The Art of Giving

June is a big celebration month in our family beginning with birthdays on the 3^rd, then 5^th, 6^th, and the 28^th, and with Father’s Day and an anniversary thrown into the mix. Two of these are occasions for gifts for my hubby who has Parkinson’s Disease.

What do we give someone with Parkinson’s, no matter the occasion? Do we give utilitarian gifts? Do we give useless items that will just sit in a drawer because we don’t want to admit that they cannot use them anymore?

I have written about this once before, so feel free to check out a former post entitled “Gifts for the Patient.” That one was written just before the holiday gift-giving season in December.

Here are some new gift suggestions, no matter the occasion or gender:

iPad or similar device with touch screen – my husband’s neurologist recommended this for him several years ago, and it has been a great gift! He finds the touch screen easier than using a mouse on his desktop computer. He takes it nearly everywhere we go, and it has paid for itself many times over.

An apron or camo cover-up for meal time – found in a less subtle way on the Walmart website as “Tidy Top Clothing Protector.” While these are functional, they can be somewhat demeaning, especially for a man. The camo version sold by The Wright Stuff is camouflaged, (Pun intended!), so less like a bib.

Apron

You can also use an apron or make over an old shirt.

Shirt Make-over

The next idea for anyone with disability issues is a “Auto Handle Car Cane” which can be found at Walmart using this name, or online as “The Original Car Cane” by Emson.  The is a multi-use devise that is invaluable! We received ours as a gift from a dear friend, and hubby uses it every time he gets into and out of the car. He uses it to push against to center himself in the seat as well as a handle to hold onto as he gets in the car.

Car Cane

The gift of flowers and plants delights my husband. He used to be the one who bought them and planted them in our yard. Now he sits and watches me do it with the help of our 10-year-old grandson. He truly enjoys the colorful yard and the birds and butterflies drawn by the flowers.

There has been extensive research over the years about helping Parkinson’s patients express themselves in the arts – in dance, in music, and in the visual arts. My final suggestion is that we give our loved one the gift of art – dance lessons, music lessons, art lessons, or simply dance and music and artistic opportunities.

Here is a website where persons with Parkinson’s (PWP) were invited to express their emotions through the visual arts. Specifically, they were asked to interpret how they feel during on times and then off times. The results were amazing.

Whatever we decide to give, we do so out of the desire to bring joy to our loved one. A moment of joy is worth the gift.

What gifts have you given that bring pleasure in the life of your spouse? What kind of thing do they enjoy the most? Let’s share ideas.

Thanks for reading, and happy gift giving.