Cindy
The reviews for gifts to individuals with Alzheimer’s are often filled with breathtaking, from-the-heart expressions. So much love and care for the recipient. After pouring through hundreds of purchaser reviews, here are the top 5 “joy-rated” gifts (or categories of gifts)!
1.Easy to complete, self-contained jigsaw puzzles
“Relish” brand puzzles consistently earn joy-filled reviews for their thoughtful use of color and clear understanding of how to add peace to individuals with Alzheimer’s.
Combining “functionality” to the emotional pull of their puzzle images, the pieces are strong enough to resist being “forced” into position and continue to satisfyingly click into place when the loved one succeeds! Add the brilliant storage box, designed so you can build the puzzle in the box or on a table, slide it back into the box and clearly see if there are ever any missing pieces (eliminating the crushing frustration of an incomplete puzzle)!
Our advice: select a puzzle with an image your loved one has memories of, so the “conversation prompts” (inside the box) add to a great experience! Check out the great price on Amazon!
2. Fidgety fingers find relief with Sensory 4U Buckle Pillows!
So much is said about the amount of anxiety induced, “finger-fidgeting” Alzheimer’s folks find themselves doing. This consistently 5 star rated product (Sensory4u Buckle Pillow) is much-loved, offering rewarding snaps, buckles, buttons, threading and zippers … all attached to a self contained pillow!
Customer reviews talk about how some individuals become offended if a gift seems too “childish” but this “magical” item requires no description and is often just “picked up” and snapped, crackled and popped for hours of anxiety-free attention. Check out the great price on Amazon!
Photo courtesy of Joy for All
3. The gift of LOVING: Joy for All robotic companion pets!
When a care facility is visited by a comfort dog or cat you can just sense the energy of their presence. Everyone who comes into contact just lights up, petting and loving on the little creatures!
Regrettably, due to the time, expense and real danger of caring for a living thing, inevitably the pup or kitty has to leave…and with them goes “the magic.”
The team at Joy for All asked “what IS the magic?” and then “is the magic only possible with a living being?’ Their conclusions were fascinating: the TRUE magic that lifts everyone is the act of LOVING (proving the axiom “tis better to give than to receive”)! … and the love can be given to cute creatures that are just “real enough”…a furry robotic companion will do just fine!
So, Joy for All took their “robo-pets” global and the thousands of raving customer reviews validated that their products were spot on! Recipients, care givers, family members alike LOVE these little wonders…and by being priced less than $150 they are a one-of-a-kind gift of love! Learn more on Amazon!
Photo courtesy of simpl Technologies
4. The memory stirring power of music – heard on Simpl’s Music Player
Test the memory-awakening power of music by giving a loved one this sleek, easy to use “radio-inspired” player, pre-loaded with big-band era music (or you can easily upload your own MP3 files).
It seems every day, more is written highlighting the power music has to bring clouded memories into focus and “awaken” lost events…sometimes even enabling listeners to speak of long lost events and tales (very interesting read: “How Music ‘Awakens’ Alzheimer’s Patients”).
How does music achieve such wonders? There are two prevalent theories regarding why music has IMMEDIATE memory-triggering power.
The first theory centers around music “carrying” (or “being embedded”) with emotional memories. Thus, upon hearing a song the past event awakens and comes front of mind for the individual living with Alzheimer’s.
The second theory relates to the “process” (or “procedural memory”) our brains employ to remember a song. Sadly, Alzheimer’s destroys precious memories of life’s episodes (“episodic memory”), but for some reason it leaves procedural (or “muscle”) memories intact…the act of remembering and singing along awakens the memory tied to the event…and time is anew! Check out the great price for Simpl’s Music Player (it comes in different colors)!
5. Conquer the silence with 52 Adult conversation cards!
Many customer reviews speak of hours of joy-filled conversation that replaced periods of deafening silence. These engaging, interactive Conversation Cards are designed to improve the quality of communication between you and your loved one (or client).
In reading the reviews, we chose the card series dealing with “Familiar Words,” as the topics seemed less age sensitive (some of the other sets seemed to be targeting VERY senior citizens). The front of each 6” x 9” (non-reflective) card features a full-color, large photograph and corresponding name of the item in large, easy to read print.
Each of the 52 cards includes nine questions on the back, designed to have no right or wrong answer, with the questions typically being open and closed-ended either/or, and “Did you know” trivia questions…FUN!
Want to learn more about these fantastic cards? Click here and check out the joy-filled reviews!
Rarely are the words “joy,” “comfort” and “Alzheimer’s disease” used in the same sentence!
We are continuing to research ANY way to bring a positive dimension to the heartbreak of Alzheimer’s. Sadly, the more you read and study, the more challenging this task becomes.
At the Kindest Way.com we are publishing our findings under “Comfort” because that is our goal…to identify ANY products that could accomplish that heady task.
One product area that CLEARLY gives comfort to all parties involved is “robotic companions.” To learn more about the wonderful results these cuties are delivering, visit our post “Alzheimer’s: Top 3 Ways Robo-Pets Lend Comfort.”
If you want to discover even more, check out the great work being done by Bruce Barnet and The Alzheimer’s Store where they present products designed to provide a range of services for individuals (and caregivers) dealing with every stage memory loss.
As always, wishing you joy and kindness,
Cindy
