Gift Ideas for Someone Who has had a Stroke

Recovery after a stroke can be a long and trying process, re-learning and building back speech, cognitive, and/or physical deficits brings upon a mix of all kinds of emotions. It can look different for anyone depending on the kind of stroke the person had and there is a wide range of tools that they could need that could be different for another. As an outsider it’s a time for you to show patience, care, understanding, and love for the patient. And if you’re looking to try to bring even more support to them then we’ve crafted a few gift ideas for someone who has had a stroke that might be beneficial in their journey to recovery. 

Obviously this doesn’t call for a “one-size-fits-all” gift, in fact we’d recommend above all to ask the people closest to the patient, i.e: doctors, nurses, intimate family members and friends, what they think is the best approach for a gift first. They are going to have the most information and the most wherewithal to know what will benefit them the most. 

But we do have a gift guide that can make for nice “well-rounded” ideas that will hopefully help and brighten up the patient's day.

Down the line, when the road to recovery is more manageable and they can begin to do some of the things they love again you can give them a set of “surprise” gifts through GiftYa. GiftYa is a website and mobile app that sells thousands of digital gift cards for a great number of businesses all over the country like restaurants, retailers, spas, hotels, health & wellness stores, and more. If you’re unable to give them a gift in person you can send them an eGift card via text and/or email in just a few minutes. 

A Hulu Gift Card

Unwind and enjoy the latest TV shows and movies all from a top-tier streaming service

Buy A Hulu Gift Card

Patients will need time to unwind and enjoy mindless entertainment whenever they go through their exercises and take their necessary time to recover for the day. Reading may be a bit difficult during this time, but being able to get your entertainment through thousands of TV shows and movies is a great alternative. Hulu is one of the biggest streaming services out there, they’ve been around for a while and feature plenty of comedies, dramas, action blockbuster hits, romances, and many more genres of TV shows and movies. It gives them a break from reality and even lets them keep up with the zeitgeist in what’s popular.

You can Purchase a GiftYa Gift Card to Hulu here!

In no particular order or category, here’s an array of gift ideas for someone who has had a stroke:

Noise Canceling Headphones

Sensory-overload is very real and very common in stroke survivors, just like bright light can be too much, loud noises can be very overwhelming so having a pair of good quality noise canceling headphones can make for a great gift. A pair of headphones can allow those with sensory issues to both relax and concentrate on tasks. Here are a few headphones choices:

• Sometimes over ear headphones can cause headaches when worn for too long so these Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds are secure and comfortable in-ear options with no wires and no fuss. They retail for $299.00 on Bose.
• But if you prefer over ear headphones Bose has the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones for $429.00. They are by-far one of the best over head headphones out there for sheer comfort, they’ll feel like a pillow but in headphone form. 
• If you’re on a budget, then the Soundcore Anker Life Q20 Hybrid Active Noise Cancelling Headphones on sale for $49.99 on Amazon. They feature memory foam cups perfect for compression around the ears.

• A bonus “noise canceling” gift are disposable ear plugs. They’re affordable and can also block out the noise. They’re soft and they can wear them to go to bed without having to keep their head in one position all night. 

Dressing & Dining Aids

If they have physical and cognitive deficits they may require extra help dressing and eating meals throughout the day. Obviously there will be help from loved ones and medical professionals, but these tools will be useful for them moving forward in life as well.

• Old utensils won’t do, but these Good Grips Utensils from the Rehab Store are perfect for those who need it. They’ve got full sets with a fork, tablespoon, and serrated rocker knife- (a rocker knife is a knife that is able to be used with only one hand), along with one with a fork, small spoon, teaspoon, tablespoon, and rocker knife, and the set with a fork, tablespoon, teaspoon, and serrated rocker knife. Or they sell utensils separately. Individually they’re sold between $10 to $15 and the sets range from $40 to $60.
• If gripping is a no go, the ADL Universal Cuff holds your at-home utensils in a little sleeve and you can use it with no grip needed. The medium and large sizes both retail for $14.20 at Active Forever.
• The Homecraft Kitchen Workstation One Handed Cutting Board for RehabMart is on sale for $142.35. It’s an adaptive cutting board that secrues directly to the kitchen table.
• This Long Handled Shoe Horn on sale for $17.99 at Amazon extends from 16” to 38” and it’s a tool that can be used to help get your shoes on for the day.
• The SP Ableware Dressing Stick Mobility Aid for $15.95 at Amazon is 24 inches long and helps those with limited mobility get dressed everyday. 

