We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. With the holidays in full swing, we are happy to share our holiday gift guide, with 10 gift ideas connected to speech and language, wellness, and brain injury recovery. Please feel free to share any other gift suggestions for our community in the comment section below.
Books
We’ve compiled an updated list of book recommendations relating to topics within the brain injury, communication, and wellness genres. Check out our bookstore on Bookshop.org, “an online bookstore with a mission to financially support local, independent bookstores”. Disclosure: We are an affiliate of Bookshop.org and will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
Journal, Planner, or Calendar
Writing things down is one of the top strategies recommended by speech-language pathologists (SLPs) for supporting memory, planning, organization and task completion. Kick off 2022 with one of the many styles of planners, ranging from small pocket-sized notebooks to monthly calendars. There’s also some great paper “To Do” lists available. Bonus tip: There are many styles and designs out there, and choosing a pleasing pattern may help with motivation to stick with your habit.
Yoga Props
The only thing you NEED to practice yoga is yourself and an open mind. However, there are many nice, affordable props that can help support your practice, such as a thick yoga mat, a set of two yoga blocks, a yoga bolster, or a blanket.
Gift Card for Lotus Speech & Wellness Yoga
We are excited to announce that we now offer gift cards which can be used for our live yoga classes or our on-demand video collection. If you are interested in buying a gift card, please email Katherine at Katherine@LotusSLP.com.
Reusable Drinking Cups
Because staying hydrated (and perhaps caffeinated?!) is self-care, and reusable cups and mugs mean less waste. Check out Etsy for some cute options, or a lot of small businesses and cafes sell their own branded reusable cups and mugs.
Assistive Technology
Our Occupational Therapy colleagues often recommend adaptive equipment for folks who’ve had a brain injury. There’s lots of great options out there, including adaptive utensils, clothing, pill boxes, technology and mobility options. You can even think of a tablet, Alexa, or Apple Watch as assistive technology, because these tools can help with memory and communication.
Board Games
We love playing games! So many games target attention, memory, problem solving, and communication skills. Some of our favorites are Scattergories, Anomia, Rat-A-Tat Cat, Pickles to Penguins, and SET.
Self-Care
Treat yourself to something EXTRA that’s just for self-care! This year we have our eye on some scented shower steamers, nice tea, and an extra soft throw blanket.
Make a Donation
There are so many great causes out there to support at the local, national, and international levels. Making a donation supports organizations working to make the world a better place. For example, might we suggest the Brain Injury Association of America, LoveYourBrain, the American Stroke Association, the Parkinson Voice Project, or Pink Concussions.
Support Local Business
The pandemic has made it even more important to support your local businesses. If you don’t feel comfortable heading out to your local store or restaurant, many are offering gift cards and curbside pickup.