Esther C. Kane, C.D.S.Sunday, May 12th, 2024 is Mother’s Day!
Mother’s Day gifts for elderly parents (or any age) are usually flowers and candy – and those can be the best gift but I like to think a bit out of the box.
I think a good idea is always something that says something special, that lets the person know that I spent some time thinking about it and about them.
Meaningful gifts for elderly moms can be a little challenging to come up with, after all, as a senior citizen she probably has everything she needs or wants.
But, no worries, we have some gift ideas for her for that special day that will make her feel loved and appreciated.
Below are some unique gifts that I’ve given in to my mother and mom-in-law the past (and a few that I will be doing this year!).
I am sure that our gift guide will help you will find or be inspired to purchase a great gift idea for your own elderly mother, grandmother or mother-in-law.
Our 2024 List Of Mother’s Day Gift Ideas For Your Elderly Mom
Here is our list of some of the best Mother’s Day gifts we have given and that we have found for anyone who has an older mom or even for any elderly women in their life.
But, I will say that a lot of these thoughtful gift ideas can also be very appropriate for younger and even older moms too!
There are so many different ways to say “I Love You” to your elderly mother, some are fun, some are practical and some are personal. So, take a look at what we’ve come up with and I’m sure you’ll find something here that your mother will adore!
For Mother’s Day gift ideas for Grandma – check out this article.
Shoulder and Neck Heating Pad
I use this heating pad at night to relax the tension in my neck and shoulders and I love it! The material is soft and comforting. It has 6 heat settings and an auto shut off making it much safer. It weighs only 2 pounds so it should be comfortable for most any senior mother.
What I Love About You
This book is filled with prompts that you then fill in for your mom. Things like, “You deserve the ___________award.” and “You have the greatest taste in _______________.” Your mother will love all the wonderful things that you have to say about her.
Bluetooth Speaker For Her Smartphone
If your older mom has trouble hearing on her smartphone, this Bluetooth speaker may help. It’s compatible with iPhone and Samsung Galaxy phones. Also iPads!
Solar Powered Flowers
Instead of the traditional flowers that many mothers get – why not give her some solar powered flowers that she can put out in the yard and enjoy day and night. These can be the best options especially if she isn’t capable of taking care of real flowers.
It’s a perfect gift and there are many varieties to choose from.
Pop Up Cards
I absolutely LOVE these cards and have been giving them to my mother and my mom-in-law for many years and guess what, they LOVE them too!
These are intricately laser cut cards that Pop Up when you open them. They come in a large variety of designs, trees, birds, bouquets of flowers, bird houses, gardens, hearts, and so much more!!! You’ll have a hard time deciding which card to choose – I know I always do.
Sharing Her Wisdom
I always love asking seniors what they’ve learned in all their years. I often don’t get much of an answer but with prompts like in this package, older moms can share their thoughts with their loved ones. A great sentimental gift.
The Gift Of Time
Give her the gift of time. Your time. Make a plan to visit her on a regular basis. Gift her these coupons that you can customize with your very own special treats just for her.
Many senior mothers simply enjoy spending time with their families and this could be the perfect mother’s day gift for her. It’s a great way to make her mother’s day special.
A Little Practice – A Little Fun
A toilet bowl light would not seem like a Mother’s Day Gift but if your elderly mom tends to go to the bathroom once or twice or more times every night, why not make it just a bit safer for her (and a little fun) with these toilet bowl lights!
This can make going to the bathroom in the middle of the night an easy task – at least a bit easier and safer.
Custom Photo Puzzles To Pass The Time
Photo puzzles are such a unique gift! Your photo is taken and cut up into a puzzle for your mom and/or family to put together. Photos of family members, pets, locations, occasions and more can be turned into a fun activity that can be treasured.
It’s a very personalized gift that your mother will love.
Fresh Farm Fruit Basket
A basket of fresh fruit can be a wonderful gift for your mother, grandmother or mom-in-law.
Toaster Oven & Air Fryer Combo
My mother loved her toaster oven and used it so much more than her oven. It makes sense. She was cooking just for herself most of the time and using the oven for just one baked potato didn’t make sense.
But this toaster oven is also an air fryer! Giving your mom the opportunity to make some healthier meals for herself (and you too every now and then!)
