The best gift you can give a senior is your time. They want to see you, hug you, spend time with you, and reminisce. But there are thoughtful gifts worth getting them as well. These include ones they’ll love even if they aren’t particularly tech-savvy, and others that will require a bit of your help to set up (but will be totally worth it!)
Skylight 15-inch Digital Photo Frame
A digital photo frame is a wonderful gift to keep an elderly parent or grandparent apprised of everything the family is up to, especially if they (or you) aren’t on social media. With a frame like this one, you can remotely upload images via a mobile app, no subscription required. Share the app and the frame’s unique e-mail address with others in the family, like a group of siblings. This way, everyone can contribute, keeping the frame continuously updated. The best advice with a gift like this is to load it with a gallery of photos ahead of time, and this frame has a neat option to make this possible: there’s a Gift Mode that allows you to pre-load photos without even opening the box. As soon as they open it up and plug it in, voila! Photos of the grandkids at baseball practice, your recent tropical vacation, and the last family Christmas party will show up to put an instant smile on their face. It’s $349 but you can also get the smaller 10-inch model for $199.
Sennheiser All-Day Clear Earbuds
There’s no shame in hearing loss. It’s a natural part of getting older. If the senior in your life is suffering from this, consider getting them a cool pair of assistive hearing devices that look just like true wireless earbuds. The Sennheiser All-Day Clear and All-Day Clear Slim are FDA-approved hearing aids that offer self-fitting features and an unobtrusive look. Along with helping them hear better, the buds function as standard wireless earbuds, pairing wirelessly with a mobile device to play tunes, podcasts, and more. Under the hood, they are powered by hearing care company Sonova technology. This delivers clear sound with intelligent scene detection that monitors the wearer’s environment to optimize dialogue. Wearers can expect up to 16 hours of hearing performance and lightweight comfort from the compact rechargeable devices. Each pair comes with a charging case and accessory kit; the Slim adds a compact carrying case. It’s easy to set up using the mobile app, something a senior will appreciate (you might have to help them download the app!) The All-Day Clear is US$1,400 and the All-Day Clear Slim is $1,500. But for a parent or grandparent who is self-conscious about their hearing loss, it’ll be worth every penny to help build their confidence. Note that these buds have not yet received clearance from Health Canada so you may have to purchase them across the border.
Sennheiser TV Clear Set 2 Dialogue-Enhancing True Wireless Earbuds
Another audio product from Sennheiser, the TV Clear Set 2, a follow up to the TV Clear that was introduced last year, is designed to help the elderly or hard of hearing listen to TV or music in the home without having to crank the volume up to nightclub levels. These offer improved sound quality compared to the original, easier set-up, and further customization in the app. With increased speech intelligibility, they can hear dialogue without having to turn up the volume such that background noises are overwhelmingly loud. Re-engineered buttons are simpler to use for adjusting volume and setting the Speech Clarity level. Revised acoustic apertures and ear adapters help with a perfect fit, especially with smaller ears. It also now comes fully pre-paired to its transmitter, which doubles the transmission bandwidth. The updated transmitter adds wide Dolby compatibility to ensure seamless connection to S/PDIF digital audio outputs, and a versatile USB-C power port. With the updated TV Clear companion app, you can enjoy visualized controlling of the volume, configuration of the double-tap gesture, improved charging status feedback, and more. Qi wireless charging, multi-point connectivity, and up to 15 hours of listening per charge (another 1.5 in the case) are also included. They sell for $550.
Fitbit Charge 6 Activity Tracker
As we get older, it’s important to stay healthy and active. Getting a senior a fitness tracker is a great idea, especially with the latest models that track so much more than just steps, like heart rate, blood oxygen, sleep, even skin temperature. The Fitbit Charge 6 offers advanced heart rate tracking, great for a senior who needs to keep on top of their heart health. It lasts for up to seven days per charge so grandma doesn’t have to charge it nightly. She can also try out the trial Fitbit Premium subscription to get more details about her health and wellness, including detailed sleep analysis. If she has a treadmill or stationary bike at home from brands like NordicTrack or Peloton, she can also connect the device to it to get real-time heart rate details during a workout. With built-in GPS, she can also track her distance and routes while going for a morning walk. Seniors, in particular, will appreciate the Zoom+ Magnification Accessibility feature that allows you to tap on the screen to magnify words if they have trouble reading small text or simply prefer larger fonts. Get it for $160 in Obsidian, Porcelain, and Coral.
