Finding the perfect gift for your friend with MS makes both of you feel good!
Buying gifts is tough. Do you choose something practical or fun? Should you go with a safe gift purchase or something the recipient wouldn’t buy for themselves? And if the person you’re buying for has multiple sclerosis (MS), how can you make sure the gift is spot-on?
“Gift-buying for a friend or loved one with MS can be quite simple, but you should always consider how honest they are with you about their symptoms,” says Aaron Nicka, an occupational therapist at the Cleveland Clinic’s Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis Treatment and Research in Ohio.
Someone who is open about having trouble with a certain task might appreciate a tool or gadget that is obviously an “adaptive” device, while a person who is more private about MS and its effects would likely prefer a gadget that could make life easier for anyone but isn’t specifically aimed at people with disabilities.
If you do buy a gift that’s intended to help with a complication of MS, think about who else will be there when the gift is opened. And if you think there’s a chance your friend or relative might feel embarrassed opening your gift in front of others, present it when the two of you are alone, or have it delivered, so no one else is present when the gift is opened.
Of course, even a person who is open about his MS symptoms may prefer to receive gifts that have nothing to do with MS. So keep your loved one’s hobbies, interests, and activities in mind when you’re gift shopping — along with his abilities. A shirt with tiny buttons isn’t a great gift for someone with fine motor control problems, even if it’s in his favorite color.
Most of all, be sure the gift is about the recipient as he is, and not about how you would like the recipient to be. Giving a gym membership to someone who doesn’t like to exercise or a vegetarian cookbook to someone who enjoys meat isn’t likely to go over well. For special occasions, give gifts you think your loved one with MS will really like.
To ease gift-giving woes, Nicka and a few people with MS share some ideas for good — even great — gifts.
Socks, Socks, Socks Keep Feet Warm and Toasty
Warm, fuzzy socks might seem boring, but Meg Lewellyn, of Seattle, says they’re absolutely not.
“Before being diagnosed with MS, I used to hate getting socks as a gift. It seemed so impersonal and unoriginal,” she says. “Now, they are my favorite thing to receive. Since my feet always feel as if they are cold — even in the middle of the summer and a heat wave — I wear socks around the house constantly. I love that my family and friends know this about me and are always on the lookout for the best and warmest socks around!”
Even if your friend or relative’s feet aren’t always cold, perhaps they’d appreciate some nonconstricting socks, if regular ones bother them, or a new pair of compression socks, if they already wear them for swelling in the feet or legs. Before you buy a gift of compression socks, though, check to make sure you’re getting the right size and the right degree of compression.
Fuzzy Winter Booties Stay On Even With Foot Drop
Before she developed foot drop, Mona Sen could wear slip-ons, moccasins, or any other style of slippers that suited her fancy.
But now, she says, “It needs to be above the ankle, because I cannot lift the front of my foot. So unless the top of the slipper is up around the ankle, it will not stay on.”
In foot drop (also known as “drop foot”) that’s caused by MS, the nerve that conducts messages to the muscles that flex the ankle become damaged, so when a person lifts their leg to take a step forward, the toes remain pointing downward, making it difficult to walk — or keep loosely fitting shoes on. Spasticity or tightness in the calf muscle can contribute to the problem.
If you’re buying slippers for a friend, you need to know your friend’s shoe size to make sure the slippers fit right. If you don’t know their shoe size, this may be an instance where a gift card for a favorite slipper retailer would be a better bet.
Meal Kit Delivery Service Makes Dinner a Breeze
A gift certificate for a meal kit delivery service allows the recipient to try something new without taking on the cognitive burden of finding the recipe, making the grocery list, and shopping for the ingredients, says Mona Bostick, RDN, a multiple sclerosis certified specialist (MSCS) who lives with relapsing multiple sclerosis herself.
Meal kits include step-by-step, easy-to-follow instructions and can feel like a treat while eating in.
The services listed here vary widely in prices and food offerings. All of them provide nutrition information for their meals, although some make it easier to find on their website than others.
“To read this article in its entirety click this link: Holiday Gift Guide for People With MS.“