There are a huge variety of toaster ovens available so check them out!
For Those Moms With A Sweet Tooth
Who doesn’t love candy? Well, most people love some kind of candy and giving your older mom her favorite sweets can really make her day.
Recipe Binders For The Cooks
The Brownlow Gifts Recipe Binder, a kitchen accessory designed to organize and protect favorite recipes. This binder includes 20 acetate pages, 40 matching recipe cards, and 12 category dividers, making it an ideal solution for recipe storage and organization.
Get Comfortable With Crocs Shoes
I know, it sounds silly to give someone shoes for Mother’s Day! But if your mom is anything like my mom was, comfortable shoes are a “must have” and can sometimes be difficult to find.
My mother LOVED her Crocs shoes and in the last decade of her life, that is all that she wore. She got me interested in them and I have to admit – I own several pairs now.
They truly are extremely comfortable so think about giving your elderly mother the gift of comfort with Crocs shoes. After all, giving the gift of comfort can be one of the best ways to say Happy Mother’s Day!
Favorite Restaurant Recipes
If your elderly mother still loves to cook, then why not gift her a cookbook of copycat recipes from some favorite restaurants across the country?
It can be a great way for families to spend time together, remaking some of their favorite dishes.
Fresh Flowers
Of course – fresh flowers are a very traditional part of Mother’s Day and if that’s what your mother would love – then you know you gotta do it!
Unique Kitchen Bookends
If your mom collects cookbooks or has a large number of them these fun bookends may be a fun and practical gift for her.
There are many different kinds to choose from – just click here.
Love You Mom Blanket
A beautiful 60 x 50 fleece blanket to help keep her warm filled with words and phrases of love and admiration for the beautiful woman that she is.
For The Practical Moms
This wonderful large print password book can help your practical mother to keep all her passwords in one book. It’s got plenty of room (10 pages for each letter of the alphabet!) and it even has a place to write down your router info, wifi info and of course, your computer repair guy!
There are different covers to choose from and there are Spanish versions available, as well.
Sweets For The Sweet
Sweets, treats and candies are another staple that are traditional Mother’s Day gifts and if your mom loves these kinds of treats, then go for it! It’s her day and it should be celebrated with what she enjoys!
Godiva chocolates are a favorite! So give her a box of 70 chocolate treats. She can enjoy one piece of candy and think of you each day for the next 70 days!
Oil Sprayer Mister For Cooking
For moms who cook, an oil sprayer makes a healthier alternative to the canned cooking sprays we often use to keep food from sticking. She can fill this one with healthier oils, such as olive oil.
It’s not only useful for spraying cooking pans and baking sheets, it can be used on a grill or air fryer. It can even be filled with another liquid, such as vinegar or lemon juice, to spritz on a salad or other dish.
Vertical Mini Belgian Waffle Maker
This waffle maker has gone vertical, so it takes up less space on the counter and in the cabinet.
She simply pours the batter into the spout with the included measuring scoop (no need to grease the inside because it’s non-stick). It has 5 browning settings, a “ready” indicator light, and an audible alert that let’s her know her breakfast is done.
Infusion Water Bottles
Many older adults do not drink enough water. This water infusion bottle is one way to get your elderly mother to drink more water during the day.
This is a quality crafted product that can make water much tastier to drink!
Flameless Candles To Light Up Her Life
Flameless candles are a fantastic alternative to the real thing. I love the ambiance that real candles create, but they can be dangerous to have around. It’s easy to forget to extinguish them or they can be knocked over and cause a fire.
Flameless candles are battery-operated so there is never any worry of an accidental fire. They don’t smoke and they don’t drip wax all over either.
These candles have a realistic flicker and a subtle vanilla fragrance that will make you swear they are the real thing!
You Are My Sunshine Music Box
This cute wood music box can be the best gift for your Mom. The size of this music box is only one palm of hand size. It’s made of high-quality wooden materials, and it is designed with precise music movement, no need to worry about quality problems.
It does not need a battery, you only need to turn the handle of music box to ensure continuous music output, the melody is: Your Are My Sunshine.
All Mothers Love Photos
Plus, it’s fast and easy to get your masterpiece – just upload your image, specify size options and we do the rest. The canvas is printed with industry-standard inks to guarantee a vivid and long-lasting finish.
