27 Excellent Gifts for Arthritis Sufferers

When choosing a gift for someone with arthritis, it’s important to keep their condition in mind (e.g. a tennis racket might not be your best bet). If you really want to go the extra mile, you can give a gift that will help the recipient complete everyday tasks more easily or that will help to reduce pain. 

Fortunately, there are some great gift ideas for people with arthritis ranging from inexpensive, simple tools to high-tech gadgets. You're sure to find something on this list that the arthritis sufferer in your life will love.

Gifts for Increased Mobility

Joint pain in the feet, ankles, and knees can make it hard to get around. Fortunately, these mobility aids for walking can make it easier for people with sore or stiff joints to stay active—making them great gifts for people with arthritis.

Walking Cane

Walking canes take some of the pressure off the joints when walking and transfer it to the upper body. This is especially helpful when someone with arthritis experiences more chronic pain on one side of their body than the other. For an individual who experiences joint pain in the hand or wrist, choose a cane with an orthopedic handle to avoid putting too much pressure on their wrist.

Car Cane

Getting out of the car can be a challenge for someone with arthritis. Car canes, or auto canes, hook into the door latch providing a base against which the person can push off. While they might not look that sturdy, car canes can support weights of up to 300 lbs and are very solid and easy to use.

Rollator

Rollators, like the ones we stock in our Denver, CO showroom, provide walking support, a carry basket, and a seat all in one. These mobility devices can be very helpful for people with arthritis who tire easily when walking and need to rest. If you do give someone a rollator as a gift, make sure it's adjusted by a professional and that the recipient is trained on how to use the device safely.

Gadgets That Help with Everyday Tasks

Having arthritic hands can make it harder and more time-consuming to complete the tasks that people without arthritis simply take for granted. These kitchen gadgets and everyday tools can make a huge difference to someone with arthritis.

Touch Padlock

Touch padlocks open via touch, using the owner’s fingerprint for verification. This saves someone with joint pain and swollen fingers from having to fiddle around with a key, a combination dial, or small buttons. 

Ergonomic Mug

Ergonomic mugs have a much wider handle that can be gripped with the whole hand rather than just the fingers. The base is also designed to make the mug more difficult to knock over.

Ergonomic Knife

Ergonomic kitchen knives use the person's body weight to chop, taking the strain off the wrist. The handle is also designed to be very easy and comfortable to hold.

Hands-Free Boiled Egg Peeler

Peeling a boiled egg can be a big struggle (if not impossible) for someone with arthritis. With a hands-free boiled egg peeler, your friend or loved one can simply put the egg in the peeler, add some water, and shake until the peel slips off.

Silicone Oven Mitt

Silicone oven mitts help people with arthritis grip pots and pans more easily and without having to squeeze. Look for mitts with a comfortable cotton underlayer and silicone over the top.

Hot Water Urn

Give the gift of tea on demand with a hot water urn. Instead of having to lift a heavy kettle, the gift recipient simply presses the trigger or lever and hot water pours into the cup.

Lid Opener

Lid openers are handy appliances for people with arthritis to have. These adjustable devices open vacuum-sealed lids automatically and can be adjusted to fit different-size jars.

Dressing Stick

This simple tool can make getting dressed much quicker thanks to its handy hooks and horns. One horn can be used to slip on shoes, while the hook helps with zips and reduces the need to bend over.

Sock Aid

Speaking of bending over, how about a sock aid? To put on socks, the person simply slips the sock over the aid, slips in their foot, and their socks are on. While simple, this gift can be a gamechanger for someone suffering from arthritic pain.

No-Tie Shoelaces

Make it easier to put on shoes with a pair of no-tie shoelaces. These laces can be tied to the person's preferred tightness and left tied up. Best of all, they look very similar to regular shoelaces.

Key Finder

Is your loved one constantly rummaging through his or her bag to find the house keys? A key finder is a perfect solution. This handy little gadget hooks onto the top of pretty much any bag with a clip that attaches to the key ring and keeps the keys near the top of the bag. .

