Gift for elderly lady, aimed at keeping her warm

[MrAlyakhin]

It's my mum's birthday soon. She is always under dressed for the winter so she is always cold and I want to get her presents that keep her warm. I know she should wear more clothes but for whatever reason she doesn't. She's in her 80s so it's unlikely to change.

She has a heated blanket which we bought her a few years back and she does use it a lot. She also has an electric blanket for her bed. I've bought her gloves but I want more things to keep her warm at home.

I was wondering about a house coat but it would need to be 'stylish' if that's possible.

Has anyone found anything worth getting?

Maybe quilted or luxury bed sheets?

Hope it works out OP!

I am not elderly but I feel the cold. When it’s really cold, I love the heattech ultra warm tops - they are too warm to wear to work etc but for hime, they are perfect.

Does she have a really warm coat? And what about a cardigan?

I am a bit obsessive about winter clothes. 😆 so many people underdress and go around looking really cold.

Heated gillet. They are like an electric blanket with a chargeable battery pack built in.

Apologies if these have already been suggested (I've not read all the replies).
Cashmere wrist warmers/fingerless gloves. I'm always cold at home and these work wonders at warming me up. I'm going to buy some for my mum, MiL & DH for Christmas.

A microwave wheat warmer.

They are gorgeous. And contain a little bit of cashmere. I have several, and they're so soft & lovely to wear.

Expensive but good: Devold merino underwear
eg. https://www.devold.com/en-at/product/signature-merino-230-shirt-woman-go348227a/?color=raw-white
You can get them in different weights for different temperatures. There are also longjohns.You can have a look on the website.

Or would she wear a usb heated gilet. I don't actually have one so can't recommend a brand but I know a lot of people who do (I live in the Alps) and they swear by them.

Why does she not want to wear more clothes? Is it the bulk or the feeling on the skin? Because really it's the only way to keep warm!

These are amazing. My daughter suffers with incredibly cold hands and they have been a life saver for travelling on cold public transport to uni and back.

If she can wear wool then invest in a cashmere jumper or cardigan. Some alpaca wool socks. Basically anything with wool will keep her toasty. Thermal vests/ long sleeve tops and long johns are good too. My daughter has these as well.

The other good thing about these is that, even though they contain a proportion of cashmere, they’re machine-washable.

Can recommend a heated gilet. We tried a £40 one from Costco. It’s rechargeable.

I bought my mum a thick soft dressing gown. She wasn’t particularly elderly, but felt the cold. I think she even thought ‘hmmm?’ when she opened it - not exactly top of the wish list of a very stylish woman! Well I tell you she grew to LOVE it! She wore it most days before getting dressed and before bed. It was so cosy. If there ever was a cost vs use item that present won hands down.
This was decades ago so I don’t have a link or anything, sorry.

What about a Uniqulo down gilet? At that age I think the issue is often tripping over blanket cables.

Not read the whole thread and see so many fabulous suggestions, but check out that any clothes such as dressing gowns aren't floor length - trip hazard. For any age now I think of it.

Velvet isn’t very warm.

I wasn't a fan of fleeces but I wear them all the time, right now I have on a vest, polo neck, v neck jumper and a zip up fleece. indoors
Woolly things are warmest imv but I'm moving about, cooking etc - fleeces can just be chucked in the wash. so look for one with a full zip. lovely colours and she can leave it open if the zips tricky -edited to say I'm 73

Lots of people have said thermal tops. If she wears trousers I would add thermal leggings. I got sets at M&S a couple of years ago and have been pleased with them.

My mother in law was similar, that was just how she dressed, "ladies" shoes, nylon thin skirt and blouse and a thin cardi - think it was just the way she liked it and thought she looked smart and tidy, always made up and hair washed and set. Appearance was more important than comfort.

It's only when she got dementia that we got her into a really warm coat.

lightweight heat tech gilet from Uniqlo can be worn anytime with anything and it is barely noticeable to the wearer. lifesaver for my dad who is elderly and suffers with temperature regulation after a stroke.

Thank you for this thread. I’m not elderly (early 40s) but I am always so cold. A few ideas here that I’ve never seen/thought about. Thank you, everyone.

How about a cape rather than a coat - cosy to pull round yourself. Perhaps one of the 'long' hot water bottles if you are happy about her preparing the bottle with very hot water? Another vote for the fingerless gloves/wrist warmers too. Turtle Doves are very good with a huge selection of colours.

Heat tech tops and leggings. The ultra warm is really warm. Layer under pants and a sweater and she'll be nice and toasty.

Wool or alpaca sweaters. Merino is a nice soft wool and it holds up better than cashmere. I find alpaca even warmer than wool. Fair Isle or colourwork sweaters are really warm because of the stranding.

A comfy wool beanie. You lose a lot of heat through your head.

Wool socks. A pair of lined slippers. Wool insoles for her shoes. I make a lot of my own stuff because I spin and knit and weave and sew, but I stay warm in frigid temps and even the polar vortex weather.

For me, it’s about layers, I don’t want to be bundled up like I’m on a ski holiday in my own house.

So, I recommend some pretty soft vests or warm long sleeve under layers that she can wear under pyjamas or under clothes. My mum always appreciated a proper lightweight polo neck sweater in a material that wouldn’t itch.

A thermos cup which is easy to remove the lid from - the best ones stay hot for 8 hours. I make a hot flask cup of tea in the evening and in the morning it is still lovely - you can wake up slowly and stay snug in bed. Or you can make a cup of soup and have it mid evening whilst tucked up on the sofa watching a film.

And finally some rich body cream and moisturising shower gel - skin gets dry in winter and frail itchy skin is very uncomfortable.

Wow! So many fabulous suggestions.

She's very lucky she can well afford to heat her house. I might suggest she raises the thermostat. But I think she is definitely picking style over comfort when it comes to clothes and she is a lot more sedentary than she used to be.

I know she is a fan of natural fibres so I'll look into all the merino / cashmere/ wool suggestions. She'll like those.

Really appreciate all your ideas, I've probably got enough gift ideas for years.

My DFriend is always cold and I bought her the wrist warmers from Turtle Doves. Shes since bought a few more pairs.