Gifts for the Elderly

I read an article the other day about gifts for the elderly. It seems like everyone has an idea on this subject but what I find interesting is no one asks them what they like. They want COMPANY!!!!They love having visitors stop. You don't have to spend the day,dear reader, but try for half an hour. What is thirty minutes of your time?? They have all day to kill time and 24 hours can feel like forever when someone has a visitor and you have none! To sit and chat about the neighbors or kids and if your stuck for conversation just ask a question about their past. The elderly love to talk about the time gone by ( I know I am one also) but make them feel like you care. You hear and read that the best thing you can do is send magazines or buy stationary and stamped envelopes. Do you realize most of them have a hard time writing ? I know they like reading but this is what they do when no one visits. You could volunteer to take them for a ride to see decorations.
My people could not get enough of decorating—even went so far as to decorate the bathroom.
One thing I should mention is do not bring food without checking first.
I had one gentleman who would “steal” anything he could to eat and he was a diabetic.
I discovered this by accident and it was very ingenious the way he pulled it off. When my people sat down to eat it was always as a family. Everyone came to the table, we had a prayer and than they would eat. I had taken in an extra person ( what else is new) so there was not enough room for me to sit with them. I was keeping up light conversation and Harold asked for a slice of bread. I reminded him he was to only eat one slice per meal and he said I didn't get any. I was sure he had but gave him one and figured I had goofed up. I could do that a lot when we were busy. I was standing by the table and saw Pete( who sat next to Harold) very slowly edge his hand under the edge of the table and reach the bread and pull it right off the plate!!! I told him to stop and he said he was so hungry he just had to take food. Pete was about 6'2” and probably weighed 200 so he had no problem but wanted FOOD!!!!
He wasn't the only one who could do this. I had a lady named Anita who would take anything food or otherwise and hide it in her room. We were always checking her dresser for what ever was missing.
When I called the Emergency Squad one time my sister ,Esther, ran to help me with the lady who had fallen. On the way she put her glasses on the table. After everyone left we could not find Esther's glasses. We went through everything , all the rooms, asked the people but to no avail.
That night when I leaned over to give Anita a kiss goodnight I felt this object in her pillowcase and guess what glasses!!! She said someone must have put them there because she wouldn't do that-------
Love to all, Red