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

Big hits with DM were a gadget and software to convert all her old slides into digital photos. Also got some old cine reels converted to CD (the local dry cleaners has a franchise for one of the big companies)

Sometimes I take the opportunity to provide something safer than what is already there, e.g. replacing kitchen mats that were a trip hazard, pretty solar lights to go alongside the garden path.

We did my Dad 12 books, one a month, all wrapped in brown paper.

He always has his nose in a book and other than more fish for his tank there isn't any thing else

Mum is great as she usually says what she wants. Recently: electric can opener, strawberry toiletries from Body Shop (which she couldn't get in her local one), plus she likes baclava and Turkish delight, and candied fruits. Dad is really hard but has been collecting old books (Jennings schoolboy adventures...yes he is REALLY old) and he loves a certain modern author who luckily is very prolific. I have ordered good as new or bought from charity shops. Also hard puzzles like Enigma GCHQ puzzle book, Only Connect and old scripts like Dad's Army and Porridge. And he loves certain chocolates which are hard to find, and really good fudge.

Off-topic but your dad sounds really interesting!

"Jennings schoolboy adventures...yes he is REALLY old"
I like Jennings, and I'm not that old!

Solar garden lights might be a good one for my dad to go along his paths

I had all the Jennings books!

Picturehouse Cinema Membership if they have a Picturehouse near them. The O-60 ‘Retired’ membership comes with 5 free tickets, really good concessions on Mondays and ‘Silver Screening’ showings, free tea and filter coffee on weekday afternoons, upgrade to fancy hot drinks for £1. 10% of cafe food and drink, loads of free film offers.

@FreedomForties that is such a great idea - can I ask where you got it from? Would love a personalised dobble for my dad this year.

Actually, one of the best presents I ever got for my dear Mum, who was over 90 then and an avid reader, was a basic Kindle which I pre-loaded with a lot of Christmas-themed books. I showed her how to use it and from then on I bought all her books for her (it was essentially all on my account, so she didn’t have to grapple with the internet).

She's no longer with us and I miss her terribly, but she loved that Kindle so much, and got huge enjoyment out of it.

My Mum hated Alexa and found the Nixplay digital photo frames became annoying quickly, but don't be put off as she's notoriously difficult to please. The only things she really enjoys are booze, biscuits, chocolates and an accompanied visit to a garden centre. One notable winner was the fortnightly delivery of flowers I arranged for her during the first period of lockdown.

@Pachangas it was from wanapix, there are a few different personalised photo games
Wanapix board games

Apologies…Completely off track, but I need to know about the knock off dyson air wrap on tik tok please!!

For my elderly in laws I used to make up a hamper of everyday foods that they liked but would often buy a better quality, ie Tesco Finest instead of the usual ordinary Tesco varieties they used to buy. I’d also put in a few luxury items that I knew they liked but wouldn’t buy for themselves.
For my mum, who likes to have her hair done weekly, I buy a gift voucher from the hairdresser for x amount. Means mum’s getting a free hairdo until the voucher runs out.