No matter what you’re looking for – from single photo prints to large wall art – we have the perfect product for all your needs. So don’t wait any longer, turn your photos into beautiful works of art today!
If She Has Trouble Getting Up From Her Seat
You may be wondering, why in the world would I be recommend a lift chair for Mother’s Day? Well, the truth is a friend of mine JUST bought her elderly mother a lift chair to help her because she was having a great deal of trouble getting up from her recliner.
I can tell you that my friend’s mother is SO VERY happy that she got that chair – and we are all happy too because now we know that she’s safer because of it!
So, if your older mom is having trouble getting up from her sofa or recliner – consider getting her a lift chair!
Not sure if you should buy your aging mother a lift chair? Check out our article here.
Get To Know Your Past With Living DNA
My own family is from Sicily and most everyone except my immediate siblings all still live in Sicily and have for many generations. So, I KNOW my family history quite well.
Because of this though, I never realized how many Americans don’t know their history since the great majority of them came from immigrants that traveled here so many moons ago!
Finding out your family history with the help of kits like Living DNA can be fun, exciting and sometimes surprising!
They offer both an ancestry kit and an ancestry and wellbeing kit as well.
Staying Healthy With Vitamins and Supplements
My mother was very much into healthy eating and that included supplements and vitamins. She was always on me to take more Vitamin D and Co-Q10!
Anyway – if your mother is also into health and nutrition – then a gift of her favorite vitamins and supplements would be wonderful. After all, they can be quite expensive so why not give her something that she uses?
You can combine a few things together to make your own “gift basket” for her! What a great way to show her you love her.
If She Has Trouble Reading – Large Print Books
My mom-in-law loves to read. So much so that every year on her birthday (she’s 98 now!) I gift her 12 large print books. That way she has one new book to read for every month of the year.
For older women (and men too) large print books are just a much easier way to participate in your favorite pastime of reading!
You can get many large print books, like the one above from Amazon – check out their large variety here!
Alexa Can Be Used For Fun, Safety And Making Life Easier
Besides the tower shown here – Alexa also offers other devices that are all equipped with the Alexa technology. Check them out here!
Your mother will love the games, music, radio, podcasts and audio books that Alexa offers. In addition, there are several skills that can make life easier and safer for her! She can control her light bulbs even her television if she has a Fire TV or adapter and much more.
A very useful gift for many seniors mothers.
Stay In Touch With Her Using The Echo Show
I LOVE the Echo Show and honestly I love all the great skills that Alexa can do for seniors! It’s truly amazing.
I’ve written several articles about Alexa and the Echo Show – so if you aren’t too familiar with them check out my articles and I’m sure you will be surprised at all the wonderful things they can do.
I always recommend the larger Echo Show that’s shown here for older adults because it’s easier to see and manage. But do know that there are smaller screen products as well.
The greatest benefit of the Echo Show is that if your elderly mother lives alone – she can use this product to visually communicate with you very easily (as long as you have an Echo Show as well). It’s a great way to “see” each other without her having to mess with going to a computer, signing in, etc.
Your mother will LOVE the Echo Show!
Photo Albums
Why not spend some time with your elderly mom transferring photos from the old photo albums to new ones? Or, taking those old photos out of those boxes and putting them into a nice photo album like this one?
She’ll appreciate the time and you both can take wonderful walks down memory lane.
Fire Television
Amazon’s Fire TV is a versatile and user-friendly streaming device that offers endless entertainment possibilities. It provides easy access to a wide array of content, including movies, TV shows, live TV, and music from popular services like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and more.
With its intuitive interface, voice control with Alexa, and compatibility with various smart home devices, Fire TV makes streaming simple and enjoyable.
Whether for movie nights, binge-watching favorite series, or exploring new content, the Fire TV is an excellent Mother’s Day gift for moms who love staying connected with the latest in entertainment.
We’re All A Little Forgetful
The Tile Mate (2020) is a versatile, compact Bluetooth tracker designed to help locate everyday items like keys and wallets. It features a 200 ft range, a replaceable battery that lasts one year, and is compatible with both iOS and Android devices, making it a convenient tool for keeping track of personal belongings.
Car Battery Jump Starter
It’s an awful feeling when your car won’t start and dead batteries typically don’t give you any warning they are about to fail. A car battery jump starter ensures your senior mom or loved one won’t be left by the wayside due to a dead battery. This one is easy to use and it’s even pretty!