Samsung Galaxy A54 5G Smartphone
Seniors appreciate simplicity. Remember, they grew up during a time before cell phones with simple rotary or digital phones in the home. But they also need to become part of the modern world. A smartphone like the Samsung Galaxy A54 5G is just $589 but it has plenty of premium features with a simple and intuitive interface. It has a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display that’s large enough for them to boost the text size to as big as they need. Features like enhanced Vision Booster and a display that automatically adjusts based on the lighting condition will ensure they can use it comfortably day and night, indoors and out. They’ll get much better photos of the grandkids using the 50MP main camera and 12MP ultra-wide camera, and great selfies with the 32MP front camera. Optical image stabilization helps compensate for handshake. It comes in an Awesome Graphite finish but make sure to get them a protective case and screen protector, too.
Aetrex Orthotics
Orthotics aren’t just for seniors: even my 11-year-old requires them for his flat feet, especially during months like the summer when he’s especially active with sports and activities. Plantar fasciitis is no joke, but the right pair of orthotics can help alleviate foot pain and prevent this from coming on. Aetrex offers a variety of orthotics and has set up high-tech machines called the Albert 3DFit scanner and Albert 2 Pro scanner in a number of shoe stores across Canada where you can scan your feet to determine the right size and type for you. The machine uses Intel RealSense Depth Cameras to capture 360° scan of your feet, including length, width, girth, and more, to a millimeter of accuracy. When I stepped aboard at CES 2023 earlier this year, I learned that I have average pressure on my forefoot and rearfoot and typically put more pressure on the right forefoot and bottom than the left. My right foot is slightly wider than my left and my arch type is “medium.” There was so much more data I learned as well, like that my left foot is slightly shorter than the right, something I often struggle with when buying shoes and that I have a fairly symmetrical instep. Most notably, I learned that my actual shoe size is a size up from what I had typically been buying: the rep claims that most people choose a shoe size smaller than what they actually should. (Indeed, I have now been buying shoes a half size bigger and find them much more comfortable, despite initially feeling “too big.”) Bottom line: find a store with one of these machines near you, take your senior family member or friend to have their feet analyzed, then use this information to order them a nice set of orthotics.
Epson FastFoto FF-680W Wireless High-Speed Photo Scanning System
If your senior has shoeboxes full of loose photos, or even stacks of albums, they can enjoy a fun retirement project: scan and digitize them all using the FastFoto FF-680W Wireless High-speed Photo Scanning System. This scanner can scan bunches at once in record time. There are even features to improve the images, removing red eye and other imperfections. At $800, it’s not cheap. But being able to preserve the photos and make digital albums to display on digital photo frames, share with the grandkids, and save to the cloud? You can’t put a price on that. Plus, it’s a great activity for grandparents to do with the grandkids who can help them figure out how to use the machine, and they can share stories about each picture as they go through them all.
Amazon Echo Dot (4th Gen) Smart Speaker
Yes, this gift will require some work on your part and will probably end up resulting in a call or text every now and then asking you why the “Alexa thingy isn’t working.” But it’ll bring your elderly parents or grandparents into the 21st Century. Set up an account for them, or link to an existing Amazon Prime account they have, then give them a short tutorial on how it works. Once they get the hang out if, they’ll love being able to play favourite tunes, receive reminders to take their medication or buy a birthday card for the grandson, or even find out when their favourite TV show is on. They can ask questions, get funny jokes, weather updates, and even control smart home devices that you will likely also buy for them, like smart lights. At $70, it’s not expensive but you will need to invest some time in helping them learn how to use it.
