As a former RN working in nursing homes........all your ideas are good ones. What I and another nurse did was make reversible vests for everyone in the home. I wore them all the time for a little color and was always being asked for one. I used to make a few for the ones who never got Christmas gifts and then was reminded by the other residents that they never got one....One year my friend and I decided everyone got one...We started in June and made over 100 for Christmas gifts..Even the guys cried when they opened theirs...What a great feeling to know that you pleased someone. They were reversible because we had to line them anyway. We tried to match up the fabric with their likes or what they did for a living......We drew a simple pattern that we could make in sizes small to xxlg....Be sure to make at least one size larger than you think they wear so they don't have difficulty getting them on and off. Also after Christmas we brought in all the gifts we received that we couldn't use.. deorderant, shampoo, powders, after shave, soaps, anything we did not think we would ever get around to using. They loved it. There are far too many nursing home residents that have no one that visits or can bring needed things in.