Gift Ideas for Nursing Home Staff

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When you have a loved one living in a nursing home, you would have visited the establishment often and familiarized yourself with many of the nursing staff at that place.

You would have seen that these skilled nursing home staff take good care of your loved one and do all that they can to make a nursing home resident‘s life better.

Gift Ideas

It is only fitting that you show these nursing home healthcare workers that you are truly grateful for their hard work in keeping the elderly happy and healthy.

Many of you have even had positive, uplifting experiences where your beloved elderly family member was treated with the utmost care and caution by the elderly staff that the patient stayed in good spirits even while lying in bed, exhausted and sick from illness.

Assisted-living facility staff care for our loved ones as their lives come to an end. They feed them, give them shower, and sometimes just hold their hands to provide a bit of companionship.

We believe that a dedicated, kind caregiver needs to be appreciated and if you are thinking along the same lines, read on to know our thoughts on gift ideas for nursing home staff…

Now, the first question to ask is, has your elderly family member become attached to a particular staff member because of his/her service and care, you should consider getting that person an extra something to show your appreciation and gratitude.

Moving onto the gifts…

1. Hand Cream

Think of all the constant cleansing with chemical-laden soap, hand sanitizer, and disinfectants that a nursing home staff goes through every single day.

An ultra-rich hand cream that gets to work on dry, cracked, or peeling skin would make a marvelous gift idea for a caregiver. Bonus points if the hand cream has a light, uplifting scent to it; after a hard day’s work, a nurse‘s hands could definitely do with some pampering!

2. Bath Basket

Here’s something more to pamper your family caregiver– a lovely basket of bath products, which includes a body wash/body gel, body butter, a creamy lathering soap, body oil might just be the perfect gift for nursing staff in a senior living community.

Bath Basket

Just keep in mind that you need to select only mildly fragranced products and those that do not irritate or cause sensitivity.

 

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3. Compression Socks

Nursing home staff are on their feet all day; there’s a lot of hurrying up and down and the constant physical exertion does take a toll on one’s feet.

Enter a pair of compression socks-these help maintain blood flow and keep discomfort and swelling to a minimum. We suggest that you look up online reviews to find the highest rating compression socks available and buy a few pairs for the essential workers in the assisted living center.

4. Headband with Buttons

Okay, so whoever thought of this idea must be a genius! By wearing a headband that has a button sewn on its side(near the ears) the nurse can loop her mask onto the buttons, thus relieving the pain and swelling behind the ears from wearing the mask for long hours.

With a headband with buttons, the nurse can keep her hair away from her face, at the same use the buttons to attach their masks in place.

5. A Soft, Cozy Sweater

Who wouldn’t love a luxuriously soft sweater that can keep you cozy and warm? As you would have gotten more acquainted with your loved one‘s favorite staff member, you would most likely have an idea of the colors he/she prefers and the kind of materials they wear.

You could gift the caregiver a warm and cozy sweater in their favorite shade and pattern as a wonderful thank you gift for all the hard work they have been doing and the kindness they have shown to the nursing home resident.

 

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6. Scarf/hat/glove set

Set of gloves scarf and hat

Winters are tough for everyone, and for the ones who toil all day long, the cold can be unforgiving.

Just like the sweater, a matching set of gloves-hat-scarf combo can be a thoughtful gift, apt for a beloved family caregiver.

7. Tote Bag

Tote bags are affordable and functional, people can always use an extra one, and – when the right bag is chosen – they serve as a great way of showing you truly ‘get’ someone and their personality.

Also, if you have the budget for two gifts, a great tote can also double as a gift bag; you can simply give the present in the tote bag itself.

8. Fitbit

Nurses are on their feet day-in and day-out, now just imagine the kind of stats that would tally up to on a Fitbit! We are suggesting that a Fitbit can remind your favorite nurse that they gotta take care of themselves too.

Get your healthcare worker the chance to track his/her sleep cycle, quality of sleep, and heart rate- it is only fitting that someone who looks after the health and happiness of others is physically fit and content themselves!

 

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9. Overnight Face Masks

Okay, so the year 2020 has enlightened you to the acute discomforts and stress on your face and skin after long hours of wearing protective gear. You’ve also been seeing many healthcare professionals on social media, with painful bruising and sores on their faces.

For people who have to wear a tight-fitting mask all day, a bit of pampering for their facial skin is in order. As a thoughtful gift, you could get them a thoroughly moisturizing face mask that can be left on overnight.

A mask can certainly help relieve some of that discomfort caused by tight-fitting protective gear.

10. Gift card

We know that a gift card is kind of an easy option; you are not putting too much thought and effort behind this gift and some would say it is quite impersonal.

But then, what if the nurse you are buying the gift for has been very vocal about his/her love for a particular restaurant or store, it would be lovely to receive a gift card from that place and we would love to see the look on her face as you hand over the thoughtful present to her!

11. An Instant Pot

Okay, so a nurse is someone who is tending to the sick and needy most of the time; so much that when she gets home, all she wants to do is flop down onto the couch and sleep forever. If she craves home-cooked meals often but is too tired to do it by herself, an Instant Pot would make a perfect gift.

 

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12. Nespresso Machine

We know how much coffee it takes to power us up in the mornings, so you can imagine that a nurse in a long term care facility will need something concrete than an average cup of jo!

Show them your love with a Nespresso machine that can produce a foaming cup of coffee whenever needed.

Nespresso machine

13. Coffee Mug 

A nice to-go mug is one of those things that are essential, and you can get them a personalized coffee mug that shows how much you love the person or even go for coffee mugs that have a witty message engraved on it.

14. Cozy Slippers

We have been drawing your attention to the fact that nurses are on their feet all day long, how can we not suggest something cozy and warm for their feet? A pair of comfortable house slippers would be a welcoming sight to get home to.

Now, we would like to help you with creating a gift basket for the nurses in a long term care facility.

 

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How to Put Together a DIY Gift Basket for Nursing Home Staff:

  • To start with, finalize on a cute basket for placing the gifts. Many people would already have a nice basket around the house, but if not, you can try the local thrift or dollar store as you can get sturdy, cute ones there without breaking the bank.
  • Fix a budget and evaluate what sort of basket you want to put together.
  • List down the items and shop for the items to fill up the basket.
  • For example, if you are fixing up a food basket, you could shop for two or three varieties of coffee, rich coffee creamer, a box of sugar cubes, a packet of cookies, and some candies. 
  • If you are on a budget and are planning the basket to give to each of the nursing home staff, you can get plain coffee mugs at the dollar store, and work on it to give it some personalization.
  • Arrange the basket with the goodies in a pleasing, eye-catchy way. Ribbons strewn around artistically make a great visual display.
  • Wrap the basket with clear paper and put a bow on the handle of the basket for a handmade, cute look.

Just a word of caution: Before you move on to finding a gift for the nursing staff, you might want to check whether the area where your loved one resides does not allow their employees to receive certain types of gifts, there may still ways to show your appreciation.

In most cases gifts are acceptable; just make sure to cross-check with the nursing home management so you don’t get anyone in trouble. 

For the incoming holiday, you might be interested in reading Christmas Gifts for Nursing Home Staff.

We sincerely hope that you loved our suggestions and would like to know what your thoughts are!

Do let us know in the comments below!