Modest but meaningful gift ideas for my folks (in their late 70s)?

[SKL]

I will be giving my folks money so they can buy whatever they like, but I also want to buy something small and thoughtful.

As usual, the problem is that they don't want or need anything that I could select.  They have 6 kids who have bought them all too many things on every birthday, mother's/father's day, anniversary, and Christmas for over four decades.  They can't eat a lot of things, can't move around much at all, never go anywhere except the doctor and the grocery store (nor do they want to).  They can't read except for audiobooks (both have severe vision issues).  They live in a rural village far from any city amenities.

I could buy my mom another Thomas Kincade ornament.  Could buy a photo frame, but my kids don't let me take photos these days.  I really don't know about my dad.

I think my mom could use some self care items designed for people who can't really get up, bend, stretch, etc.  But I don't think she'd appreciate that kind of gift.

AFAIK my folks spend their leisure time watching TV and videos, listening to audiobooks / radio dramas, discussing current events, and doing stuff on the computer - technology stuff for my dad, solitaire games for my mom.  I stopped buying them videos and audiobooks because they would rather choose their own.

Brilliant ideas???

[MEmama]

Would your mom appreciate something like a warming blanket? Sonoma Lavender makes warming slippers that I’ve given to my MIL. https://www.sonomalavender.com/
 

Etsy has a lot of options as well.

Edited November 23, 2021 by MEmama

[history-fan]

Subscription to masterclass-they can choose what classes to watch.

Maybe you and your siblings could go in on this.   

 

Edited November 23, 2021 by history-fan

[MEmama]

Battery pack and universal chargers for your dad?

[Storygirl]

I bought MIL an amaryllis one year, and it continues to bloom fabulously, years later. Maybe something like that, or another plant that is easy to care for?

[Frances]

A family calendar with photos, birthdays, anniversaries, etc. 

I also second the amaryllis, it’s something I’ve regularly done for my mom.

Even with food restrictions, I’m guessing they would love pears from Harry & David. It’s another gift I’ve frequently given and everyone seems to love.

[Laura Corin]

Audible subscription? 

[regentrude]

I gave my mom a bird feeder, and that was a great hit 

[Carol in Cal.]

What are their food restrictions?  Because usually my go to for people like that is consumables.

One year I made hair rinse with rosemary from my yard, and it was quite a hit.  Very simple—fill a big heavy pot about 2/3 full with loosely piled rosemary sprigs, add enough cold water to cover it with a little extra, heat slowly to boiling, boil for 3 minutes, turn down  to a simmer and simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes, turn of the heat and let it steep on the stove until room temperature.  Strain into quart sized canning jars (wide mouth or decorative ones are nice), adding 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to each one.  Refrigerate until using.  

The year I made this I also scoured thrift stores for old creamers, and wrote out instructions for use—shake the solution, fill the creamer, zap in the microwave long enough to be warm, pour over rinsed hair at the end of your shower, do not rinse out. Worked just great.

The rosemary smell is strong in the bottle but does not make the hair smell.  I don’t know why, but it’s true.

Edited November 24, 2021 by Carol in Cal.

[Carol in Cal.]

Grateful Gnome on Amazon has a gorgeous hummingbird feeder that I bought for DH for his birthday.  He loves it.  It’s more artsy than most, made of blown glass.  

[Carol in Cal.]

Stonewall Kitchen jams are great.  My favorite is Wild Maine Blueberry.  Better than homemade, honestly.

[MEmama]

Arthritic friendly kitchen tools? Likely your mom has everything she needs, but there are some tools that just make things easier, which not everyone thinks to buy for themselves but might be very appreciated.

[Spryte]

Listening in for ideas.

[KatieJ]

When I have nothing specific to gift my Mom, I will  send her  a Christmas centerpiece to enjoy for the holidays and then she can toss it. It’s festive, no work and no long term care necessary. 

 

[Beth S]

Some photo-related item.  Walgreens sells lots of ideas.