Bathing Aids

Keeping good hygiene is very important, but bathing for a stroke survivor will look different. There are many bathing aids out there that are helpful to those with limited movement.

• CaregiverProducts has a ton of “Bath Safety Aids for Stroke Survivors” like this Carex Universal Transfer Bench with Arms and Back on sale for $108.95 is a great bath seat for the actual act of bathing and getting in and out of the tub without any falls. 
• And these Bent Long Handle Large Grip Sponges :: Round & Contoured for $13.95 “makes bathing easier” – get those harder to reach spots with limited mobility with ease. 
• This Gorilla Grip Patented Shower and Bathtub Mat (35x16) on sale for $21.99 on Amazon is the perfect addition to the bathroom as slips become more likely and we don’t want that happening to anyone. 

Important Books

Books hold a lot of wisdom and knowledge. They have the power to help change our mindsets and keep us positive in light of drastic life changes. There are a ton of books out there and many that cover strokes. For instance there is the book Relentless: How a Massive Stroke Changed My Life for the Better by Ted W. Baxter on the Kindle for $9.99, Audible for free with a membership, and hardcover for $19.40 all on Amazon. 

A Stitch of Time: The Year a Brain Injury Changed My Language and Life by Lauren Marks details her journey with aphasia. It retails for $12.99 on Kindle, free on Audible with a membership, $38.60 for hardcover, and $13.59 on paperback on Amazon.

my stroke insight by Jill Bolte Taylor is a world renowned bestseller and listed commonly at the top of many lists of books involving stroke recovery stories. It retails for $13.99 on Kindle, free on Audible with a membership, $13.60 for hardcover, and $12.98 on paperback on Amazon.

This Stroke Recovery Workbook Large Print: Activity Book for Traumatic Brain Injury and Aphasia Rehabilitation: Memory-Recovery Exercises for After-Stroke Patients is $14.95 on Amazon and it helps with cognitive recovery.

More Useful Tools

There are so many useful tools out there that can help with a recovery process, and each have their own number of benefits:

• This EASACE Back Scratcher for $14.99 extends from 14 inches to 21.5 inches. It has a flat head with tiny dull spikes that makes for a perfect well-rounded back scratcher. 

• Compression socks, specifically these Women’s Everyday Compression Socks (15-20mmHg) for $28.00 by Bombas and the Men’s Everyday Compression Socks (15-20mmHg) also for $28.00 by Bombas come in three sizes and help with poor circulation. Plus for one pair bought, it’s one pair donated.

• A heating pad and a heating blanket are universally loved gifts to get when recovering. This SAFER Heated Throw Electric Blanket with LCD Control Panel for $29.99 on Amazon has six heating levels and is 50” by 60” big. Then we have the Pure Enrichment Purerelief Deluxe Heating Pad for $29.99 at select Target stores is a soft heating pad that’s big enough to target bigger muscle areas. 

• Board Games and Puzzle books like Chess, which can improve brain function are a great gift to get as they can play with a partner or against themselves along with Scrabble which is the game all about making words. Jigsaw puzzles are also a top tier cognitive game. 

The Uzzle 3.0 Board Game is a block puzzle game that involves your hands and thinking. Move patterned blocks around and mix and match them. It's on sale for $49.99 on Amazon.

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Games for Stroke Patients: Large Print Version by Kalman Toth M a M Phil is $29.95 on paperback at Barnes & Noble and it’s full of puzzles, games, quizzes, coloring pages.

A DoorDash or UberEats Food Delivery Gift Card

As meals are harder to get, getting food delivered to their door would be super helpful

Buy A DoorDash Gift Card

Buy An UberEats Gift Card

Uber Eats and DoorDash are two examples of food ordering and delivery apps that have helped a lot of people with their convenient systems to order food from your favorite restaurants and get it delivered straight to your door all online from the comfort of your home. DoorDash also does grocery orders and convenient store runs so you can get your essentials along with food for the night all in one swoop. These tools can be beyond helpful when getting up and going to the store or eating out at a restaurant isn’t as common as a practice. Plus having your favorite meal or a sweet treat delivered to you can definitely lift up some spirits.

You can Purchase a GiftYa Gift Card to DoorDash here!

And you can Purchase a GiftYa Gift Card to Uber Eats here!

As much as these gifts can help, the biggest of them all is being by their side and listening to them. You can do a lot just by being there or sending well wishes via cards, letters, voicemails, and quality time.