by L.L.Bean will keep providing help throughout the winter.”
Merrymeeting Bay Triad is an all-volunteer organization that brings together senior citizens, law enforcement and community service agencies to promote senior safety and to reduce the fear of crime and isolation that seniors often experience. To learn more about Merrymeeting Bay Triad, visit their website.
The Maine Association of Area Agencies on Aging provides a unifying voice for Maine’s five Area Agencies on Aging on issues that promote independence, health and economic self-reliance for Maine’s disabled and aging adults.
Tags: caregiver assistance, cold weather, gifts, Maine senior gifts
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Wednesday, May 9th, 2012
Mother’s Day is next Sunday, May 13. Traditionally the second Sunday in May, Mother’s Day became an official holiday in 1914. Mother’s Day gift ideas often center around spring and it’s an especially fun holiday to celebrate and shop for.
Here are a few Mother’s Day gift ideas that might inspire you!
- The traditional Mother’s Day brunch or lunch, with a nice card
- Flowers or a blooming plant
- Seeds or plants for the garden, and a gift certificate for some planting help
- Blossom-scented soaps and lotions
- A pretty spring-colored cardigan
- Flower-themed cards or stationery, and stamps
- a gift in her name to a favorite non-profit or organization
- Alter flowers in her honor at church
- a basket of favorite foods
- a card filled with gift certificates for help around the house or yard or road trips to favorite place
- movie gift cards, or perhaps a NetFlix subscription
- Tickets to a concert or summer theater or trip to the Maine Botanic Gardens
- an appointment for a multi-generational family portrait
Experiences and time count for alot, but it you’re far away, helping your mom enjoy something that’s special to her is one of the great Mother’s Day gift ideas. Does she finally have time for painting lessons? Has she always longed to learn how to hook rugs, play the piano or learn French? Italian or Chinese cooking classes? An exercise program?
One of the best Mother’s Day gift ideas is simply to write a long letter, detailing a few favorite memories, and thanking mom for the time she spent raising you.
Tags: fun, gardens, gifts
Posted in Home Support, Information You Can Use, News | No Comments »
Wednesday, April 18th, 2012
Help AARP Stamp Out Hunger in Maine. On Saturday, May 12, 2012 you can make a difference to hungry people in your community. Plan your shopping now to include an item or two every week, so you can donate a bagful to Stamp Out Hunger.
For the 2nd year, AARP Maine and the AARP Foundation will sponsor Stamp Out Hunger, the nation’s largest single-day food drive, under their Drive to End Hunger program. This is the 20th year of this effort, which is hosted by the National Association of Letter Carriers and the U.S. Postal Service.
What should you put in the bag? Canned meats and fish, canned soup, juice, pasta and pasta sauce, canned vegetables, cereal and rice are good choices. Make sure peanut butter is in plastic, not glass. Consider canned or dried formula, too. Check expiration dates in you’re raiding your own cupboard, and DO NOT include glass containers. You can help stamp out hunger in other ways, too. This is also a great chance to volunteer at your local food pantry to help off load, sort or organize incoming food. 
Here’s how it works: On May 12, letter carriers across the country will collect non-perishable food donations from their postal customers at the same time as they deliver the mail. They – in some cases with the help of volunteers – will then deliver these donations to a local food bank or pantry. Households nationwide will be alerted to the opportunity to participate in this food drive through a postcard or bag delivered to their home. Go to http://www.drivetoendhunger.org/fillthebag for more information and to enter a sweepstakes to win a year of free groceries!
If you want to know more about food insecurity in Maine, here’s a great article from the Lewiston Sun Journal that really puts a face on families who struggle weekly to put enough food on the table.
Just over 15 percent of Maine households weren’t able to put adequate food on the table at times during the past year, according to the latest survey by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That’s up from about 9 percent a decade ago. The number of food supplement — formerly known as food stamps — cases has more than doubled in the past 10 years, from about 53,000 in August 2001 to more than 132,000 in August 2011.
Stamp Out Hunger: Food Insecurity Grows in Maine
Tags: Activities, food, gifts
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Saturday, April 14th, 2012
Have you always planned to help your grandchildren pay for college? With the price of college nowadays, college tuition help from grandparents matters more than ever. There are several ways you can help them with college expenses and save on your tax bill at the same time.