It can jump start a full-sized car or SUV and has a bright LED flashlight, as well. The jumper cables feature spark protection and guard against reverse polarity.
It also has 2 USB-A charging ports, so she can charge her devices while she’s out and about.
If She’s A Music Lover
Music does soothe the soul! If your senior mom is a music lover and if she loves the music that she grew up with from the 1940’s, the 1950’s then I would encourage you to find some CD disks for her to play.
Also, if she has an Alexa – you can gift her a subscription to Amazon Music Unlimited! That way, she can just ask Alexa to play her favorite artist, or her favorite genre!
If She Loves Old Movies (or all movies)
My mom-in-law was just telling me a few days ago that she needed to watch some comedy. She was feeling down and she just wanted to watch something and laugh.
If your elderly mother is also expressing those thoughts – then maybe a set of an older comedy movies like the one shown here may be just the thing for her.
Of course, you can get movies of any kind or even better yet – hook her up with Roku or Fire Stick so she can access all kinds of movies and shows!
Roku for older television sets
Roku for newer television sets
Fire Stick for all television sets
Fire Stick for older television sets will also need this HDMI to Composite AV Converter
Email Her New Photos On This Electronic Photo Frame
My mother had a digital picture frame like this that her granddaughter gave to her. It was so great to see new photos of the great grandkids pop up on this every now and then!
This digital photo album is such a nice way to share photos without asking your elderly mother to fiddle with Facebook or a computer (which we all know can be difficult for the older generation).
If you take lots of photos and you want to share them with your older mom – consider an Electronic Photo Frame like this one! I’m sure she will love it!
For Those Mothers Who Love Gardening
If your mother has a green thumb and enjoys gardening but it has become a bit difficult for her to manage – a raised garden is the solution! There are many different kinds, as you can see here!
But I love the one shown above because it takes up little space and for seniors who may only have a patio or balcony to garden in – these are a perfect size!
For Brown Thumb Plant Lovers (Like Me)
A bulk collection of live mini succulent plants. These plants are low maintenance and come in a variety of colors and textures, making them ideal for wedding and party favors, gifts, or garden decoration, available in a pack of 20.
Mother’s Day Gifts For Nursing Home Residents
If your elderly mom is residing in a nursing home, an assisted living facility or other senior living arrangement, you will want to gift her something that she can use and enjoy. So here are some great ideas just for you and her.
These Mother’s Day nursing home ideas should help to bring a smile to her face!
Getting Comfortable With A Bathrobe
Short or long bathrobes, whichever would be best suited for your mother. There’s nothing more comfortable than snuggling up in one of these any time of the day.
Adult Bibs
Why not have a little fun with these whimsical bibs for elderly moms. If your mom uses a big to eat or put on her makeup, these may be a great gift for her. You can find more here.
A Furry Companion
If your elderly mom is suffering from dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, the comfort of a furry pet can be priceless. Studies have shown that robotic pets bring a great deal of soothing peace to many seniors with issues related to cognitive decline.
Family Tree
I love this family tree and have gifted this to several friends who just adore showcasing their loved ones. I think it’s such a wonderful mom’s day gift and I’m sure you’ll find it’s a great choice too.
Wheelchair Blankets
These wheelchair blankets with pockets can be a wonderful gift for your elderly mom. Many seniors often complain that the temperature in their nursing homes are too cold for them so anything that can help them to be more comfortable is very helpful.
Walker Tote
It’s always a great idea to have a basket or tote on a walker (and a wheelchair too) so that it just makes it very easy to carry things and be safe.
Healing Blanket
A sweet way to say “I Love You”! This warm and fluffy blanket sends the message to everyone that this woman snuggled up in this blanket is loved.
A Sweet Night Light
A beautiful and colorful lighted rose that can give any room a sweet glow.
Forever 3D Paper Flower Bouquet
This 12-inch bouquet of paper flowers never needs watering and will last a long time in a nursing home setting. Made of 100 percent recycled paper, it comes with a paper “vase” and a card so you can write your thoughts down.
I hope that these products on my list have inspired you to get something different and creative for your elderly mother!
Have a wonderful and Happy Mother’s Day!