 

[SKL]

I should note that my folks don't have wireless internet and they don't use laptops - only desktops.  My dad is suspicious of wireless internet.  I bought my mom some kind of ebook reader thingy years ago, but she never used it.

As for food restrictions - my dad has dentures, diabetes, high blood pressure, and something with his gall bladder or whatever (had it removed maybe) which causes very bad stomachaches that are hard to predict and prevent.  My mom has a colostomy, so whatever that restricts.  Also my mom doesn't cook any more, but my dad does.

Any outdoor things, while they sound nice, will not work.  My mom will not go outside to enjoy them.  She has severe scoliosis that really limits her mobility.

[Carol in Cal.]

I had gall bladder problems both before and for several years after removal.  What triggered them was any dietary fat, even just a little, and some medium spicy tomato sauces.  

Those jams would work for that, but your dad might be avoiding jam due to the diabetes.  

What about food kits that make it easy to make dinners?  Like, the chili in a bag where you just add meat, or those 10 bean soup bags?  Beans are medium carb but fairly slow carb, so most diabetic diets can include them, especially if you take a walk after eating them.  

[Selkie]

1 hour ago, KatieInMN said:

When I have nothing specific to gift my Mom, I will  send her  a Christmas centerpiece to enjoy for the holidays and then she can toss it. It’s festive, no work and no long term care necessary. 

 

I send a Christmas centerpiece to my dad and his girlfriend, too. Sometimes I add a gift box of English muffins from Wolferman’s or fruit from Harry and David.

[WildflowerMom]

Is your mom Christian?  I once got my nana a 'giant' print Bible.   She loved it.  

[TechWife]

Flavored chapstick

socks with grippers or slippers - with the gift receipt 

do they have a grabby stick yet? Those are amazingly handy. We use ours all the time & my parents used one for years as well. 
 

audible gift certificate 

pretty calendar or planner book

new purse & wallet or just wallets for both of them

 Soft set of towels - 2 each bath, hand & towel. You could add some nice soap to this if you want.

 

[Longtime Lurker]

46 minutes ago, TechWife said:

Flavored chapstick

socks with grippers or slippers - with the gift receipt 

do they have a grabby stick yet? Those are amazingly handy. We use ours all the time & my parents used one for years as well. 
 

audible gift certificate 

pretty calendar or planner book

new purse & wallet or just wallets for both of them

 Soft set of towels - 2 each bath, hand & towel. You could add some nice soap to this if you want.

 

Good idea!

[SKL]

I did the wallets last year.

They had a grabby stick last time I checked.

Towels and soaps sound lovely.  It would add to their stuff, but maybe they would still appreciate that kind of thing.  They could throw out one or two of the towels that date back to my childhood.  😛

[Lori D.]

Gifts I have given to elderly relatives that went over very well:
- LED flashlight? -- I still get thanked for this one -- the person loves it for getting up in the night to go the bathroom
     maybe a flashlight like this -- useful for if they drop something, or to see the keyhole for unlocking a door, or...
- soft fleecy blanket and matching pillow, (or a set of 2 fleecy lap blankets) for watching TV
- I got this FM Radio / MP3 player and a thumb drive, downloaded favorite old radio shows from Internet Archive onto the thumb drive, inserted it, and all that had to happen was press "on" and it played the next track 


Other ideas:
- subscription to (or gift them a year of) the online streaming service they might like, to watch movies of their choosing
- crossword or sudoku or other puzzle book, if they enjoy those
- possibly a card game they might enjoy trying (Cubirds is cute and not hard to learn)
- page magnifier for when they do have print material they need to read
- if they write letters or cards, a set of all occasions cards, or set of blank-inside cards, and a sheet of stamps
- small basket for keeping remotes or computer items handy and contained
- computer cord organizer of some sort
- under computer desk foot warmer, or comfort foot rest

[history-fan]

Woodstock Windchimes are really nice.

Shutterfly/walmart and probably others have placemats that are a photo collage, you could use old photos, new or even combine them.  

