Useful gifts for elderly

[klmama]

My dc made MIL a rice-filled microwave heating pad several years ago, and she tells me at least once a month how much she appreciates it.  What other gifts have the elders in your life appreciated?

[Chris in VA]

My mom doesn't really want useful gifts, frankly. She doesn't want pictures, either. She's hard to give to! lol

That said, giving the gift of sending someone over to take care of setting up my dad's computer so he can actually use it and understand it would be VERY appreciated. I wanted to give them a couple months of Netflix and help them set it up. We were in DC and they in NH, so I called their minister and he lined up someone techy but not too young (lol) to come and help. Ended up not doing that, but now I know someone who could help them. So maybe a gift of service that way?

[Katy]

Anything to keep them warm and/or comfortable.

• In a literal sense: soft fuzzy socks, Smart Wool socks, Cuddl Duds, Pajamas, fleece wraps and throws, replacing old coats they haven't replaced since 1982, soft warm clothes.
• In a metaphorical sense: digital picture frames or even arranging old boxes of loose photos into albums, calendars with family photos from the last year, current copies of old music & tv shows they used to love (whether physical, digital, or streaming), the sorts of things that were special treats when they were children or young adults (peppermints, chocolates).

[J-rap]

I got my parents a heated mattress pad a few years ago and they love it.  They seem to have enough "things" mostly.  I gave my dad an Ellery Queen mystery magazine subscription last year which he really likes.  If they're still mobile, a gift certificate to a local restaurant or movie theater?  I've also given my parents a 3-month bread subscription from Zingerman's.  (Zingerman's has other food subscriptions too.)  My dad says he'd like to get into model-ship building, so I might get him that this year.

My mother is becoming harder to shop for because of cognitive issues.  It's difficult for her to do much of anything anymore, although they always need to eat!  A gift certificate for a restaurant delivery?  A gift certificate at a hair salon?  Or for a pedicure?

[Pawz4me]

We recently gave MIL a couple of arthritis friendly tools to help with opening things--from something as small as a bottle of water to a jar of pickles or PB. She really seems to love them.

[mmasc]

I gave one of my DGM a box of blank birthday cards. She always sends cards for everyone’s birthdays but had run out of her stash and rarely goes to ‘town’ so couldn’t get more. I think she really liked it. You could throw in some stamps and a nice pen too to make it even better. 

My DGMs always want puzzles for Christmas. 

They love food gifts. I hand pick things I know they’ll like though (TJs chocolate babka, corn salsa, chips, smoked cheddar...things they can’t buy at Walmart but really enjoy.)

this year I’m trying something new with their gift and giving them each a dvd of hallmark movies (I think the dvd has 4 or 5 movies on it). They’ll still get their usual stuff too though. ?

oh, and one DGM really enjoys getting huge bags of bird seed. She has a couple of feeders and loves feeding and watching the birds. All the better if you buy/can set up a bird feeder in a nice viewing spot from the house and fill a container of seed for easy feeding. 

[MEmama]

We are giving MIL a robotic vacuum/mop since she's pretty mobility impaired.

A pre-paid cleaning service?

If she likes the warming blanket, they make slippers too. I bought some once from Sonoma Lavender for my chronically cold MIL. That she didn't appreciate them is typical, but I think many older folks would.

One year we bought FIL a steak subscription--kind of a funny gift from vegetarians (we thought). That was a hit.

[J-rap]

I thought of another thing...  Last year, I went on one of those websites where you can personalize a calendar, and add photos.  I made one of those for my parents.  I know it's helpful to have all of their children and grandchildren's birthdays already printed on it, and they enjoy looking at the family photos each month.

[Baseball mom]

I use to give my grandmother snacks.  Mostly store bought individually wrapped snacks.. snack cakes, cookies packs of various crackers (peanut butter, cheese, jalpeno cheese etc.) small bags of chips etc.  She liked the variety and didn't have to worry about something going stale.  She also got a tin of fresh baked cookies.

Puzzle books,  books,  packs of cards & stamps, draft stoppers (long things to put along bottom of door),  videos & pictures of my kids, fuzzy socks, packs of tissues, tic tacs (she always kept them in her purse), oil of Olay,  favorite hand lotion, special lipstick she liked.  

For my parents -- fresh baked cookies, frozen cookie dough (in individual balls ready to bake), jarred peaches my stepdad likes, summer sausage sticks & crackers, gift cards to various restaurants they like, photo books of my kids, huge pack of toilet paper (it was a joke one year but my mom liked it ? )  a big bottle of dish detergent (again a joke but she liked).  puzzle books, fuzzy socks 

[Kareni]

7 hours ago, mmasc said:

...a box of blank birthday cards.

I did something similar when my mother's mobility and vision issues made it difficult for her to go to a store and pick out cards.  I bought about twenty cards for a variety of occasions (birthday, wedding, new baby, sympathy, and all occasion blank cards) and put them in an album that she could flip through. 

Regards,
Kareni

[Excelsior! Academy]

A photo album cookbook.  Gather treasured family recipes (bonus points if they are in original handwriting) and put them together in a binder with photos.  It doesn't matter if said relative doesn't cook anymore.

