The home of expert impartial advice about Live In Care.

Great present ideas to help you find the perfect gift for the loved one in your life with dementia, with a focus on the various stages of the illness.

Finding the perfect present for a loved one with dementia can be very tricky and if your loved one is one of the 850,000 people in the UK living with dementia, you might find our present ideas for people with different stages of dementia useful.

Your Loved One’s Current Condition Is The Best Indicator Of Which Gifts Will Suit Them

It is really important to understand which stage of dementia your loved one is experiencing before you buy them a gift. Different stages of the condition create different needs and by understanding the impact of different stages, you can ensure the gift is appropriate.

Beginning Stage/ Early Stage

In the early stage of dementia there are lots of practical and useful gifts you can buy your loved one to help keep their mind as active as possible, and to provide them with comfort when emotional difficulties occur. Some suggested present ideas for this stage of dementia include:

• Crossword/ Sudoku books/ apps depending on their aptitude with technology
• Music and films you know they love
• A photo album
• A basic phone that has the photographs and contact details of everyone they know

Intermediate Stage

When the condition has progressed, there are more practical gifts you can buy to help your loved one have an easier day to day life. It can be tricky to know what to buy when you don’t have the same struggles as they do, but there are plenty of gifts out there that are inspired and really can make a huge difference to their life. Some intermediate stage dementia gifts could be:

• Blackboards/ whiteboards to hang in different parts of the house with notes and reminders and information
• Large type clocks
• Lights with timers on that will turn on when it gets dark without having to be pressed
• A personal sat nav the person can keep on them so they know that if something happens to them, they will be looked after
• An intelligent medicine dispenser that puts out the medicine needed every day
• Crafts, workbooks and other mind-stimulating activities that are gentle and low-pressure, but that also bring joy and happiness

Advanced Stage

At an advanced stage of dementia your loved one can still have a good quality of life and you can also give them gifts to help improve their quality of life even more, including present ideas such as:

• A big comfy faux fur blanket or fleece in a colour they love
• Nice but practical clothes like slip on fleecy boots or jogging bottoms that are easy to get on and off
• A stuffed toy, perhaps one made something that is special to your loved one
• Safety equipment like fire alarms, carbon monoxide alarms and pads that vibrate if an alarm goes off for those who are hard of hearing
• Music from times your loved one still remembers, such as their teenage years

If you are caring for your loved one yourself think about a gift that would benefit both of you. Perhaps setting up a live-in care arrangement is something that could give both of you a better quality of life in the future. Many live-in carers are specialised in dementia care and their skills and expertise could help your loved one stay in the place they love the most, safely without having to resort to a care home.

For more information about live-in care get in touch with us on 0330 311 2906 or find out more by reading our guide: “What Is Live-in Care?”