Holiday Gifts for Seniors

For elderly gardeners who are no longer mobile enough to putter around the yard, or who live in an apartment, there's the Aero Garden ($150.00). This herb garden kit comes with a three-pod seed kit, salad dressing and a marinade maker, a guide to cooking with fresh herbs, and a flexible cutting mat.

There's also an Aero Garden available for tomatoes and another just for flowers -- a fun way to garden all year long, right in the kitchen.

The Aero Garden

Caring.com

You don't want an elderly person doing too much climbing on ladders -- even stepladders. The Aktiv Reacher ($22.00), ideal for kitchens, grabs items stored in high cabinets. Its jaws can open to narrow or wide settings for items large and small. The handle is smartly angled and the rubber-coated surface ensures a secure grip. Because the jaws of the Reacher can be set in two positions, it can be used both horizontally and vertically.

Aktiv Reacher

Caring.com

Outdoor activities like gardening or golf can take a toll on the hands. The Bionic Glove ($30.00 and up) is designed to reduce this wear and tear. Designed with "anatomical relief pads" between the hand's bony prominences, the gloves give wearers more grip control and provide greater grip strength than typical gloves for outdoor use, while causing less fatigue.

Bionic Gloves are available for a variety of uses and come in several colors in both men's and women's sizes.

Bionic Gloves

Caring.com

By now, most folks are familiar with Netflix. How about the book lover's equivalent? This might be the year to underwrite a gift subscription to BookSwim ($10.00 and up), the first online book rental library service that lends out paperbacks and hardcovers.

Like Netflix, the service sends books directly to the recipient's home. Whether it's a new release, best seller, or classic, BookSwim seems to have something for everyone -- including free shipping both ways. Subscribers can spend as long as they'd like with a book -- no late fees -- and send it back when they're ready for the next book.

BookSwim.com

Caring.com

The ClarityLife C900 ($269.95) is a sound-amplified mobile phone that doubles as an emergency response device. The one-touch red heart button on the back of the phone calls and sends text messages to five preprogrammed numbers, such as those of family, friends, neighbors, or emergency personnel. It cycles through the five contacts until someone picks up.

ClarityLife C900 can be added to many existing family mobile phone plans. Check local providers for service.

ClarityLife C900

Caring.com

If you're caring for someone who hasn't arrived in the digital age, you might want to examine his TV. Still using a roof antenna or rabbit ears?

At midnight on February 17, 2009, all full-power television stations in the United States will stop broadcasting in analog and switch to digital broadcasting. This might be a good time to give the gift of a digital converter box.

To ease the cost, Congress created the TV Converter Box Coupon Program ($40.00) for households wanting to keep using their analog TV sets after the conversion date. The Program allows U.S. households to get up to two free coupons, each worth $40, that can be applied toward the cost of eligible converter boxes. You can purchase a converter box at many popular retail stores.

TV Converter Box Coupon Program

Caring.com

Even if the senior you're caring for doesn't use a computer, she can enjoy viewing digital photos -- family portraits, scenic shots, and more -- with a Ceiva Digital Photo Frame ($150.00).

The frame can be preloaded with up to 70 digital photos or be plugged into a home phone line to receive transmitted photos. Using the phone line (an optional feature at additional cost), the frame silently dials a local number each night to receive new photos e-mailed to the frame, without interruption to phone service or charges to the phone line.

Ceiva Digital Photo Frame

Caring.com

One gift that's bound to be consumed is a food basket. Harry & David (prices vary) is a company known for its quality and reliability. From its fresh fruit baskets to beautifully wrapped gift towers of fancy chocolates and confections, Harry & David makes it easy to satisfy just about anyone's taste. The fruit-of-the-month club offers something to look forward to every 30 days.

Harry & David

Caring.com

The Jenda Voice Calendar ($40.00) provides a simple solution for keeping things organized, using friendly reminders recorded in your own or another familiar voice. The calendar lets you record weekly, monthly, and yearly reminders, as well as messages for specific dates. Nicely suited for the kitchen, it comes with magnets for mounting on a refrigerator, or it can sit on a counter.

It's easily set up to remind you about important regular events, like upcoming birthdays and anniversaries, as well as mundane tasks such as taking the dog to the vet or picking up a prescription. Programming is easy, with an electronic voice walking you through the steps.

To hear a day's reminders is simply a matter of touching a button. The Jenda speaks the day of the week, the date, and a list of any prerecorded reminders or messages for that day.

Jenda Voice Reminder

Caring.com

The Loc8tor ($80.00) -- a personal homing device -- helps find those pesky possessions that always seem to disappear right in the house: eyeglass cases, car keys, checkbooks, remotes, you name it.

Simply attach a tag to any item you want to find or protect. Set the homing device to the "locate" mode, and the audio will beep while the on-screen directional display guides you to mislaid items. In addition, the "alert" mode provides an invisible safety zone and alerts you with audiovisual and vibration alarms if a tagged item is removed from a set boundary area.

Loc8tor

Caring.com