Friday, December 2, 2011

The Angel Tree

Our nursing center does an Angel Tree at Christmas.  All the employees pick a resident's name and bring them a gift so that they have at least one thing to open at the Christmas Party.

Last year I picked two.  Neither one really got to use my gifts because they both passed away within a month or so of Christmas.

So, to minimize the damage, I only picked one name this year.  Thankfully, it's a resident I know.  Unfortunately, I have no idea what to get them.  They are bed-bound.  They don't read.  They are not really capable of watching television because they can't follow it or they think that it's real.  (I spent a couple hours one afternoon trying to convince them that the house fire on the TV was not actually happening in the building.)  They are at the point where they often eat with their fingers because it's "easier".  They are in that awful Limbo between not really being able to live, but being too strong to die.

I think I'm going to have to go the route of bath products.  At least I know they'll get used.  It seems like a lame gift.  Maybe when I get to the store something will inspire me.

1 comment:

Dr. El said...

Bath products seem like a nice idea to me, especially if you think of it as aromatherapy. A radio or cd of favorite music? A framed nature photo, to bring in a little bit of the outdoors? A frame for an important family photo? Anything you get, it's a lovely gesture.