Crafts For the Elderly Can Be Fun Gift Ideas For Senior Citizens By Diane Carbo

Combing crafts for the elderly, as a family project, can create fun  gift ideas for senior citizens. Developing an ongoing family  project will allow the aging senior to experience a new activity and relieve  boredom and stress.

Spending time with your aging senior is probably the most precious gift you  can give them. Here are a few ideas that would make great gifts and also have  the benefit of getting to know each other on a more intimate level.

Consider asking your senior citizen to get out all the old photos and  important mementos that they have saved over the years. It may be old letters,  special cards, things that have some significance or meaning to them. The senior  citizen may want to ask extended family members to do the same.

Ask  them to take the pictures and start a journal. Write down what they  remember about the individuals in the pictures, maybe it will spark a memory of  a time long forgotten. If you have a senior that has difficulty writing, get  them a recorder to tape the information. You may ask if they would be interested  in taking a creative writing class there they can learn how to write about their  life or their memories. You can then take their writing and create a special  bound book for them.

If you have a senior that has started with mental decline, you may be  surprised how much they will be able to share about the past, even if they  cannot remember what they had for breakfast.

Everyone wants to feel as of they have made a small difference in the lives  of their loved ones. Showing interest in their past will spark fond memories and  create a wealth of knowledge for your future generations.

More Crafts for the Elderly are Some Fun Gift Ideas for Senior  Citizens…

There are several opportunities you can use the photos, the journal and the  sparked memories. Depending on your interest and commitment level and the  abilities of the senior citizen there are many avenues you can take with all  this new found information.

For example, The National Public Radio has established a nonprofit  organization, called StoryCorps®. This project is one of the largest oral  history projects of its kind. This was a system developed just for those who  wish to record and save stories from their lives. Each conversation is recorded  on a free CD to share with others and your story is preserved at the Library of  Congress. The best part is, it is free! The senior citizens in your life will be  excited and honored to preserve some of their history for future  generations.

Consider creating a photo family tree for the senior citizen. Is the aging  senior interested in genealogy? Do they have an old family bible or written  history of past generations? If not, consider starting a genealogy project and  use some of the pictures to create a photo family tree. Of course some of this  research can be done online. The USGenWeb Project is run by volunteers to assure  that there is free genealogy websites for genealogical research in every county  and every state of the United  States. This Project is non-commercial and fully  committed to free genealogy access for everyone. It is a great way to spend time  with the senior in your life and learn about the past family history.

Another project you may use with all the pictures is to purchase a portable  DVD player, one that can play DVD+R/RW. Then take the photos and scan them to  make them digital photographs. Turn the pictures into a slide show, with  captions, titles or even audio of the pictures. Burn the pictures into a  DVD.

It is important that you provide step by step instructions, in large print,  on how to use the DVD player for the technologically challenged senior  citizen.

Scrapbooking is another alternative for utilizing and preserving the pictures  and other mementos. This a is   project that will give the senior citizen in  your life the opportunity to create their story about their life with their  personal touch. You can provide the supplies and classes so that they can learn  this new found activity.

No matter what avenue you take in providing crafts for the elderly make them fun. You can get creative with gift ideas for senior citizens,  but don’t forget to make it special and meaningful. When the project is done,  don’t forget, no mater how old one gets to be, there is still joy and excitement  in opening a present. Celebrate the finished project with a party or  “unveiling.” And don’t forget to wrap the finished project!

Diane Carbo Registered Nurse has more than thirty five years in the nursing  field. Her experience as a geriatric care manager, makes her uniquely qualified  to help those who want to live out their lives in their own homes. That decision  may be made when you are 20, 30, 40 or in fact at any age, with sooner rather  than later being ideal. Diane has developed a web site to make people aware of  issues and options. You will find extensive helpful information that will be  continually updated. Please visit Diane’s web site and learn more about good gift-ideas-for-senior-citizens Sign up for “The Caring  Advocate” her free newlsetter and take advantage of a complimentary e-course Advocating  For Yourself and Others