Elderly comfortably off parents - tell me your successful gifts (or cunning ideas)

[Sadik]

Obviously before someone makes this point elderly people are all different and have different tastes. BUT the combination of older people often not wanting to accumulate more 'stuff', limitations around what they can do (making tickets to events / days out trickier) and maybe a preference for familiar food/drink items (ie not 'fancy' options) is a bit of a killer. Given that I figured maybe we could swap ideas around successful gifts that have actually hit the spot.

My really surprising hit last year for my elderly dad's birthday was a subscription to Spotify. He uses it all the time and (apart from the advantage of endless new music) it's much easier for him than managing CDs or LPs as he has limited sight.

Obviously that's solved birthdays ongoing (as I can renew it) but it has on the downside meant that I can't go for my usual default present of a couple of new CDs ... I can resort to Kindle books & a box of chocs but it's not very exciting

Got kids? Always a photo of the kids. We get them taken at max speillman that used to be Jessops, get the kids wearing things like Christmas jumpers and hats etc, get the prints in something like 8” x 10”. buy a nice frame and tada!!

I am 78 my best gift ever was when ds and his wife took me to a fancy hotel for B&B and also invited by best friend to join us there for a lovely dinner. My dh has a lot of health problems so we had to pay for overnight care etc and ds took care of everything. Time with my dc or dgc even just for coffee beats any gift they could buy.

I adore this idea for my mum. It's fun and crazy - and I think we all need that!

We are elderly and comfortably off and have been delighted with DSs’ gifts of Blink with three cameras, fascinating to see what wildlife comes into the garden, and a Ring doorbell, great for keeping an eye on who comes to the door.
Best bit, DS1 set it all up for us.

The last few years my sister and I have clubbed together to buy a specially-selected hamper - I just send the money to her bank and she does all the work 1) because she works in a supermarket and 2) because I live 3500 miles away.

I like the sound of the Nixplay and will investigate.

My mum's birthday is early Jan so I always have that to contend with too. For their birthdays I tend to get restaurant vouchers. Mum has limited mobility and Dad buys himself anything he wants - they are both late 70s. They might love a cordless auto vacuum as Mum can't manage and Dad would rather not have to!

I bought my dad one of the Britain from the Air books, that went down surprisingly well, also a shipwreck map of his favourite bay!

Also we make a calendar with photos of the grandkids for both sets of parents each year.

Which gilet please? I was thinking about getting my dad a heated one I saw on Amazon, but am worried it's a bit gimmicky and might just get a really nice quality one instead.

I bought my Df a bird feeder with different containers .. kept him entertained for ages watching all the wildlife

Was there a particular website you got that from @FelicityFidget ? I’d love to do something like that for my Dad. Thanks!

I’m not old but do have adult children. Every Christmas for the past 4 years they have joined forces and got me a calendar made with photos of the family throughout the previous year. Best gift ever!

Last Christmas I got my gran a fleece blanket (double lined so both sides fleecy) which featured a photo collage of my boys in a heart shape with a message underneath. She LOVES it and is never seen without it. Loves watching tv with it snuggled around her.

Several members of the family have commented on how lovely it is and how much gran clearly loves it. Not sure how to top that this year!

As my dad aged and the restrictions grew it became much harder to buy for him. He'd stopped drinking so no decent wine; he couldnt focus on books so that stopped; he didnt really want to listen to much music so CDs stopped etc etc.

He died at age 88, having been ill and housebound for a number of years. His most favourite recent present was a fleece blanket that I bought on impulse from Tu (sainsbury) of all places. It was polyester -so totally washable; maroon on one side and cream on the other with a raindeer pattern. He would doze in the chair in the sitting room in the afternoon with it on. It snuggled him and it took a lot of battering in the last year but washed beautifully each time. 3 years on - it is the only thing my mum hasn't got rid of. [No emotion in my family but somehow that one is really impt.]

The other extremely popular gift was the largest box of M&S shortbread biscuits. Always a winner! As that could be shared with guests - my dad liked being able to hobble around offering.

Ooh, the Ring doorbell could be a fab idea. Especially as he's already used to using spotify/tech.

very boring - but I bought my mum an electric fleecy blanket. Her and dad love it. They snuggle under it together to watch tv.

I also got my dad a book on the history of the street names in our city. Random but he loves dropping the facts into conversation.

Hi @Minky719
Yes have a look at www.historic-newspapers.co.uk/gifts/milestone-birthday-gifts/80th-birthday-gifts/

Hope that helps!

@FelicityFidget ah fab, thank you so much!!

for birthdays and Christmas I always buy my parents tickets for the theatre now and they love it.

Fir my Mil, we clubbed together and got her a bouquet delivered every month for a year. From a florist rather than the subscription flowers.

CatOfTheLand that's an absolute stonker of an idea that I'm shamelessly stealing. My mum will love this.

For my MIL's 80th I gave her her best present ever - time alone with DH. I set it all up, uber to nice restaurant, flowers and cocktails waiting at the table, cake carried in after the meal with everyone singing, uber home for coffee with DH, and I didnt go. She loved it! Id prepaid the bill and uber, and sent DH along with a card Id written in.

We get on ok, but DH has always been her fave child, and she misses him a lot when he travels away on holiday. If she had her way shed live next door and see him daily but luckily shes an hour away and he sees her 2x month, I go one of those times, he goes alone other time.

She was thrilled to have him escort her, both dressed up, to a fancy restaurant for a leisurely lunch. I got an afternoon with my girlfriends so it was win win. Thats xmas, birthday , easter and mothers day sorted - forever!

My Dad used to love ticket to go to cricket match and me to go with him for company as Mum hated cricket. Nice food there at lunch time, sitting for quite long periods so not worried about him falling over, coffee available. How my Dad loved to watch the cricket live. Wish he was still alive to take now.

Orange Pomander- please advise me how to obtain a photo of fave British shipwreck bay? I was thinking of smugglers bay in Dorset… it’s for a special birthday next year…

DH and I are old. At this stage of life, we have most of the stuff we need or want so the best presents are experiences, especially those that we share with children and grandchildren. So a night out to a favorite restaurant, concert tickets, theater tickets (especially since we have missed these things for the past almost 3 years), fishing trip (for DH), sporting events (we both like baseball), etc.

I really don't need stuff. In fact, a good present would be to hire one of those people who come into your house and help you get rid of stuff.

I suppose I’m elderly (late 60’s) my son and fiancée bought and set up a “Hey Google” device last Xmas.
I can ask for music that I know, but it’s also opened up access to music that I knew nothing of. I can ask it to play music that other mumsnetters have raved about. I can ask it to play really oddball stuff that I wouldn’t be able to purchase in a shop.
my OH and I keep it in the kitchen, and we sing (and sometimes dance!) to all sorts.
it times when my food is ready to be eaten… I love it, it’s used and enjoyed every single day.

Id love a “ring” device too.

Id love a subscription to a good raw choc supplier.
a tiny amount on my tongue is an explosion of heaven and worth a whole bar of the usual Cadbury/Galaxy/Green & Black/ Lindt blah blah.

On my last birthday, my dc drove quite a distance to me and we enjoyed lunch and precious time together, that to me is worth more than a silk scarf to be hidden forever in a drawer…

like a pp said, it’s not the £££ spent, it’s the amount of thought. I don’t care if it involves buying from a charity shop, if the person who loves me knows I’d treasure the item, or effort, then that’s what makes it memorable and enjoyed.

So very much enjoying this thread… thank you OP!

Oh what about arranging a chef to cook in the kitchen of the recipient, and serve up as if in a restaurant, without the elderly person(s) having to travel?