What do you buy for your elderly gran with dementia??

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She’s in a care home and keeps throwing her stuff away. Are biscuits my only option?

Diabetic chocolate and nighties!

Or a picture for the bedroom wall?

Food is a good plan.

An old music CD.

my elderly grandma doesn't have dementia, but she does forget things and is in a care home.

I've bought her naice jams in a gift set, a tin of biscuits and some lindor chocolates as they are her current favourite. and I've made her a calendar of pictures of ds (her newest great grandson).

I was planning on posting this exact question!

Mine isn't in a home but is house bound. Food not really an option as she has lost any pleasure in food and has the same thing everyday. She doesn't have the attention span or interest in tv, music or reading.

I'm swaying towards a nice blanket. She is always cold and she might enjoy the feel of the fabric.

It's hard

No dementia, but I tend to get my elderly relations really fancy consumables. Posh chocolates, very fancy bubble bath, fancy sweeties from fortnum mason, fancy scented candle.
They really like them, but would never buy something so decadent for themselves. The prices for the individual items can make my eyes water, again for what is essentially consumables, but it really seems to work as presents that are liked.

Audiobooks? Especially of books that she has read before so they are familiar?

Adult colouring book and some coloured pencils?
Bird lover? A pair of lightweight binoculars and a bird identification book?
A book of old pictures from where they lived or went on holiday?
DVD's of classic films they might have seen in their teens or young adulthood?
A newspaper from when they were 21 or wedding day?
Antiques centres often have old books or magazines.

Great suggestions - thanks all! I like the nice blanket idea.

A CD of music from when she was in her twenties maybe.

My dad has advanced dementia and is a care home. He gets
car books with lots of pictures
Photo calendar of the family
I’ve done him a photo book of family
Soft bed socks
Soft slippers
Soft fleece blanket
Framed photos from his childhood for his wall
Used to buy chocolate and sweeties but he can’t eat these now
Cuddly toy dog (which was taken by another resident never to be seen again) but he loved it so maybe I’ll try again!
Oh and once I got him one of those books with photos of the city we live in from back in the 50s/60s

It’s very hard. My dad can’t walk or dress himself or anything and things often go walkabout from his room. I sympathise!

A really really soft plush blanket went down really well with my gran - she was used to really heavy scratchy wool ones and she loved the one we got her

I was going to say music. If there’s an easy way to play it, hopefully staff can stick it on repeat.
I made my gran a cd with 30 or so tracks (so it didn’t get too monotonous). Music seems to stick in a different part of memory (that’s the science expla

Oh he’s also had a digital radio for ‘comoany’ When he’s in his room
This year I was pondering on one of those light projector things. I did stumble across a really good website for gifts for people with dementia. It listed things via ‘stages’. Give it a google, I can’t think of the name of it . Only partly helpful sorry!

Depending on stage, a weighted teddy or doll can be comforting.

Or a Christmas floral arrangement or plant to brighten the room? A photo book of old photos of people and places?

Ken - great idea! Thank you! I had googled gifts for elderly relatives but hadn’t expected anything for people with dementia.

Someone I know is buying a relative with dementia a Petzzz puppy - they are stuffed toys that sort of breath and are apparently very comforting.

Find out what sort of perfume she used to like.

There are specific dementia games and activities. I’ve bought from here before www.active-minds.org/uk/shop/?gclid=CjwKCAiAx57RBRBkEiwA8yZdUNZ40ENPhKUHc3n8URIgLbZsifHWrs84n_gv10Bb6wU56oF4j9yh3RoCMQgQAvD_BwE

My gran has dementia and is in a nursing home. She’s lost so much weight due to dementia and low appetite that she doesn’t have a tonne of clothes so I buy her a jumper from M&S classic collection. She likes scarves too, she often wears 3 of them.

There's a website called unforgettable that might have something suitable. Got my Dad a really useful clock/calendar from them.

You can get socks that don't have elastic at the top, my gran asked for these when she was in a care home with dementia as they are easier to put on.

A sensory lap blanket or quilt. Embroider her name onto it before you give it to her.

A nice woolly hat in their favourite colour - my aunt with dementia is always cold and loves the comfort of a hat - go for acrylic as anything wool goes through the wash and shrinks.