How to Make a Get Well Gift Basket for Hospitals

A get well gift basket may be just what the doctor ordered for any hospital stay. What could be better than some comforts of home to forget and pass the time. Many hospitals offer only a small television for patients to watch while bedridden. Books, music and puzzles can offer a welcomed alternative to the monotony of a hospital stay.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Basket
• Variety of comfort items
• 2 large sheets of cellophane paper
• Ribbon
• Bow
• Balloons

Find out the Interests of the Patient

1. Call the patient and ask what would help them pass the long hours of waiting while in the hospital. If the patient is too young or sick to tell you themselves, ask the person closest to them what would be appropriate. Some hospitalized patients may want soothing music or outdoor sounds played on a small stereo, while others are able to do puzzles and go for short walks.

2. Ask at the nurses desk if the patient is on any restrictions. Find out if the patient has made any special requests for comfort items from staff members.

3. If the get well hospital gift basket is for a close friend or family member and you can get access to their home, bring in the comfort items that already belong to them. Sometimes there is just nothing better than sleeping on your own pillow. Children may have a favorite game or stuffed animal that will help calm them. Teens often have an iPod pre-loaded with their favorite music, or possibly a video game sure to pass the hours.

Buy Supplies

4. A get well gift basket does not have to be expensive. You should put a limit on the total cost of the get well gift basket including the contents, holder and wrapping. Go to Walmart or Target and get all of the comforts that are going in the basket in one stop to save on gas.

5. All of the supplies for wrapping and decorating the get well gift basket can be purchased at Michael's, Hobby Lobby, or any major craft chain. Buying all of the supplies at one place will again be cheaper than running all over town, unless there is a specific item you are looking for. Watch for sales in the paper, especially if you know of someone with the possibility of several hospital stays or a longterm illness. Supplies such as cellophane wrapping paper, bubble wrap and tissue paper can be bought in bulk to reduce costs.

6. Stop by the patient's home to pick up any comfort items that should be included in the get well gift basket. Pillows, slippers, robes, pajamas, toys, dolls from home all can make a hospital patient feel more at ease.

Assembling the Gift Basket

7. Lay two sheets of cellophane paper out on a flat clean surface. If you are using different colored cellophane paper, make sure the color that you want on the outside is the sheet on the bottom.

8. Cut a long length of ribbon, and have a bow ready if you are using one. Set the holder you have chosen in the center of the cellophane paper.

9. Line gift basket container with tissue paper or bubble wrap (bubble wrap can be a great distraction for some people), and decide if you want to individually wrap each item or just pile them in nicely. Fill your gift basket.

10. Bring up all of the corners of the cellophane wrapping paper to meet above the container, and hold with one hand. With the other hand gather the cellophane paper directly above the top of the container.

11. Tie the cellophane wrapping paper with the ribbon at the top where your hand has gathered it, leaving a plume at the top. Put the bow and name tag on the get well gift basket and head to the hospital. If you want to attach balloons to the gift basket, stop on the way to deliver it so the balloons stay inflated for the patient.

Tips & Warnings

• If you are making a personal get well gift basket, always ask the patient what they want it to include. Illness can change a patient's tolerance for certain things that they may have enjoyed before, so try not to be offended if their preferences seem different from what you thought.
• You don't have to know someone in the hospital to make get well gift baskets. A great way to serve the community is to make some generic get well gift baskets and deliver them to random hospital rooms. Ask at the nurses desk for the patient with the fewest visitors and what the needs may be. Then drop off the gift basket, you could even be anonymous if you choose! What a great way to teach children about caring for the needs of others.
• Most hospitals frown on food products of any kind, as food intake must be monitored by staff members.
• Patients in Intensive Care Units should not be given flowers or plants, as these items are not usually allowed into ICU rooms
• Some hospitals may require inspection of gift baskets, using clear cellophane and not wrapping the gifts can make this easier.
• Stay away from shredded paper and confetti as fillers. The dust in these products can cause a regrettable sneezing attack.
• Keep neighboring hospital rooms in mind when choosing games and music.