Christmas gifts for people with dementia

3. Digital photo frame

This is a framed digital screen that displays photos as a slideshow. Family and friends can get involved with choosing and sending photos to upload, and it can help start conversations and reinforce positive memories.

4. Accessible technology

Accessible and assistive tech products make great gifts for someone with dementia.

Music is a powerful tool for evoking memories, and accessible radios/music players with simplified controls can allow the person with dementia to select their own radio stations or preloaded playlists independently.

Similarly, smart speakers can play music by voice command, as well as providing other useful services like giving updates on the weather and setting up medication reminders.

If the person enjoys reading, you could consider getting them an e-reader like a Kindle with accessibility features such as the ability to increase font size.

5. Games and puzzles

Board games, crosswords, sudoku, dominoes and card games are brilliant for keeping the mind active and providing opportunities to spend quality time together. You could tie these in with the person’s other hobbies: for example, you could get them a jigsaw with a picture of a favourite place they have visited.

Make sure you consider the difficulty level of any games and puzzles to avoid frustration. If you are unsure what might be suitable, ask a close family member or friend for advice, or look for companies that offer accessible games, such as puzzles with fewer pieces or simplified word games.

6. Personalised jewellery

Personalised jewellery can help a person with dementia maintain their sense of identity and promote positive memories. Examples include:

• a charm bracelet with charms that represent important memories or life events
• a locket with pictures of loved ones inside
• a bracelet, necklace or wristband with the names of their partner/children

Christmas presents for someone with middle-stage dementia

In the middle stages of dementia, the signs and symptoms become more obvious and will have a bigger impact on the person’s daily life. At this point, it is beneficial to focus on gifts that will enhance their safety and independence and make it easier to continue their day-to-day routine.

1. Medical ID jewellery

Medical ID jewellery is personalised with the person’s name, details of their condition and contact information for their next of kin so that in an emergency, health professionals can see their needs. A range of styles is available, including necklaces, bracelets and wristbands.

2. Dementia clock or reminder clock

Many people with dementia have difficulty understanding time. A dementia clock is a digital clock that shows the time, time of day (morning, afternoon, evening, night), day and date in large, easy to read digits. This could help reduce disorientation and may help prevent sundowning – an intense state of confusion that typically happens around dusk.

Reminder clocks are also useful for helping someone with dementia to remember important things like when they need to take medication.

3. Night lights and motion detector lights

Disturbed sleep is a common symptom of dementia, so night lights and motion-sensitive lights can help the person find their way around and reduce the risk of falls if they get up during the night.

Christmas presents for someone with late-stage dementia

In the late stages of dementia, the person’s abilities will be affected in many areas, including communication, mobility and independence. At this point, appropriately chosen gifts can promote wellbeing, reminiscence and close relationships with family and friends.

1. Twiddle muffs or fidget blankets

These are usually made from different colours and textures of wool with various items attached, such as bobbles and buttons. The person with dementia can sit with their hands inside the muff and fiddle with the attached objects.

Twiddle muffs and fidget blankets can help reduce boredom, stress and agitation, provide sensory stimulation and give the person something to focus on. They are easy to make, and you can find patterns online.

If you can’t knit, twiddle muffs can be bought from companies that sell dementia-inclusive products, or some dementia groups and memory clinics have volunteers who knit them. A simple soft blanket to go over the person’s lap may also be comforting.

Download the NHS twiddlemuff knitting pattern

2. ‘Reminiscents’ box

The use of scents can promote reminiscence and positive emotions in a person with dementia, especially when communication and understanding are affected.

A ‘reminiscents’ box can be homemade and filled with scents that are meaningful to the person – for example, their favourite aftershave or perfume; lavender if they liked gardening; or spices or cocoa if they enjoyed cooking. You can change the contents occasionally to keep it interesting.

This is the perfect gift to evoke memories and help the person connect with family and friends, and children can get involved too, helping to fill the box and guess the scents with their relative.

3. Life story or scrapbook

A life story is a record of a person’s life that can trigger happy memories, create talking points and help carers get to know them as an individual. Ideally, they are developed with the person’s involvement, but if they are unable to help, you can create it for them.

