by Staff Writer
Everyone knows that electronics make great gifts for kids, for technophiles or for anyone who loves a good gadget. But don't forget about grandma and grandpa: Among the enormous selection of electronics available, there are plenty of devices that seniors can enjoy or even put to practical use. If you're considering an electronics gift for a senior in your life, take a look at these possibilities.
Large-numbered electronics: It's no surprise that people's eyesight tends to fade as we grow older. For some seniors, operating electronic devices can be made quite difficult by small buttons that are hard to read. Make someone's life a bit easier by replacing their existing electronics with their large-numbered equivalents. Universal remote controls often come with larger buttons that are easier to identify; also, a large-button phone is a great choice for seniors who love to keep in touch.
Digital picture frames: If your grandparents are the type who just can't enough pictures of their grandchildren, then they'll love to have a digital picture frame. Load it up with pictures of the family or of other treasured memories, and it's sure to bring them bright moments, time and time again. Imagine how much they'll enjoy seeing a different picture each time they pass by the picture frame when you put it in slideshow mode. If the seniors in your life still get out and about regularly, give them a digital picture frame keychain so they can have the memories with them wherever they go.
Digital camera: What could go better with that digital picture frame than a digital camera to allow the seniors in your life to record some of their own memories? They're sure to love being able to add some of their own pictures to the slideshow on their digital picture frame.
Alarm clocks: Life doesn't stop when you retire! Retirees may still need to wake up to an alarm from time to time, but why force them to wake up to the same blaring alarms the rest of us are subjected to? Look for an alarm that plays music or nature sounds to make waking up less of a startling experience. Or try a projection alarm to make it easier to see the time; these handy alarms project the time on the wall in large, highly visible numbers.
Health monitors: Health care concerns are a fact of life, and they only become more prominent as we age. Your parents or grandparents may have most of the health monitors and other devices that they need, but perhaps they don't have the ones they want! If they need to regularly monitor blood sugar, give them a pain-free monitor that can take blood samples without the discomfort. Or, consider giving them a blood pressure monitor; this is a great tool to help them keep tabs on their overall health.