Here are three tips to help grandchildren pay for college.
College Tuition Help from Grandparents
1. Write a Check to the Child
Just as in 2011, you can give a grandchild $13,000 in cash a year — or $26,000 if your spouse joins in the gift — without incurring gift tax implications. Write the check and give it to your grandchild. Still have time before college? Set up a custodial account at a bank, mutual fund or brokerage firm. The money can be used for tuition or other college-related expenses.
2. Give Stock
College tuition help from grandparents can also take the form of appreciated stock or other investments. If you give appreciated stock or other investments to your college-bound grandkids, your family can potentially cut the capital gains tax bill. Let’s say you want to sell stock you’ve owned two years to free up some cash for tuition. You will probably pay 15 percent capital gains tax rate on the profit. But you can give a certain amount to your grandkids at a lower tax rate.
Keep in mind that if your child is under age 19, or age 24 if a full-time student, the Kiddie Tax rules may apply.
If a child affected by the Kiddie Tax rules receives “unearned income” above a $1,900 threshold in 2012 (unchanged from 2011), the excess is taxed at the top tax rate of the child’s parents. In other words, a portion of your child’s earnings could be taxed at a rate of up to 35 percent. If the threshold is not exceeded, the Kiddie Tax doesn’t apply for that year. If it is exceeded, only unearned income in excess of the threshold gets taxed at the parents’ higher rates.
3. Pay Tuition Yourself
Tuition can be paid directly to a financial institution with no gift tax implications, under current tax law, but the money cannot pass through the hands of grandchildren (or their parents) first. It has to go right to the university. This approach might be appealing if you’re worried about the youngsters spending it frivolously.
This tax break applies only to tuition and can’t be used to pay room, board and other college expenses. However, you can still give your grandchild a cash gift of up to $13,000 in 2012 (unchanged from 2011) to cover those other expenses ($26,000 if your spouse joins in the gift) and not incur any gift tax implications. College tuition help from grandparents: the gift that keeps on giving.
Tags: Christmas gifts, fun, gifts, Maine senior gifts, senior finances, taxes
Posted in Information You Can Use, News, Social Seniors | No Comments »
Tuesday, December 20th, 2011
Need more holiday gift ideas for Maine seniors? Here are a few from our alert readers:
Sam H. from South Freeport suggests gift cards from Shaw’s, Hannafords or other supermarkets. Especially handy because they can be used for everything from perscriptions to fresh flowers!
Erica H. from New Hampshire suggests craft kits that seniors can make with grandchildren, like mosaic stones for the garden, colorful plant pots or birdseed pinecones. You provide the supplies, the kids and the camera!
Tom J. from Portland suggests gift certificates to transportation services like ITN or a local cab company. Work it out so that you can run a tab, and your loved one can regain some independence.
Gail L. of Rumford loves the idea of rotating meal-visits or outings. Breakfast one month, lunch the next, then dinner, and finally a movie out, then start again. It guarantees a monthly date and something for both of you to look forward to!
Joyce K. of Windham bought photo albums and scheduled time to sit with her grandparents and go through some old boxes of photos, label them, and get them in “family history” albums…something we all say we’re going to do, but somehow….. this is a great, inexpensive teen idea.
Keep those ideas coming!
Tags: Activities, Christmas gifts, fun, gifts, holidays, Maine senior gifts
Posted in Home Support, Information You Can Use, News | 1 Comment »
Friday, December 16th, 2011
Need some Maine senior gift ideas? Wondering what senior Christmas presents to get the folks who don’t want a single thing, have too much already, or don’t want to deal with any more stuff? Most older folks don’t really want to add to collections, their drawers are filled with unworn sweaters and their closet holds a stack of slippers.
What makes a good gift? Choose consumables! And that includes time. Here are some quick tips by category:
Food items
Other consumables
- Lotion, home made hand scrub, bath salts
- A gift certificate to hair salon or barber
- Stamps and note cards
- Gift certificates for help around the house or with seasonal chores
Trips, Events and Outings
Give experiences. And say that you’ll go along, because often seniors want more time with their families. Many seniors like:
- Memory Lane trip, a narrated trip (someone else drives around a special area, the senior talks, and you ask questions and take notes and photos)
- Trip through the china closet, where each special piece is discussed and photographed, so you’ll never wonder which side of the family it came from
- A calendar with a monthly date all set for a fun outing
- Membership in local Audubon, historical society or any other special interest group
- Movie tickets
- Theater tickets at your community theater or summer stock
- Community ed trips to area happenings
- Museum entrance and lunch, from the Portland Museum of Art to the Maine State Museum, Maine Maritime Museum, or Institute of Contemporary Art.
