What to buy Care Home staff

[Flakjacketon]

I would really welcome any suggestions for what to buy the staff in my mother's care home. They have gone above and beyond these last 18 months keeping the residents safe and I would like to recognise this.

It would probably have to be a group pressie and I cannot identify individuals without running the risk of leaving someone out.

Many thanks in anticipation

Chocolates were always preferable when I worked in a care home.

When my dad was in a home we used to hand in a selection of sweet and savoury snacks, they were always well received

We loved a fruit basket when I worked in care, we got so many chocolates at this time of year it was lovely to have something different. The other thing that was welcome as a selection of nice teas and coffees for the staff room.

With the current mask/hand washing situation one of the presents I appreciated most last year when working in residential care was hand cream and lip balm!

Hamper with tea, coffee, herbal tea, flavoured coffee, choc, biscuits and maybe even handcream and pens!! There are never enough pens
Maybe a little sign for their staffroom.

Tins of chocolate . Bottles of wine . We used to love getting a mix of these . Some families would bring say 6 bottles of wine 6 boxes of biscuits/chocolates. (Not expensive stuff be aware) not every member of staff will drink alcohol but those that do did appreciate the change from chocolates . Carehomes are not known for valuing staff . Ours stopped giving us our £10 vouchers one yr when minimum wage went up more than a few pence. I think a good rule of thumb is to ask the staff as well but in our place it was wine/choc/biccies and we loved it.

Phone and ask the manager.

A bit different but the ward I work on just got given lots of pens personalised with ‘love from ’s family’. We love them!

I think a fruit basket and a selection of savoury snacks would be a welcome change to chocolate, also nice quality hand creams and lip salves/butters would be nice for the cold winter months.

I have bought an empty wicker tray and filled it with Xmas stuff from Aldi/Lidl including a bottles of wine in each corner of the tray - then wrapped it in cellophane with a bow. probably 20 or so items in total. Savoury biscuits/cheeses as well as sweet stuff . I got a few Poinsettas for cleaners/cooks etc just as a token.

I would also say black pens.

Fruit! Chocolates are cheap, dull and not appreciated at all (carer here)

May I suggest that if you're sending in food items, don't have them in a single basket, unless each is individually wrapped (COVID)

I would avoid chocolates & biscuits . Or anything tbat requires sharing or wouldn’t be permitted in a hospital

Can you ask the manager if there is anything they don’t have that would be really appreciated - eg good coffee, something for any staff kitchen?

(I asked the Ward Sister what I could get as a collective gift for the staff who looked after my mother with such tenderness at the end of her life and was then able to get something that wasn’t chocolates or biscuits or which would have to have been disposed of for hygiene reasons)

(I mean something that was very much a-welcome addition to the ward for its staff)

I think a little basket of pens (ideally black ink), handcreams, and nice hand sanitizer that people can help themselves to.

Whilst things like fruit and biscuits are lovely they may not be allowed unless they’re individually wrapped. I’d suggest a box with individually wrapped teabags (1 box of English breakfast and maybe some assorted herbal tea bags) and sachets of instant hot chocolate/coffee. You could also include a tin of chocolates or wrapped biscuits (like kitkats etc).

If you write a card with a nice message it’ll normally get put in the staff room next to the treats/on the noticeboard so the staff know you appreciate their efforts.