Picking a thoughtful gift for a loved one can be a difficult task. It gets even more difficult if this gift is for your elderly people under your care.

Take your parents for example. At time when they were younger and caring for you, they may have appreciated a simple gesture like an evening to themselves or a weekend away to alleviate them from their parental responsibilities for just a moment.

But as we all grow older, the tables turn. It could be that they may now want to spend more time with you and their grandchildren (if grandchildren are in fact, in the picture). Oh how times change.

Depending on their level of independence, they may also appreciate gifts that make getting by each day easier since they can no longer do a lot of things on their own. Moreover, you can also consider smartphones to give a senior citizen a thoughtful choice, as these devices can help them stay connected with family and access helpful services, enhancing their daily independence and quality of life.

In this article, we're going to share 7 thoughtful gifts you can get for your elderly parents. With the holiday season just around the corner, these gifts cover areas that are often their primary concern at this stage of life such as safety, comfort, health, and wellbeing.

1. Bathroom Grips

A major cause for concern with our elderly family members is their safety. If your parents have existing injuries or mobility issues, then they are at a higher risk of being involved in accidents.

The two places where accidents happen the most at home are in the bathroom and kitchen.

For safety in the bathroom, bathroom accessories such as grips and grab bars can prevent them from falling in the bathroom.

We'd recommend bathroom grips that are clamped over the bathtub because they are less likely to move and hence, are more secure.

These accessories can support up to 250lbs, so you don't have to worry about whether they can support someone's weight.

2. Underwear

Our bodily functions deteriorate as we age. We lose partial or total control of our bladder. Even controlling the other end of the spectrum can become a chore.

Gifting your elderly relative underwear that can help them manage the situation is very thoughtful of you.

When picking out underwear for senior citizens you should be after absorbency and comfort, as well as its frequency of use.

An example of such underwear is Resuable Incontinence Briefs. This underwear is washable, reusable, and has the look and feel of regular underwear, but with high performance protection from drips and dribbles.

3. Medication Organizers

There's no denying that as we age we are required to take more medications. Either for medical reasons or supplementary reasons to help us age easier.

For seniors who have more than one illness or are on several medications, it's all too easy to lose track of when to take their medications. Even for the most capable of adults, it can be a hard habit to instill! In some cases, however, it can be made even more challenging if their memory is deteriorating as they age.

A medication organizer will be the perfect case for seniors in this situation.

An example of one of these is LiveFine Automatic Pill Dispenser. It has an LED dashboard that is easy to read even with sight difficulty because of how bold the characters are.

And its alarm is audible enough for seniors with hearing difficulty. The alarm audibly reminds them of when to take their medications and which to take.

A practical and thoughtful gift idea for elderly parents is a 30 day pill organizer to help them manage their medications with ease.

4. Memory Journals and Recordable Books

We've all had to listen to our grandparents talk about their childhood, their children, and the memorable moments of their lives.

If you are interested in giving them a more sentimental gift, then a memory journal or recordable book is the way to go.

Certain memory journals are filled with prompts and mind jogging questions that help seniors write out their most memorable moments. Think of it as a memoir or autobiography.

Recordable books allow you to record yourself reading a story for someone else to listen to when reading it. Usually, this is a gift for children but having them record themselves for their grandparents is a sweet twist they'd appreciate.

5. Craft Baskets

Just like us, the older generation has hobbies. This is especially true for the ones who may not go out very often.

Over the years they may lose interest in their hobbies or they may not be able to enjoy them as they used to for health reasons.

Arranging a craft basket is a great way to rekindle their spark. For someone who enjoys crochet, a basket filled with a crochet hook set, tape, scissors, stitch markers, a darning needle, and a crochet magazine would be a perfect gift.

If there's any reason why they cannot enjoy their hobbies physically, you can subscribe to a magazine for them that is related to their hobby.

6. Grocery Pickup and Delivery

Grocery shopping can take a toll on us. The stress of getting to the store, picking up what you need, and then getting it all back home can be a lot. Especially in these uncertain times of a pandemic.

This can prove to be more difficult for the elderly who have mobility issues but still want to enjoy fresh groceries.

Consider subscribing them to a grocery pickup and delivery services like Instacart and PostMates.

They connect with thousands of stores and restaurants to help you get groceries and meals on the same day, with no need for your elderly relative to leave the house.

7. Gardening Gifts

Not all elderly people are confined to being indoors 24/7. Some of them are active enough to access a garden and absolutely love this as a daily activity to get them outside and connecting with nature.

Gifts aimed at making their gardening easier or more enjoyable will be appreciated by them.

An example of such gifts include:

• Garden kneelers- they make kneeling less painful
• Lightweight hoses- that can be used in watering their crops or flowers and be easily packed way
• Ergonomic gardening tools- clippers,  spades, gloves, etc. These are just a few examples of items that can make their gardening more enjoyable.

While we've highlighted 7 thoughtful gifts for your elderly parents, let these not limit you. After all, you know your parents best and each individual is unique. Hopefully it's helped sparked an idea in your mind, or prompted a conversation to have with them. At the very least, you'll have found something that you can give to your parents knowing that they'll fully appreciate the thought behind the gift.

Bio: Anna Williams is a former aged care support worker, and has spent many years advocating for better mental and physical health care within the aged care community. She now writes content for Zorbies, volunteers locally, and enjoys long bushwalks on her weekends and spending time with her two pups, Tommy and Zaddie.