An armchair caddy=hold the remote and magazines

reusable rice filled heating pad

kind of on the line of "the clapper" there are kits that you have a clicker and they can control lamps. Bn-link and dewenwils are 2 kinds.  No internet needed. 

motion sensor nighlight for bathroom or hallway

Edited November 24, 2021 by history-fan

[Bootsie]

My mom likes jigsaw puzzles, crossword books, and puzzle books--but their vision problems may make those impractical.

Lotions, soaps, even a nicely scented, upscale diswashing liquid she wouldn't buy herself is appreciated.

Microwave soup mugs; soup bowl pot holders.

Converting old home movies or pictures to video/digital format so that they can watch them.  

[Kareni]

My sister bought a large display digital clock when my mother's eyesight and memory were failing. I inherited it and like it because I can see the time (and day) from across the room.

Many styles of digital clocks

Regards,

Kareni 

[saraha]

Wind chimes or stained glass sun catcher?

what about sprucing up the space they spend the most time in? Rearrange furniture, new curtains you pick out together etc? 

[gardenmom5]

remote control switches.  the kind you don't need your phone or echo or alex etc.  (though you could do smart ones too.)  Though they have those.  they can keep the remote in one place and dont' have to walk all over to turn lamps and other items on and off.  (I learned about these because 2dd has several sets in her house.)

I bought a bunch of light sensing lightbulbs for outside lights - so I don't have to turn them on or off.  They just do it when it gets dark.  I was sick of coming home to a dark house because I forgot to turn on the outside lights before I left.

I also have light sensing nightlights spread throughout the house so you can see in the dark when you get up in the middle of the night.  They're LED so they last a long time.

other types of "conveniences" that younger people would go for - but will make their lives easier.  (some of which I learned from my kids. now, 1ds is replacing all their light switches with "smart switches", and all their light bulbs with "smart" bulbs . . . . he can set the time for them to come on, what type of light, dimming, etc.)

Edited November 24, 2021 by gardenmom5

[gardenmom5]

8 hours ago, SKL said:

I should note that my folks don't have wireless internet and they don't use laptops - only desktops.  My dad is suspicious of wireless internet.  I bought my mom some kind of ebook reader thingy years ago, but she never used it.

As for food restrictions - my dad has dentures, diabetes, high blood pressure, and something with his gall bladder or whatever (had it removed maybe) which causes very bad stomachaches that are hard to predict and prevent.  My mom has a colostomy, so whatever that restricts.  Also my mom doesn't cook any more, but my dad does.

Any outdoor things, while they sound nice, will not work.  My mom will not go outside to enjoy them.  She has severe scoliosis that really limits her mobility.

Removing the gall bladder messes with digestion.  My current dr put me on Ox Bile to help replace what was lost.  Definitely an improvement.  I've also tried the Ancestral desiccated beef liver.  yeah- that makes things work too . . . . I'm still comparing the two to see which I like better. I do not take as many of the beef liver capsules as rec'd.  start low.

[popmom]

Didn’t read all the replies, so sorry if this has already been mentioned…

I gave (not exactly—read farther) my 92 year old grandmother a towel warmer last Christmas and she LOVES it. It’s not a rack—it’s a container. She can drop her towel and her pajamas in it. It came from Bed Bath and Beyond. 
 

edit to clarify: I didn’t gift this myself. I suggested this idea to my narcissistic mother who really (((needs))) to impress her MIL. So technically I didn’t gift this—my mother did, and I wanted her needy self to take ALL the credit. But it was my idea. 🙂 Just ignore this lol. I’m in therapy. 😂 It’s good to remind myself of things like this. I won’t be so generous this season. 😬
 

I’m not being petty. I’m just in the thick of learning. Just saying…most importantly, my grandmother LOVES it. She hates the cold. That makes me happy for her. That’s what’s most important. 🙂

Edited November 24, 2021 by popmom

[Laura Corin]

13 hours ago, regentrude said:

I gave my mom a bird feeder, and that was a great hit 

Depending on how good their eyesight is and whether they can fill it conveniently,  one that attaches to the window so they can see the birds close up might be good.

