Actually nice gifts for elderly housebound nan

[Olive180]

DHs nan is 92, in very good mental form but essentially house bound - she can't walk for more than 2-3 minutes as she has bad hips. Too old for surgery.

She has 3 children, 6 grandkids and 5 great grandkids and gets the usual blankets, jumpers, slippers, bed socks, hot water bottles etc. every year from half the family which she is fed up with. Any other ideas?

Few notes: she has diabetes so no sweet or fatty foods. Doesn't have a garden, and not good with electronic gadgets.

The thing my mum loved the most was doing things with us, so we gave experiences.
Afternoon tea vouchers, cinema tickets, craft workshops, art gallery exhibition, national trust day out etc. My mum had v poor mobility but we bought her a second hand wheelchair and that helped.
For stocking fillers, they do some lovely modern paint by numbers kits now.
She also liked adult (floral) lego sets.
Houseplants and things like indoor bulb kits (hyacinths and amaryllis) or grow your own herbs kits that she can put on a windowsill.

A promise to go over with one or two children/grandchildren as appropriate, cook her a special meal including laying the table nicely and do some activity together ("spa" night? movie night? board game night? paint-along-with-a-youtube-video night?).

Experience gifts are often said to be nicer than physical stuff, and if she is not able to get out much you could try to bring the day out to her. Try to make it a big special somehow.

Does your nan have a kitchen trolley? They are specially designed for those with mobility difficulties and it might help her to carry items from room to room?

A photo calendar personalised with photos of her children and/or grandchildren. Large print books in a genre she likes.
A hamper of diabetic-friendly items.

My dad’s in a wheelchair and the present he’s most appreciated in years was a set of plugs with a v simple remote control which means he can turn things on and off from his chair. He’s very fussy about lights etc so loves that he can turn lamps on and off with his little remote! We got it from Amazon but I’m sure there are plenty about.

Bulbs can be kept in a pot on a windowsill inside. I love them soon after Christmas when decorations come down.

Yes, didnt mention it but this is why we don't gift sugar free sweets... there was an incident a while ago...! She has a serious sweet tooth and has no self control!

What about one of those electronic picture frames that you upload photos on to and it scrolls through them to show them all off. My fil has one, it can be a good conversation starter

I think I mentioned she doesn't have a garden or outdoor space so bulbs are a no.
I think PPs were referring to indoor bulbs?
Or if you don't want to plant yourself, you could buy a Poinsettia, very cheery.
Or a basket of assorted indoor plants that you can usually get from M&S or a supermarket.
If she feels the cold, wrist warmers to leave her hands free to do things
Adult colouring book & pencils

Can’t you just ask her what she wants? Since she doesn’t want the usual stuff then she should come up with a suggestion of something she actually wants.

She just says no don't worry about me... classic.

Liberty fabric hankies are nice

If she doesn't already have a subscription, do sign her up for her local public library service and get her a PIN number to download audio books or ebooks. I know you said nothing techie but you did mention audiobooks would be a good idea but expensive. I don't know if you think she could cope with them, or if someone else could help her select them and download for her. Libraries also have a huge selection of magazines available for download too. All free, which is good for people who are housebound.

I found as the years went on, older relatives found it stressful to receive gifts that would never be used.

In their latter years, we gave a lot of consumables - favourite brand of tea, porridge, butter, etc. (obv not too many and with decent dates). Simple stuff, but always used and caused zero stress to the recipient. With the cost of living now, would prob be even more appreciated. Or, you could arrange a regular delivery of similar items.

Books that compile old photos from local area - there are usually regular publications of these - were always cherished. Plus the local community annual publication (if there is one). Great for dredging up memories, and makes for great conversation.

A book of stamps is another practical, usually well received gift.

Is there a mobile or home library where she lives? Arranging for library books to be delivered would cost nothing, or very little to set up.

I know you said no tech but a kindle could be useful as you can change the size of the font if eyesight becomes an issue and it can be set up by her various visitors.

This is going to sound odd but does she have a wheelchair? And can she physically get out of the house? A wheelchair with a promise of a few outings to local places with various children/grandchildren.

Flowers?

Could you get her an iPad and set it all up for her? Install tv apps, audiobooks, subscribe to podcasts she might like?

Maybe think outside the ‘ Nan ‘ label
what about her favourite purfume ? Or soap / hand cream in h wet favourite purfume

sounds like she has had enough of the elderly label

if you are able to take her out , what about a trip to a cinema / theatre that is showing an ‘old ‘ film .. our local theatre does this , it has a real sense of occasion , maybe afternoon tea afterwards

Favourite
dunno why the typo came up with wet !

What about her favourite perfume, maybe a classic one if you can source it. Or a digital photo frame that is all set up with photos of family and places she used to like to go.

I know you say she can't walk far but would she tolerate sitting in a wheelchair if you take her out somewhere. An afternoon tea experience? Or somewhere like a stately home that might have Christmas lights on. Or taking her to the kids Christmas nativity play or something.

A calendar made of family photos?
Subscription for something like flowers by post?
A beautiful coffee table book with striking photos?
Posh cheeses?

So hard but these are the only ideas I can come up with.

This year I'm batching cooking meals for my 90 year old grandparents for their Christmas present. Possibly an idea if she struggles with cooking?

The batch cooked meals are such a good idea.

Also love the idea of an old favourite perfume- especially if you could get a soap or bubble bath in the same range too.

My nan used to like getting things that she used on a daily basis such as hand soap and moisturiser.

Does she like Christmas and decorations? How about one of those mini trees which don’t take up much space and could be given before Christmas.

Another suggestion of an Alexa, so easy to use and can be used for emergencies too - you can set it up so she just has to say call... and it can put you through, audible works well with it too.