As everybody who has been hospitalized knows, it can be lonely just lying inside your room with no one to talk to except for the occasional doctor's visit, nothing to look at except for the bland shows on television, and nothing good to eat except the blah hospital food. As a loving relative or friend, you must cheer up the patient with get well soon gift baskets! You never know when you will appreciate the favor being returned.

But you just don't grab the nearest gift basket to wish your relative or friend to get well soon either. Just like giving gifts on special occasions like Christmas, birthdays and anniversaries, you must take into consideration a few factors to ensure that your gift will be a delight to the recipient. Don't worry as there are no degrees in rocket science required when choosing the appropriate get well soon gift basket.

Chronological Age
Your gift basket should reflect the age of your recipient since you want him/her to enjoy the items contained in it. For example, you will not want to give the get well soon gift baskets filled with teddy bears, cookies, candies and chocolates to elderly persons since these are more appropriate to children. Instead, your best bet is the gift basket filled with stuffed olives, wildflower honey, herbal teas and other gourmet treats.

Along with the food gifts, you can personalize the get well gift basket with appropriate reading materials. Kids will love coloring books, fairy tale books and even crossword puzzles for older children while adults will love magazines, journals and self-help books. This way, your gift recipients can enrich their minds while feeding their stomachs, too.

Personal Interests
Then, you must also factor in the interests of your recipient. He/she will greatly appreciate small gifts that will keep him/her occupied while waiting for the doctor's discharge orders. If you know of his/her interests, this aspect of giving get well soon baskets should be easy.

Take, for example, a close friend who is into New Age philosophies and practices. Your best gift basket will consist of a small book on self-empowerment, a scented votive candle and assorted organic foods like wildflower honey, herbal teas and the decadent white confection chocolates.

Or a relative who is into puzzles will appreciate a get well basket with a super crossword puzzle book, a cute pen, a stress ball and maybe a small teddy bear. Add in foodie treats like gourmet coffee, buttery pretzel sticks and shortbread cookies and your relative will happily answer the puzzles while munching on the goodies.

Physical Condition
Last but not least, you want to give get well soon gift baskets that will help in the physical and mental healing of your recipient instead of worsening his/her symptoms. For example, you will want to avoid giving too many sweet treats to a diabetic person presently hospitalized for complications brought by the disorder.

Or if your friend is in the hospital for persistent coughs, a gift basket with cold and cough lozenges, herbal green tea and chicken noodle soup is the best. All of these things will relieve his/her symptoms.

You will be putting smiles in the faces of your get well soon gift baskets recipients when you choose wisely. You might even get to enjoy a few of the treats!