You can choose the format – or combination of formats – that works best for the person: books, collages, video or voice recordings, memory boxes or apps.

Everyone’s life story is individual, but you could include:

• personal details such as name, age, address etc
• important people in their life
• religious, spiritual or cultural beliefs
• memories from childhood and adulthood
• work history
• significant life events
• preferences with their appearance
• likes and dislikes, eg food, music, TV programmes
• activities they enjoy
• meaningful dates like birthdays and anniversaries

For further guidance, visit our page on creating a life story for a person with dementia.

4. Weighted blankets

A weighted blanket could be a comforting gift for someone with dementia. They use gentle pressure therapy to create a sense of being held or protected and could reduce stress and anxiety and improve sleep.

Be aware that some people find weighted blankets restrictive, especially if they are frail, so avoid choosing anything too heavy. Around 10% of the person’s body weight is ideal.

5. A doll or soft toy

Lifelike dolls or soft toy animals can have great benefits for some people with dementia, particularly in the later stages. They can promote feelings of relaxation and pleasure, give the person something to ‘care for’, and are considered a form of therapy – not merely playing with a toy.

A gift idea for every stage

Quality time

Whatever the person’s stage of dementia, the best gift you can give is quality time together. You could consider taking them to a special place, such as a park that they love, a zoo or the cinema or theatre (some have screenings especially for people with dementia and other disabilities).

You don’t need to arrange the day out or visit over the Christmas period, when people and places are busy and the person needs routine more than ever. Instead, you could pledge your time with handmade IOU coupons for different days out or activities to do together in the coming weeks or months.

If you are a family member or friend, spending some time with the person can also provide respite for their main carer.

If the person with dementia finds it difficult to go out, simply taking an hour out to spend with them at home, look at photos, listen to music, or just sit in the garden can provide a special opportunity to connect and enjoy each other’s company.

Gifts ideas under £10

• personalised keyring
• memory flash cards
• magnetic shopping list or reminder pad
• sensory jigsaws/puzzles
• photo frame
• scrapbook for life story work
• personalised photo mug
• art supplies
• puzzle books
• hand creams
• manicure or grooming sets
• diary
• weekly wall planner

Gifting dos and don’ts

Do:

Choose gifts that offer comfort, connection and autonomy, for example a soft blanket, cosy socks, a shawl, aromatherapy products with mild scents (such as lavender or chamomile), sensory items like fiddle muffs or fidget toys.

Choose meaningful reminiscence gifts like photobooks with large prints and captions or memory boxes with simple items that link to pleasant memories (trinkets, photos, scents).

Make sure gifts are simple to use, such as clothing with easy fastenings, simplified technology like clocks or phones with large buttons, or large-print books.

Consider the person’s safety, for example by giving them unbreakable items.

Look for activity-based gifts that suit the person’s abilities, like large-piece puzzles, easy arts and crafts sets or simple, lightweight gardening tools.

Think about gifts that help maintain the person’s identity, such as their favourite perfume or aftershave, a personalised music playlist or books that tap into their interests, for example biographies, sporting memories, poetry or photographic books.

Give gifts that make daily life easier, for example a nightlight, dementia clock, assistive technology, memory aids, a simple diary or calendar.

Open gifts slowly, one at a time. Talk about the giver and explain what the item is, if necessary. Allow pauses if the person becomes overwhelmed.

Don’t:

Give gifts that could overwhelm or confuse the person with dementia, such as devices that need passwords, items that require fine motor skills (for example sewing kits) or complex board games. These can cause frustration and be abandoned quickly if they are difficult to use.

Give gifts with strong smells, flashing lights or loud sounds; these could trigger anxiety, sensory overload and disorientation.

Give gifts that are fragile or hazardous, such as glass ornaments that could break easily, sharp tools or small trinkets that could be swallowed.

Buy too many presents: this could overwhelm the person.

Give gifts that are sentimental or emotionally triggering. Memories can sometimes be unpredictable, so a well-meant present like a photo of a loved one who has died could cause distress – but be guided by your knowledge of the person.