57 Gift Ideas for Dementia Caregivers

Struggling with gift ideas to show your appreciation to dementia caregivers, thoughtful gifts designed to provide support, comfort and relaxation?

This article will hopefully spark some ideas for you to say thank you for the incredible work that caregivers of people with dementia do, and it doesn’t have to be much or cost you anything. We’ve 57 gift ideas for dementia caregivers broken down into several categories to help you find the right gift for them.

Don’t forget to also read our article on Sustainable Dementia Gift Ideas for people with dementia.

Outdoor Relaxation Gifts 

• Foraging: Foraging is a great way to escape outdoors and enjoy the plant life around us.
  • But if like me, you have no clue, why not encourage loved ones with a book on Foraging and identifying edible plants? It’s amazing what grows around us, even in cities and local parks. Here are BBC Countryfile’s best foraging book recommendations  
• Gardening Kit: Gardening can be surprisingly fulfilling; watching your flowers or veg plants take root and grow is wonderful, so why not get a kit to provide your loved ones with the tools for a therapeutic gardening experience? 
• Bird-Watching Binoculars: Binoculars for observing birds and connecting with nature. RSBP recommended starter binoculars
• Guided Nature Walk Book or App: A guided nature walk experience for relaxation and connection with nature. 
• Team up to Join a Park Run/Hiking Group: Why not team up with them and spend the day together doing something fun but challenging like a Park Run?

DIY GIFTS 

• IOU vouchers – My favourite DIY gift is a simple card with an IOU offering your time, expertise, and support like IOU cooking you dinner, a respite day whilst I look after your loved one, an offer to take your loved one for a few hours whilst you have a break at home, whatever you can provide would be most appreciated by most dementia caregivers.
• Inspiration Jar: Fill an old jar with scraps of paper with inspirational messages you created especially for them, messages that lift up, reminders of who they are & things that will make them laugh!
• Home Movie Night Kit: You can put together a basket with popcorn, a cosy blanket, and a DVD or voucher for a digital movie for a home movie night. 
• Personalized Recipe Book: Create a book of family recipes that are cherished with family secret cooking tips. 
• Personalised Clothing: Knitted/Crochet/Sewing clothing can be a wonderful surprise to receive, like socks, scarfs, jumpers & if you can’t do it yourself, there’s always ETSY
• Have Glut of Fruits or Vegetables?: try making personalised chutney or pickle jars. Preserving food and making a sustainable contribution to your loved ones
• Homemade Gifts: like making your own food gifts (pancake/brownie/spice mixes) or DIY bath Salts/bath bombs etc or just simply gifts like this video on making your own chocs, biscuits and homemade syrup 

Self-Care for Caregivers 

• Spa Day Voucher: a gorgeous spa session, whether it be for one treatment or a whole day away. It would be a wonderfully relaxing, pampering gift to a caregiver (make sure it has a long validity date to give us time to get to it!)
• Mindfulness App/Guided Meditation Subscription: A subscription to a mindfulness app like Calm or Headspace to help you manage stress and promote relaxation. 
• Mindfulness Colouring book: I love how your mind can let go of everyday worries when you immerse yourself in a mindfulness colouring book like Secret Garden: An Inky Treasure Hunt and… by Basford, Johanna (amazon.co.uk) or Worlds of Wonder: A Colouring Book for… by Basford, Johanna (amazon.co.uk) 
• Aromatherapy Diffuser: a beautiful diffuser (there are some elegant ones out there), that diffuses calming essential oils to create a soothing atmosphere for you and your loved one. I’m partial to lemongrass makes me feel like I’m in a spa 
• Massage Chair Back, Neck or Shoulder Pad: a portable massage pad to gently massage you whilst you’re sitting down and hopefully ease any tensions that you may have. 
• Self Care Journal – a beautiful journal with prompts to help you let go, capture daily reflections and remind us of what we’re grateful for in life.
• Essential Oil Gift Set: A collection of essential oils known for their calming properties. 
• Aromatherapy Kit: Essential oils and a diffuser for creating a calming and pleasant ambience. Try Tisserand
• Scented Hand and/or Body Lotions Set: A set of scented hand/body lotions for a sensory self-care routine. 
• Yoga Class: Passes for yoga classes to promote physical and mental well-being 

Hobbies and Crafts 

• Painting Supplies Set: Pick up a painting kit from high-quality paints, brushes, and canvases for the beginner level. Maybe encourage someone who loved to paint to pick up the hobby again with a painting supplies gift set like Hobbycraft Art Kit
• Candle-Making Kit: Supplies for making scented candles for a creative and relaxing hobby. Hobbycraft Candle Kit or Amazon Candle Making Kit Best Sellers
• Knitting or Crocheting Kit: A kit with all the essentials for starting a knitting or crocheting project. 
• Pottery/Flower Arranging Classes – check your local paper or council services for any courses being offered 
• Model Building Set: A detailed model-building kit for a rewarding and absorbing hobby. 
• Language Learning App: An app for learning a new language, a chance to try something new or brush up on school-level language classes from bygone years! Try Duolingo or Rosetta Stone
• Book a set of lessons/coaching sessions: on their various love like dancing (Ballroom dancing), sport (tennis/badminton/squash/swimming lessons etc), cookery (breadmaking, pickling, baking etc), Music lessons etc. You know them best. What would they appreciate and have the time for? Maybe link it with an IOU gift of time? 

