Are you a long distance care provider looking for a mother’s day gift for a grandmother? Here is a brilliant gift idea from tech saavy geriatric care manager Julie Menack’s chapter on long-distance care providers, in my book Care Managers and the Aging Family (Jones and Bartlett), 2008. If you are long-distance caregiver and cannot visit on holidays, you might want to send a holiday in a box.

This is a fun way to share the holidays, particularly if the care recipient resides in assisted living or a nursing home. All ages in the family can participate in communicating with your aging mom through the contents of the box. A mother’s day package might include a sign saying “Happy Mother’s Day” that you or your family make or buy. It could include candy if your mom can eat that—maybe her favorite kind.

If you can’t send flowers, but include silk or plastic flowers in the mother’s day box. Have the grandchildren make an old-fashioned wrist corsage out of paper flowers. Call the facility and ask if you can get gift certificate for her to get her hair done. Find out if they are having a brunch to celebrate Mother’s Day, and make sure your mom can attend. Buy her a new dress for the event and put it in the package. Have your children or grandchildren make individual handmade cards.

Set up a time for a phone call that works for both of you on Mother’s Day. Get the kids on the phone. If possible, call in the morning or early evening when your mom may be feeling lonely. And, of course, make sure everything arrives well in advance, which would mean mailing very soon.