How to do something small & useful for someone in independent living?

Individual quilts, which they can help construct; Shawls and lap robes they help to make for less fortunate people; making a group project of baked from scratch muffins, Valentine's Day whoopie pies or pound cake; photo albums or a collage of their childhood photos or family members; hand embroidered pillow cases with colorful designs ; books on tape and a device on which to play them; individual, handmade Valentine's Day cards with a personal notation from you in each card; larger knitting needles and sufficient skeins of yarn with which they can knit a small item for themselves or a family member; adult coloring books with colored pencils and rubber grippers for those with dexterity issues; a card indicating a promise to drive them somewhere special, etc.

Hello Cathie! What kind of project did you have in mind? Something they can look at--like photo albums or framed pictures? Something they can use--like crocheted or knit lap blankets? A gift basket with lotions or snacks? I am not sure which direction you want to take.

When my Dad lived in this type of facility, he said that the residents loved anything LARGE PRINT - books, jigsaw puzzles, etc.

One other very popular activity was giving them bags/baskets of colored paper, glue, glitter, etc. and matching envelopes so they could make birthday and holiday cards for their family members and friends. Make sure to put postage stamps on the envelopes ---- so they are sure to get mailed out.

We usually bring something to my mom's memory care cottage for everyone to eat at snack time. They really enjoy the gourmet cheesecakes that we bring and we bring enough for all the clients and staff to enjoy and have some left over for later if they want. Perhaps some jigsaw puzzles that everyone can enjoy putting together, some harder for those that are more able and some easier for those that need them.

I love the idea of creating a personal puzzle! Thank you for reaching out to me.