At my church we do prayer quilts and put little wooden crosses inside of some of the squares, then we put ties in them and everyone that says a prayer for the person, ties a knot in the ties. They could just consider them good wishes for him if they are not inclined to say prayers. We also sometimes put wooden hearts in them. These items might need to be made of something other than wood if they will be washed that much but it is an idea just the same.