Ring Video Doorbell
Make it easier for mom and dad to see who is at the door without having to get up and walk all the way over with a Ring doorbell and the smartphone app. They can speak to people using the two-way microphone, letting a solicitor know they have mobility issues and aren’t interested, or telling the neighbour that they can go grab their ball in the backyard – you don’t mind, or to set aside three boxes of chocolates and you’ll come by later to get them and pay. Plus, you can set it up so the doorbell rings loud enough so they can hear it. With a Ring Protect subscription, they can also view footage and motion alerts from past events; you can even set the app up on your phone so you can watch the property as well to find out who has been letting their dog poop on the lawn. The Ring Video Doorbell Pro ($170) has colour night vision and built-in Alexa greetings that will answer the door if you’re busy. This is a wired model so it requires installation using the existing doorbell wiring as a power supply. If you want something simpler that just needs to be mounted, go with the battery-operated Ring Battery Doorbell Plus (US$180) that comes with a quick-release battery pack.
Kobo Libra 2 eReader
So, they love reading but they are trying to downsize and getting rid of all those paperback books that have been gathering dust on the shelves. They don’t have the energy to visit the library and go searching for titles every week and their eyes hurt when they try to read a book on their iPad (or even the small print in a paperback). The solution? An eReader. It offers the best of both worlds, providing the feel of reading a paperback book with the convenience of being able to store thousands of them in one thin device. The Kobo Libra 2 is a solid option for a senior. At $230, it’s fully waterproof so they can lie back and enjoy reading while having a bubble bath (what’s retirement for, after all, if you can’t relax?) Or they can relax on the porch with a cup of tea in the morning reading, perhaps bask in the sun at the local park. It has a 7-inch screen that’s about the same size as a traditional paperback. The ComfortLight Pro makes it easy to read in any setting, including in bed at night. Adjust font size and type to make reading as easy as possible: blow those letters up huge and flip page after page with a single swipe. When they want to shut their eyes, queue up an audiobook and just listen. Go all out and get them the SleepCover ($45) as well for the complete open-book experience.
Circular Ring Slim Smart Ring
For a senior who might not be interested in wearing a fitness tracker or smartwatch, the Circular Ring Slim could be a viable alternative. It’s thin, light, and incorporates haptic navigation and alerts. Paired with Kira+, Circular’s AI wellness assistant, the sleek Circular Ring Slim assesses seven biometrics and 142 derived markers 24/7 to help people sleep better and live healthier lives. By optimizing physical activities and maintaining mental wellness, the Ring focuses on personalized, preventative health. It comes equipped with a three-axis accelerometer count that assesses activity and movement, and a surface temperature sensor. Advanced PPG sensors combine three different LED light wavelengths, green, red, and infrared, to capture a range of health vitals such as heart and respiratory rates, blood oxygen levels, and heart rate variability. With a six-day battery life and 20 days of on-board memory, Circular Ring has a matte black titanium shell. It collects health data every two minutes and, over time, helps build a picture of overall health as well as predict potential health conditions. During the day, the ring captures activity, blood oxygen levels, energy levels, calories burned, heart rate, respiration rate, and chronotype, among other metrics. At night, the ring ambiently tracks circadian rhythm and records sleep quality, heart rate variability, sleep disturbances, REM cycles, and sleep and wake times. Its sensors measure temperature variations during sleep, which, combined with other biometrics, can provide a clearer picture of immune systems and provide early detection of the onslaught of illness. Features like medication reminders will be especially appreciated. Kira+ assesses the multitude of biomarkers monitored to predict potential health lifestyle or nutritional issues before they occur. It even offers an early warning system for detractions in medication compliance. The best part? There are no monthly subscription fees. Get it for US$275.
Telus Health Medical Alert Pendant
A 21st Century version of the medical alert bracelet, the new Telus Health Medical Alert Pendant is a discreet wearable device designed to help empower older adults to stay on their own while knowing that emergency support is available 24/7. It works with the connected Caregiver app, which includes updates for those who care for aging loved ones about daily routines, mobility, and even whereabouts thanks to built-in GPS location tracking. It’s small and light making it comfortable to wear all day and boasts long battery life. It also has fall detection, and the wearer can cancel a fall detection alarm that was activated in error without having to speak to an operator. There’s 24/7 access to live emergency support at the push of a button. Pricing starts at $60/mo. and existing Telus customers with mobility or home services can save an additional $10 per month by using the code 10LOYALTY online or by phone with an agent.