Entertainment Subscriptions 

• Magazine Subscription: A subscription to their favourite magazine, gossip, fashion, crafts etc 
• Streaming Service Gift Card: A gift card for a streaming service like Disney, Netflix, Paramount,Sky etc 
• Book of the Month Club Membership: Monthly delivery of a curated selection of hardcover books like Bookofthemonth.com or Teatimebookshop 
• Subscription to Audiobook Service: A subscription for audiobooks to enjoy during leisure moments like Audible with the largest collection of books  
• Online Game Subscription: Access to online games for entertainment and mental stimulation. PC Mag’s Best video game subscriptions  
• Book them Concert Tickets: Tickets to their favourite bands, classical performances, ballet, musical shows etc  
• Puzzle Subscription Box: A monthly subscription delivering new and engaging puzzles. Try Gibsons Games

Gourmet Treats 

• Gourmet Chocolate Box: A collection of gourmet chocolates for indulgence like these luxury chocolate gift boxes or Hotel Chocolat
• Tea/Coffee/Matcha Gift boxes: Variety of teas, coffee, and Matcha sets- who doesn’t love a cup of tea or the buzz of a coffee or matcha? A box of new tea flavours or curated coffee blends would be lovely. Or if they’re coffee or matcha lovers, what bit of kit would they love to have to complete their morning rituals? 
• Healthy Snack Subscription Box: Monthly delivery of healthy, nutritious and tasty snacks for those wanting to avoid a chocolate box! Like Graze

Food & Practical Services

• Meal Kit/Food Subscription boxes: Pre-portioned meal kits to simplify meal preparation. Home cooked meals with no waste as the ingredients as already portioned out. Check out these 8 healthy food subscription boxes to try!
• Veg Box Subscription: I would love a veg box to be delivered to my home. Getting seasonal fresh veg and fruit boxes is a little luxury that would be much appreciated. Here are 12 best veg boxes recommended by BBC Good Food guide
• Flower delivery service: get a monthly delivery of fresh flowers, seasonally selected and instructions for flower arranging like Freddies Flowers.
• House Cleaning Service: A voucher for professional house cleaning, even if it’s just one hour or to sort out one room in their home that they hate to clean.
• Grocery Delivery Subscription: Subscription to a grocery delivery service for added convenience, like Amazon PRIME or your local supermarket delivery services, for those days when you don’t have time to do the weekly shopping. It can make all the difference in having that delivery charge taken care of.

Comfort Gift Ideas 

• Advent Beauty Calendar: Who doesn’t love a beauty advent calendar, daily surprises to enjoy? Try Boots Advent Macmillan Calender or Avon’s Beauty Advent Calendar
• SAD Light Therapy box – more studies are pointing to getting morning light, but what if you can’t? If you suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), then a SAD light box might be the perfect gift (just make sure you buy one that is 10,000 lux and is UV free) like Lumie Vitamin L, Slim Light Box for Effective SAD Light Therapy  or Beurer TL45 Perfect Day Daylight Therapy Lamp
• Cozy Slippers & Luxury Dressing Gown: Warm and comfortable slippers or dressing gowns that you can unwind into after a tiring day with non-slip soles for safety. 
• Weighted Blanket: A calming weighted blanket to reduce stress and promote relaxation. 
• Soft Throw Blanket: A luxurious throw blanket for warmth and comfort. 
• White Noise Machine: A device that plays soothing sounds to create a peaceful environment. 
• Customised Memory Box: a trinket box to store mementos and memories

Assistive Technology 

• Smart Fitness Watch: a basic fitness tracker that can help you keep routines in exercise, walking/steps as well as providing data on heart rate, SP02, and sleep patterns to help you track health metrics like the Xiaomi Redmi Smart Band Pro  
• Voice-Activated Digital Assistant: A voice-activated assistant for hands-free information and assistance. Amazon Echo Dot, Google Nest Mini etc or those with screens like Amazon Echo Show or Google Nest Hub to get information, check in with the person you care for, keep a daily planner, or control smart devices in your home etc.
• Voice-Controlled Lights: Lights that can be controlled by voice commands for convenience (with a dimmer ability to turn off bulbs whilst in bed!)
• Smart Home Devices: Devices like smart plugs or thermostats for home automation and convenience. 
• Digital Medication Organizer: A smart organizer that reminds about medication schedules. 
• Noise-Cancelling Headphones: Headphones to block out noise and allow you to focus on what you’re listening to!

Hopefully, the above range of gift ideas for dementia caregivers will help you find a gift to provide support, comfort, practical assistance and time to focus on self-care for the caregiver’s well-being.