- Bowling
- Sleigh ride
- Out to buy hobby supplies
- Manicure/pedicure
- To local greenhouse
Charitable donations
Many seniors appreciate a gift given in their name if they can’t quite afford to support a favorite charity. And the gift doesn’t have to be money. Volunteer at an agency once a month as a gift of time to your older loved one.
Tags: Christmas gifts, food, fun, gifts, holidays, preserving memories, senior wisdom
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Thursday, September 1st, 2011
Do you enjoy baking? Are fresh apples and delicious peaches calling you? Well, whip up your competitive spirit, whip out those measuring cups, and bake a pie to benefit elders in the Gorham/Westbrook area!
In Home Senior Services and A Perfect Move will be hosting the Inaugural Pie Bake and Auction to benefit the Gorham/Westbrook TRIAD. The TRIAD is a partnership of public safety agencies, community services and senior citizens. The goal of the partnership is to reduce the victimization and enhance the safety of our seniors.
The contest and auction are part of a free luncheon and networking event Friday, September 16 at noontime at 426 Bridge St. in Westbrook. Pies entered in the contest will be judged on best tasting, best looking, People’s Choice, and biggest bidder. If you’re a baker and would consider baking a pie for this wonderful event, contact Kathy or Terri at 207-856-1212 or e-mail them at ihss@inhomeseniorservices.com.
Everyone is invited to attend, enjoy lunch and meeting people, and bid on the many delicious pies that will be offered. You don’t have to be a baker to enjoy this event, just someone who likes pies! (To be honest, I often paid my sons in pies for extra-big chores done around the house. Even now, tasks are defined by pie-worthiness.) Pies make great gifts!
Many thanks to The Gorham Grind, Applebee’s and Hannafords for sponsoring this event. Equal thanks to In Home Senior Services and A Perfect Move for hosting. I’ll be there with my entry. Lemon merangue (worth a coat of paint on the cellar stairs) or mixed berry (trimming the raspberry patch)? Or maybe a nice fresh apple pie, proper payment for doing a good deed.
Tags: food, fun, gifts
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Saturday, December 25th, 2010
I’d like to take a moment out of this busy day to thank my two sons for a great Christmas gift: understanding and empathy.
Last year, when I started Maine Senior Guide and there was a lot more money going out in business development than was coming in for writing services, I decided to shut down my hot tub to decrease our family’s electric bill. My hot tub was an extension of my office: I read there, planned my writing and worked on proposals. I was in the tub at least once a day, far more than other family members, so it was a sad (though brave) recognition of economic reality, and one of several belt-tightening measures over the last 18 months as we launched the business.
Ben and Aaron
My sons decided that they needed to lower my stress level, so for Christmas they put the tub back together, got it filled and heated, and handed me a cash gift of the money needed to run the tub for a year. It was an incredibly generous gesture, but more than that, it was insightful and attentive. I love that they thought about how they could they help mum relax and enjoy her life and the entrepreneurial journey a little more.
They are 22 and 25, out of college, fledged into their own lives and both experimenting with jobs on the other side of the country. As I watch the winter night sparkle from the warm depths of the tub, I remember that the stars are there all the time, we just can’t always see them, and that they pass from my night’s vision to appear later in Colorado and finally in California. The stars in your sky are the stars in mine, and I love you, boys.
Tags: Christmas gifts, fun, gifts, holidays, preserving memories
Posted in News, Social Seniors | No Comments »
So make stuff for your senior gifts. If you’re handy in the shop, a book holder or playing card holder, nicely finished and supplied with large face cards or a new novel, would make wonderful senior gifts. You can find ideas and patterns on-line. Make cookies, bread and rolls or soup and freeze them in appropriate-sized portions. Home made food makes splendid gifts for seniors.