 

Edited to add...A photo calendar.  Jot down important dates like children's birthdays or anniversaries and add family photos to the top.  

Edited November 4, 2018 by Excelsior! Academy

[HollyDay]

nice cozy blankets....fleece tie blankets if you want to make it yourself

robe, slippers, warm pjs

food gifts

books if they have a reading list

scarf and hat set

[Amber in SJ]

I second the photo calendar with the important dates filled in.  One year, before the era of photo calendars, I got a calendar that had a the calendar part had a big pocket on the bottom that I think was meant to hold bills.  One year after my aunt passed away I gave my uncle this calendar with all the dates filled in & in each pocket there was the appropriate card with an addressed, stamped envelope so all he had to do was write a note and put it in the mail.  He really enjoyed that.

One of my mom's favorite gifts (according to her) was the year we realized she needed a set of large print scriptures for church.  She was really resisting the large print thing.  She said it made her feel old.  Well before her birthday, I bought her a set of large print scriptures and had her name put on the front.  My kids went through and each one underlined his/ her favorite scripture and wrote a little note to Grammy in the margin about why he or she chose that one.  Then I sent it to my farthest away sibling, he and his kids did the same and boxed it up and sent it to the next sibling and it traveled on & on until it had gone to all 5 of us and all of our kids had written in it or at least drawn a picture in it.  The last place it went was to my sister's house in the same town where my parents lived.  After they had marked their favorite scriptures, she wrapped it up and gave it to my mom for her birthday from all of us.  She adored that present and when she passes, I took it home with me and found that she had also marked her favorites and after some of the little notes written to her she had responded with notes of her own.

Amber in SJ

[mlktwins]

As someone who is cleaning out her 83 year old father's house at the moment, I recommend gifts that are consumable!!!!!  Not more STUFF!!!  Unless, there is something specific they would like to have.  Or...are in need of new (replacement) items such as jammies, slippers, etc.

[Lady Florida.]

Believe it or not when MIL was 82, dh and his siblings went in on a Kindle ereader (they were still pretty expensive at that time hence the group gift) and she loved it. She was an avid reader but her increasingly failing eyesight made it hard for her to engage in her favorite pastime. At first she was skeptical but when we showed her how she could increase the font size she was sold. And FIL was so impressed he went and bought himself one a few months later. 

Keep in mind this is not a tablet ereader but something like a Paperwhite. I think Kobo also makes ereaders but I don't know if the Barnes and Noble Nook still exists. Also, it would help to either load it with books to get started or add a gift card then show them how to buy and download books.

Edited November 5, 2018 by Lady Florida.

[Junie]

9 hours ago, Amber in SJ said:

I second the photo calendar with the important dates filled in.  One year, before the era of photo calendars, I got a calendar that had a the calendar part had a big pocket on the bottom that I think was meant to hold bills.  One year after my aunt passed away I gave my uncle this calendar with all the dates filled in & in each pocket there was the appropriate card with an addressed, stamped envelope so all he had to do was write a note and put it in the mail.  He really enjoyed that.

One of my mom's favorite gifts (according to her) was the year we realized she needed a set of large print scriptures for church.  She was really resisting the large print thing.  She said it made her feel old.  Well before her birthday, I bought her a set of large print scriptures and had her name put on the front.  My kids went through and each one underlined his/ her favorite scripture and wrote a little note to Grammy in the margin about why he or she chose that one.  Then I sent it to my farthest away sibling, he and his kids did the same and boxed it up and sent it to the next sibling and it traveled on & on until it had gone to all 5 of us and all of our kids had written in it or at least drawn a picture in it.  The last place it went was to my sister's house in the same town where my parents lived.  After they had marked their favorite scriptures, she wrapped it up and gave it to my mom for her birthday from all of us.  She adored that present and when she passes, I took it home with me and found that she had also marked her favorites and after some of the little notes written to her she had responded with notes of her own.

Amber in SJ

This is lovely!

[saraha]

On 11/4/2018 at 4:12 AM, J-rap said:

I got my parents a heated mattress pad a few years ago and they love it.  They seem to have enough "things" mostly.  I gave my dad an Ellery Queen mystery magazine subscription last year which he really likes.  If they're still mobile, a gift certificate to a local restaurant or movie theater?  I've also given my parents a 3-month bread subscription from Zingerman's.  (Zingerman's has other food subscriptions too.)  My dad says he'd like to get into model-ship building, so I might get him that this year.

My mother is becoming harder to shop for because of cognitive issues.  It's difficult for her to do much of anything anymore, although they always need to eat!  A gift certificate for a restaurant delivery?  A gift certificate at a hair salon?  Or for a pedicure?

I had never heard of Ellery Queen! Thank you!!!!

 

[itsheresomewhere]

This may be horrible to some but a friend of mine gave her parents a gift certificate for a lawyer.  Her parents didn’t want to spend the money on a will or anything related to it. They also didn’t want anything for gifts as they had enough.  Both kids went in on it as they knew the parents would use it.  They left it open as you could use it for any legal services/advice, etc.  She also gave her parents their favorite coffee on amazon subscribe and save on her account.  

 

[klmama]

Thanks for all the suggestions!