[Ottakee]

My Brother just ordered my mom one of those tell your history subscription things where my mom will get a prompt each week and answer it and in the end it will make a book and you can; order as many books as you want.  It was pricey but will give her something to do over the year.

[SKL]

You guys have some really good ideas.  I have to put a lot of thought into this still, so keep the ideas coming.

I'm sure you can all relate to the fact that a lot of ideas don't work for reasons that don't sound rational to us.  And now I'm thinking I should put more energy into this on a regular basis.

[Moonhawk]

A Sudoku puzzle board and a book of puzzles to set up? My parents are same age as yours, one of my mom's favorite daily things is to do a Sudoku puzzle. She has a book (one of those 365 puzzles types) but instead of writing in the book she sets it up on her board and then answers that way. It's easier for her to see and correct mistakes when all she has to do is move a tile. My dad will help her sometimes, and sometimes he will set up his own game. Sometimes a game will last a couple days with both of them working on it. 

https://www.amazon.com/Wooden-Sudoku-Board-Game-Drawer/dp/B07V6C95TX/ref=pd_lpo_1?pd_rd_i=B07V6C95TX&psc=1 This is nicer than what my mom has, I might upgrade her for Christmas now that I see what's out there.

https://www.amazon.com/Sudoku-Puzzle-Book-Puzzles-Variety/dp/1956652000/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?keywords=sudoku+puzzle+book&qid=1637769545&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExR0QzWURNT01ONUNLJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNTc0NTc3MU5FMlBIUThRNDhKRiZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMDI0NTYyMkFSUDlVWE9JVlQ5SCZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU= a puzzle book example similar to hers.

[DreamerGirl]

Biggest gifts that was a huge success was Kindle (for making print bigger) and digital photo frame.

Our seniors were having issues and I was looking for things to improve circulation, therapy they can do by themselves while sitting, things that can help with every tasks.

This is one list I used and made adjustments or looked for other things.

https://geriatricnursing.org/the-best-gift-ideas-for-seniors/

I bought something similar to the leg exerciser . It was for improved circulation while we encouraged them to walk more. They had practically sat during the pandemic due to not walking regularly when they used to.

Back and neck massager.  We also bought massaging recliners. 

Robot vacuum.

Hand therapy set.

Compression gloves. Bought fingerless arthritic gloves.  I am not exactly sure if they are different but they are helping.

Jar opener sets

Weighed blankets

White noise machines

 

[Bootsie]

I recently received an old-fashioned hot water bottle inside a nice merino wool cover.  I can put it at the foot of the bed at night and the sheets are still warm in the morning.  

[prairiewindmomma]

If the vision is severely impaired to the point of low vision or blindness, do they have objects that can be voice controlled? Alexa? A kindle? A phone for alarms? I would explore that area a bit as they may not know what’s out there and technology has made huge jumps in a decade. Even for the technology resistant, very basic things can be a huge boost. 

[TechWife]

Do they have tablets? If so, how about a digital magazine subscription? I check them out from our library and they are very easy to read and the pictures look great with the colors being a bit more vivid on the tablt. 

[dsmith]

21 hours ago, TechWife said:

 

do they have a grabby stick yet? Those are amazingly handy. We use ours all the time & my parents used one for years as well. 
 

 

When MIL was being discharged from the hospital after her knee surgery they talked her into one of those. We already had a cheap plastic one that FIL bought, which was handy for when I inevitably dropped an item of clothing behind our heavy couch, but this one is metal and has a magnet on the end, and it's just awesome. My husband thinks I'm the biggest dork for loving it so much. 😂

[TechWife]

17 minutes ago, dsmith said:

When MIL was being discharged from the hospital after her knee surgery they talked her into one of those. We already had a cheap plastic one that FIL bought, which was handy for when I inevitably dropped an item of clothing behind our heavy couch, but this one is metal and has a magnet on the end, and it's just awesome. My husband thinks I'm the biggest dork for loving it so much. 😂

Normalize grabby sticks! They are a seriously helpful tool. Everyone could benefit from them, I think.