Healthcare workers have always worked quietly on the sidelines, but the importance of their jobs took center stage due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Recently, we have been leaning on healthcare staff more than we already did before.
As such, it only makes sense to show them how much we appreciate their efforts. Read on for some suggestions for items to include in your care packages for these hardworking individuals:
Clothing Items
- Compression Socks
Because healthcare workers spend hours on their feet, including women’s and men’s compression socks in their care packages is a good idea. These specialty garments can help them maintain good blood circulation in the lower extremities while they’re busy taking care of patients and moving from one part of the hospital to another.
This will allow them to work more efficiently without dealing with unpleasant soreness in the leg muscles due to their long hospital duty hours.
- Comfortable Sneakers
What better gift to match with compression socks than comfortable new work shoes? Good sneakers will allow healthcare workers to comfortably stand and walk around for hours with much less pain.
As with socks, it’s important to know the shoe sizes of your recipients to ensure maximum comfort and utility.
- New Scrubs
Since healthcare workers always wear scrubs, a new pair can go a long way. Make sure to get good size estimates for everyone, as sizing charts for scrubs may vary depending on the specific style you’re getting or the brands you’ll be buying from.
It may also be prudent to do a survey of what brands the beneficiaries mostly wear to avoid gifting clothes that they may end up never using.
Other Work Essentials
- Fanny Packs with Hygiene Essentials
Healthcare workers often bring their own hygiene essentials such as facial tissues, wet wipes, and alcohol sprays for personal use.
Including portable versions of these items in a fanny pack will offer your recipients a convenient way of keeping themselves clean and presentable.
- Reusable Masks, Mask Holders, and Ear Savers
With healthcare staff working long hours, they often need to replace their personal protective equipment multiple times per shift. Those who use a combination of a cloth mask over a surgical mask will definitely love having more masks to wear while on duty.
Various designs are available for cloth masks, mask holders, and ear savers, so go ahead and provide them with duplicates of these items in different patterns and colors.
- Coffee Shop Gift Cards
Many healthcare workers depend on caffeine to remain alert while on duty, so free coffee will never go unappreciated.
Simply purchase a few gift cards from a coffee shop that’s located close to your recipients’ place of work so that they can easily pick up a cup of joe whenever they need it.
Health Picks
- OTC Medications and Vitamins
Healthcare workers often suffer from body pains due to their long working hours. They are also prone to getting sick due to the nature of their jobs.
Hence, the provision of simple medications for body pain, colds, and fevers can relieve your recipients’ symptoms and help them focus on providing the best possible patient care. Gifting them vitamins can also help them boost their immune systems, too.
- Personalized Water Bottles
Because of their busy schedules, employees in healthcare settings often forego eating their meals on time or drinking enough water between shifts.
To encourage them to hydrate throughout the day, including some water bottles in your care packages. Stainless steel tumblers are also a good option, as they can help keep drinks hot or cold for longer.
If you can, take it a step further and personalize every bottle with the name of each healthcare worker. That way, no one will drink from someone else’s bottle by accident.
Items for the Home
- Groceries
Due to the taxing nature of their jobs, many healthcare workers will surely appreciate having their grocery shopping done for them.
Given that they’ll likely be exhausted by the time they get home from their shifts, consider sending ingredients for easy-to-prepare meals such as simple pasta dishes and sandwiches.
That said, sending fresh produce or cold meat isn’t advisable. The former has a short shelf-life while the latter requires refrigeration for storage and transport.
- Scented Candles
Resting their sore muscles while breathing in calming scents at home is surely a welcome thought for every healthcare worker. Indeed, lighting scented candles is a great way to help set the mood so that your recipients can separate their work lives from their personal lives and unwind for the day.
Prepare a variety of scents they can choose from, as each of your giftees may have different preferences in terms of scents.
With everything that they do to ensure that patients get the best level of care, healthcare workers deserve to be treated well for all of their hard work. We hope that this guide has helped you to decide what items to include in your care packages for these amazing people.
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