Happy Holidays! Are you struggling to find a gift for someone? NY Connects is a great way to connect with some gift ideas for loved ones. This is an excellent way for families close and far to check in to see what services are available to assist Chautauqua County family and friends.

NY Connects is the one place to contact for a wide range of services available to those who may need long-term services and support in their homes. How about a practical gift for the family or friends in your life? Home-delivered meals are available in the county. You could set up a gift of regularly delivered meals for your loved one.

If your loved ones are out and about in the county, we offer a dining out program to a few local restaurants in Chautauqua County. You can search on the internet for ideas for food gifts.

Fruit of the month or some other treat is a great idea and keeps coming all year in single-serving specialty foods can be a wonderful practical gift for someone living alone or needing smaller sizes for meal preparation.

A gift card to the local grocery store is another great idea as well.

A gift of services can be a practical and much-appreciated gift to those who may struggle to take care of their homes. House cleaning, lawn care, and snow removal, handyman/repair person services for annual to-do lists, transportation services, shopping/errand assistance, and gift certificates to a favorite beauty/barber shop are a treat any time of the year.

Look at the person’s favorite service, beauty parlors, and barbers, and prepay for services throughout the year. These gifts are very thoughtful and extremely practical.

The Office for Aging Services can provide information about local home care agencies as well as a private provider list to help identify local providers for a variety of services. NY Connects can also get people in touch with support groups, adult day services, and other agencies that can provide socialization and connection for people or respite support to a loved one who is caring for another. The gift of time to relax and retool is invaluable to someone who is a primary caretaker for a spouse or other loved one.

The Chautauqua County Personal Monitoring program is a great gift idea. You can gift someone with a personal emergency alarm system to be used in the home for emergencies of any kind. It brings families peace of mind to know that if there is an emergency, the personal emergency system can answer immediately and call for emergency services and/ or contact family or friends if they are needed at home. Other options are cell phones that are easy to use.

Call NY Connects for more information about all these opportunities.

Have extra time? You can receive a gift by giving it yourself! Become a volunteer position with Meals on wheels or a volunteer driver. We are always looking for volunteers to help throughout the year.

As you plan to visit family and are looking for gift ideas, think practical! Try to think of areas that are challenging for your family members. These are the areas they could need help with regularly. Great ideas are gifts of time and assistance that can mean the world to a loved one. The small extras we take for granted may be difficult for some to do or afford.

Remember if you are home visiting and see a need-call NY Connects for information about local programs and services. You can contact the NY Connects toll-free at 1-800-342-9871 (locate any County in NY State) or our local number is 716-753-4582. Our fax is (716) 753-4844 or e-mail us at CCNYC@chqgov.com Southwestern Independent Living NY Connects at 716-661-3010 or 716-490-7561. You can come and see us at 7 North Erie St HRC Building in Mayville or our Jamestown office at 107 Institute St Suite 220 in the Chautauqua Center building. We are here to listen and provide you with information and assistance. We can even complete referrals on the phone while we speak with you.

NY Connects is brought to you in cooperation with the Chautauqua County Office for Aging Services and the Chautauqua County Department of Mental Hygiene and Social Services NY Connects wishes you a happy holiday and a great start in 2024!