Christmas present suggestions for 92 year old in care home

[BatshitCrazyWoman]

As title really. My father is in a care home, has memory problems, kidneys are failing and he sleeps most of the day. I'm racking my brains to think what we (my adult DC and I) should get him for Christmas. It has to be postable as no visiting.

He doesn't do anything but sleep 😕

Seriously - will he want anything? Just a nice card with personal messages? Or a photo (everyone seems to give photos , large boom with pictures of where he used to live?

My DPs, similar age, but not in a care home, genuinely don't want any presents. They get flustered about what to 'do' with unwanted gifts, they have everything they want/need. I sometimes give them a charity goat type gift, but if your DF has memory problems that might not work.

Book not boom !

Does he eat ?
Shortbread ? Chocolate ? Drinking chocolate ?

A little cuddly toy actually might be really liked too

What about music he might enjoy? With something to play it on if necessary. The care home staff could put it on for him and it could be ordered online and delivered to him.

A couple of years ago I bought my mum one of these kitten toys, and she absolutely loved it, and would sit and stroke it for hours. She was pretty much non verbal by that point, and it seemed to give her some comfort

I was in exactly this situation 2 years ago. We bought my mum a lovely fluffy blanket which she loved . If she was in a wheelchair the carers put it around her and if she was in bed she had that on top. She would stroke it and it seemed to comfort her. When she passed away, we asked the undertaker to tuck her up in it.

Snacks, pjs, slippers and fluffy gown

Would he like an echo dot?

Thank you so much for the ideas! The presents will be from me and my adult DC. I think I'll get some nice biscuits, some chocolates, a framed picture of me and my DC and some toiletry bits and bobs and maybe some socks.

I am not close to my father, and as I have a disabled DC in residential care, I'm not able to visit (my DCs home wouldn't allow me to visit there as well as my father). Makes all this stuff quite tricky.

He wouldn't use an Echo - he was unimpressed with mine!!

Hi OP, I work in a nursing home and a lot of the residents that stay in bed/bed bound often fins comfort from a cuddly toy. It's just something for them to hold onto or have near them and alot of them will search for the teddy to hold or stroke them when they are led in bed when they are awake. Its a good present because if your DP is in bed all the time it is something he can always have near him and always reach and make use of also the same kind of principle for a special blanket of some kind. I hope this helps! Also other things are nice deodorants or aftershaves so they/their room smells nice as I find they can sometimes smell a bit funny if the person is always in the room especially if their having all their personal care in there. Another idea is some DVDS or music CDs you know they like, even if he can't see or hear very well its nice to have on in the background. Maybe some nice slippers or socks if he ever gets out into his armchair or wheelchair? Anything like photos or plants or anything to make his room a bit more personalised. Sorry I know most of these things have been mentioned I'm just thinking of what my residents have always enjoyed from family!

You can get blankets with your own photos on them. My sister got one for my mum and she loves it.

How about a lap tray? I wonder if there are options to get those with family photos on them?

Another care home worker;

Photographs are always good - if you do gift photos maybe put a label on the back with his name and who is who in the pictures (mainly for the staff benefit, as they'd be able to help him identify the people and use as a memory prompt).

All of our residents are gifted nice smelling toiletries every Christmas, as its something they always need.

A soft toy in the form of his favourite animal or one that looks similar to a boyhood toy he may have had. Books about where he lived when he was a young man (eg London in the 1930s).

And if his care home is anything like mine, I'm sure they wouldn't mind if you sent them an email or a phonecall and asked if he'd mentioned anything to carers recently about things he does remember during waking periods.

One of the gentlemen I used to support loved dog racing as a younger man, so one Christmas his daughter put recorded dog races onto an mp3 player (I've been in care THAT long) and gifted it to him with headphones. We used to put his headphones in after personal care and he'd doze off listening to the races.

Inspired by another thread on here, I’ve made my mum an advent calendar as she finds the days blend. I’ve got a drawer one from the works and have put in small chocs, tea bags, coffee bag, tiny ornament, lottery ticket, little jams and my littleish boy had promised to write some jokes in his best handwriting.

When my dad got beyond understanding Christmas I gave the activity coordinator a donation to buy something that all residents would benefit from.

Thank you so much! I now have loads of ideas. My DC with a learning disability really likes the idea of buying Grandad a soft toy cat (we're cat people through and through) so that will be happening!