Caregiver Gift Guide 2024 (What to get the caregiver in your life)

Being a caregiver is a rewarding job, but it also comes with many challenges and stresses. There is no better time to show your appreciation for the caregiver in your family’s life than the holiday season. Because of the added commitments, this is one of the hardest times of the year to be a caregiver, so a thoughtful gift from you can help make the season a little more bearable.

In this article, we’ll walk through our 2024 holiday gift guide for caregivers. We hope this list will inspire you to find the perfect gift for the caregiver in your life this year.

The Gift of Time Off: Helping Caregivers Take a Much Needed Break

One of the best gifts a caregiver can receive at any time of year is time off. Time to reset, enjoy something they love, or just have extra time to spend with other family and friends they care about.

Here are a few suggestions of gifts that will encourage caregivers to take time away from their roles and responsibilities:

Dinner Reservations. A great way to show your appreciation for your caregiver is to make them reservations at one of their favorite restaurants and give them a gift card to pay for the meal. As part of this gift (to help ensure they actually use it), especially if the caregiver’s loved one struggles to safely exist at home without help, it’s helpful to help them find someone who can stand in the caregiver’s place for the evening.
Weekend Away (Staycation). Another great gift is making hotel reservations for the weekend allowing the caregiver to get away and reset. Again this will require you to have someone else provide care for this time but it will really allow a stress-free weekend.

Weekly Reprieve. If you’re low on funds, but have the time and energy to volunteer for tasks on their behalf, (things like transport, grocery runs, etc.) or to just offer recurring help – reprieve can be one of the best gifts.

The Gift of Health: Helping Caregivers Prioritize Themselves

If your caregiver is into fitness or self health, these gifts can be a great option. Taking care of yourself as a caregiver is extremely important to their physical health and mental health. These are some great options.

Yoga/Spin/Pilates/Zumba Classes. Many yoga studies will allow you to buy several classes at once that your caregiver can choose to use whenever they want.
Spa Gift Card. A facial, manicure, hair treatment, or any other spa treatment can be a great way for your caregiver to take some time for themselves and reset. Just make sure you’re familiar with their favorite spa/salon and/or treatments first so you get them something they’re sure to use.
Massage. Like a spa treatment, a massage can be a great way for caregivers to release some stress and get some alone time to focus on their health.
Grocery Subscription/Membership. Another gift that can add a lot of value is a membership to a store like Costco or an online store like Thrive Market. Both types of memberships can help your loved one save money on essentials and make life a little more convenient.

The Gift of Convenience: Making Each Day a Little Easier

Another wonderful gift idea to show the caregiver in your life that you care is to find ways to make their job a little easier.

Caregivers spend lots of time doing tasks like cooking, cleaning, filling prescriptions, and running to medical appointments. By giving them a gift that will make their life easier, it can show both that you recognize how much they do and that you appreciate them.

Here are some ways to do that:

Food delivery. Cooking three meals a day and making snacks can be very time consuming. So you can offer them a meal delivery kit/service, takeout, or offer to bring over home-cooked freezer meals to help alleviate the weight of that burden.
Automatic Pill Dispenser (Or Another Convenience Tech Tool). Automatic pill dispensers are an example of a tech tool that can make life a little easier. These dispensers usually have an alarm the caregiver can set and it will dispense the pills as needed. The tech tool options are endless – consider their complaints and see if you can think of a tool/solution that can help. The gift of freed headspace (having less to think about each day) is invaluable.
Cleaning Service: Hiring a weekly or monthly cleaning service can also be a great gift. Cleaning like cooking can be overwhelming and time consuming. Hiring someone to take this off their plate will be something they will surely appreciate.

The Gift of Something Fun or Personal: Making the Caregiver Feel Special

When we talk about personalized gifts we don’t mean just a mug with their name on it. We mean a personal gift that shows you know and appreciate your caregiver. Here are some personalized gifts that show you know what your caregiver enjoys and will show your appreciation.

Books. If your caregiver is a reader, then physical books, a Kindle/e-reader, a subscription to Kindle Unlimited/Audible, or credits/gift cards to buy books is a great gift idea.
Magazine Subscription. If you know what your caregiver is into, a magazine subscription for cooking, traveling, or whatever their favorite hobby is, can offer a fun mail delivery and surprise each month.
Wine Subscription. If the caregiver in your life enjoys a nice glass of wine after a long day, then a monthly wine subscription delivered directly to them can be a fun way to keep the holiday spirit alive as they relax and think of you all year.
Coffee Station. Is the caregiver in your life a coffee lover? If so, you can create a fun/themed care package. This can include a new coffee maker, french press, coffee beans, flavored creamers, syrups, and new coffee mugs to spark joy each morning.
Something They’ll Love. There’s no right or wrong way to gift. Do you feel like you have something in mind that they’d like completely unrelated to their role as a caregiver? It’s probably perfect. The caregivers in our lives are more than just caregivers, and sometimes it’s good to remind them of that too.

Closing Thoughts: 2024 Holiday Gift Guide

Family caregivers gift their time to others, and the holiday season is a great time to recognize the sacrifices they make to keep our families and loved ones safe and cared for. We hope this gift guide has given you some ideas on how to make your caregiver feel special and appreciated.
If want help finding resources for a family caregiver in your life, the California Caregiver Resource Centers are here to support you. We are a non-profit network of 11 Centers that support caregivers across the state of California. Every county in the state is covered.