We are only days away from celebrating the woman you call Mom. Mother's Day is this Sunday and if you're at a loss for ideas, we've got you covered.
Connie Chow is the Founder of DailyCaring.com, a leading information provider for primary caregivers. She's offering 10 activity and five gift ideas for this Mother's Day.
Activities:
1. Share a lovely meal
This Mother’s Day, make or order a meal for you and your mom to enjoy! Then either eat with her, if you live in the same household, or share a virtual dinner together.
2. Say hello from a distance
If you live nearby, stand on their sidewalk, outside their closed window, or in the yard and display your lovely, festive signs. You could call them from your mobile phone to speak with them or simply speak loudly through the window glass.
3. Enjoy nature together
Getting some fresh air feels especially refreshing right now. Sit together on the porch or in front of an open window and just enjoy nature together.
If you’re not in the same household, do this virtually via video call or telephone.
4. Attend a virtual concert or show
Another experience you could enjoy together is to listen to music or attend a virtual concert.
Many musicians, orchestras, and broadway musicals are making shows available online for free.
For a list of available virtual live shows, check #5 in our article Coronavirus Virtual Experiences at Home: Animals, Music, Art, World Travel, Museums, Theme Parks.
5. Tour a museum, virtually
Art lovers may enjoy visiting a museum. This year, you can visit museums around the world and even hop from one museum to another.
Take some of the virtual museum tours we listed in #9 in our article Coronavirus Virtual Experiences at Home: Animals, Music, Art, World Travel, Museums, Theme Parks
A good conversation starter is to ask your older adult some open ended questions about the pieces they like best.
6. Relax with casual activities
Another relaxing way to spend time together, virtually or in person, is to watch a favorite movie or TV show.
Many major TV stations like ABC, NBC, and CBS offer full episodes of their shows for free on their websites and through their apps.
You could also do a jigsaw puzzle, sudoku, or crossword puzzle together. If you’re not in the same household, it doesn’t have to be the same puzzle. The goal is to enjoy an activity together.
7. Watch their favorite sports together
A sports fan would love to have company while they watch an exciting game.
A fun way to watch a game from the safety of home is to catch a replay of a game.
Signing in with your cable TV account gives you access to past games available on popular online sites like ESPN.com.
Or, use a subscription site like NBC Sports to watch a wide variety of sports. A subscription to a sports streaming service could also be a great gift for a sports enthusiast!
8. Bake or cook together
If you’re in the same household, you could bake cookies or cook a favorite dish together.
Depending on their abilities and interests, they could work side-by-side with you, prep a few simple ingredients, or observe and be your taste tester.
9. Relax with music
Another activity that can be enjoyed in person together or via video call or telephone is to listen to music together.
If you both play the same song, you can listen or even sing along together.
10. Read a book together
Whether in person or on a call, you can read aloud from a book of their choice.
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Looking for a gift idea? Here are five!
1. Send a heartfelt card or letter
Sending a card or letter with a lovely message is always a thoughtful way to show how much you care and that they’re in your thoughts.
2. Send flowers
Many local flower shops and big online flower shops are still operating and making deliveries.
Some online flower delivery services to consider:
Or, you could send some beautiful faux flowers like these for a fuss-free, low maintenance gift.
3. Gift a device that makes video calling easy
It can be tough for a non-tech-savvy person to make or receive video calls.
To make it easier for your older adult to be able to virtually see you more often, consider gifting them with a video calling device and taking care of the setup ahead of time.
These devices do need to be set up to connect to a WiFi network, so if possible, you could ask someone in their household to help get it set up.
Or, if you know their WiFi information, you can have the device shipped to you so you can enter the information and get the device set up first. Then, you can send it to your older adult’s home where they can just plug it in and be ready to go.
Devices that make video calling easier for seniors include:
- Amazon Echo Show – It’s like an Alexa personal assistant with a video screen. You can also enable a “drop in” feature between two devices that allows you to make video calls without your older adult needing to accept the call. You’ll just appear on the screen and be able to speak with them.
- Amazon Echo Spot – It’s like a mini Echo Show.
- GrandPad – A simple, secure tablet that’s designed to make it easy to video chat with family and friends.
- ViewClix – A smart picture frame with an auto-answer mode so the older adult doesn’t need to do anything to receive a video call.
- Facebook Portal – It has Alexa built in and a “smart” camera that follows the person if they move around the room.
4. Give gift cards for favorite services
To make their life more convenient, you could give them a gift card for a popular restaurant currently delivering meals or to an online store.
Right now, grocery delivery services are especially helpful. Or, to make it even easier for them, you could let them know that you’ll be gifting them their next grocery delivery and place the order for them.
Grocery delivery is available from a variety of stores, including:
5. Create a custom photo album, calendar, blanket, or puzzle
With a custom photo album, you can showcase special photos or events so your older adult can reminisce anytime.
For people with Alzheimer’s or dementia, you could even create a custom book they’ll love to read by adding simple text to photos or images they enjoy.
- Walmart – from $10
- Walgreens – from $8
- Mixbook – from $16
- Shutterfly – from $16
Make a custom photo calendar to help your older adult keep track of days, months, and appointments while seeing smiling family faces.
- Walmart – from $10
- Walgreens – from $10
- Mixbook – from $25
- Shutterfly – from $25
A custom photo blanket will keep your older adult warm and cozy with familiar faces all around. These photo blankets are especially nice for people with Alzheimer’s or dementia.
- Walmart – from $45
- Shutterfly fleece blankets, woven blankets, or custom duvets – from $60
A custom photo puzzle uses a family photo or picture with special meaning to create a fun puzzle your older adult can put together again and again.
- Shutterfly – $30, variety of photo layouts
- Portrait Puzzles – from $35, comes in a variety of sizes & number of pieces