Foam Tubing

Foam tubing provides a soft, non-slip surface that can easily be cut to length and slipped over the handles of cutlery, pens, and pencils. Choose from a range of bright colors and brighten up your giftee's day.

Gifts to Provide Comfort and Relieve Pain

Arthritis—and especially rheumatoid arthritis—can be painful, especially in the colder months. These gifts help by providing relief through various means, reducing inflammation, and keeping arthritic joints warm.

Snap Heat/Cold Pack

Alternating heat and cold therapy can do wonders for arthritis pain. Gel heat and cold packs provide both. To use them, the recipient can simply snap the metal disc to heat the pack and boil it for 20 minutes to reuse. For cold, the pack can be left overnight in the freezer or fridge.

Large Heat Pad or Electric Blanket

For trips and especially cold nights, a large electric blanket or heating pad can do wonders to ease arthritic pain. There are weighted blankets and non-weighted blankets that provide heat therapy, so find out first which one the recipient prefers, as the weight of a weighted blanket can sometimes increase the pain.

Half-Moon Pillow

Around 80% of people with arthritis have trouble sleeping, often due to difficulties getting comfortable. A half-moon pillow made from memory foam can help to keep the giftee in a more comfortable position for a better night's sleep.

Compression Gloves, Sleeves, and Socks

Compression clothing helps a lot with the stiffness caused by arthritis and helps to keep the joints warm. Consider a pair of compression gloves for the hands, compression foot sleeves, or a pair of compression socks.

Anti-Fatigue Mat

Standing for long periods is tiring for any of us and even more challenging for people with arthritis. Anti-fatigue mats can help to absorb the pressure of body weight and reduce fatigue compared to a hard floor.

TENS Machine

TENS, short for transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, is a technology that stimulates the nerve endings to reduce the body’s ability to sense pain. Today, small portable TENS units are available that the gift recipient can use to relieve pain on the go.

Acupressure Ball

Along the same lines—minus the electricity—consider an Aku acupressure ball. This ball is covered in 656 metal spikes—made from copper, silver, nickel, zinc, and iron—that use acupressure to increase blood flow and improve circulation. The ball can be rolled on any part of the body and is said to be especially helpful for knee osteoarthritis. 

Massage Devices

If spikes don't sound particularly appealing, consider a massage device. You can buy foot massagers, finger massagers, hand and wrist massagers, and even massage brushes for horse grooming that are surprisingly effective for relieving arthritis symptoms.

Anti-Inflammatory Lotion with CBD

Cannabidiol, or CBD, is a known anti-inflammatory agent and many people with arthritis have found significant pain relief with CBD-infused lotions and ointments. Aside from helping with discomfort, these lotions are moisturizing and rejuvenating for the skin.

Epsom Salts for a Bath Soak

Living with arthritis can be exhausting. Help your loved one relax with Epsom salts for the bath. Epsom salts contain several important minerals, including magnesium, that are important for bone and muscle health. Some formulations contain relaxing and relieving essential oils, too.

Green Tea Tasting Pack

On a cold day, there's nothing better than a cup of hot tea. And one of the best teas for reducing inflammation is green tea. For a warm, comforting, and delicious gift, you could give your loved one a set of flavored green teas. Better yet, go around and enjoy a cup of tea together!

Healthy Meals Delivered

If your gift recipient doesn't always have time to cook, or if you want to give him or her a break, a month of healthy meals delivered is a very thoughtful gift. Some providers will deliver meals ready to eat at their door, others provide a week's worth of meals to refrigerate and reheat, and others provide pre-measured ingredients for quicker and easy healthy cooking. Find out exactly what the provider offers before signing up.

The Right Gift-Giving Ideas Can Really Make a Difference

While many of the most typical gifts (chocolate, cookies, games with small pieces) can be difficult for people with arthritis, a thoughtful gift that increases an arthritis sufferer's comfort or ease will be deeply appreciated and show how much you care. 

And while you're visiting to deliver your gift, hop in and help with a few chores around the house. That will most likely be the best gift of all!