Granny in hospital - ideas to make her stay better please!

[gipsymama]

My beloved granny, who raised me as a child and is therefore more like a mother to me, is in hospital. She has a severe chest infection which caused her to have a mild heart attack. She's a spry, switched-on 87 year old and HATES hospitals. I think she's going to be in for a week or two while they clear up the infection and check her heart out.

Basically, I can't go and visit her (too far, I have a a DD and a tiny baby, etc) but would like to send her something/get something delivered to cheer her up and make the whole hospital experience a bit less institutionalised and dull.

Does anyone in mumsnet-land have any ideas, perhaps from things they were given while in hospital, or things that they gave that got a great reaction? Not books or magazines, she apparently has plenty. Please help!

Some hospitals do not allow visitors to take in flowers now so it's best to check if you are planning this. What does she like to do at home? knitting? It can be very boring.

Nice soap/perfume. or a nice nighty or bed jacket (hospital ones are o.k but nothing like wearing your own)

They usually have the telly/phone things by the bed now. What about paying for that for her?

I am not sure how you go about doing it long-distance but perhaps if you talk to the ward clerk theyll give you the details.

Sorry to hear about your granny.
Ask if they have a mobile hairdresser that goes round, and book her a set.
An old fashioned eau de cologne stick (try Boots) to take away the hospital smell
Does she like sweeties? A few packets of polos/fruit pastilles/werthers, for heror to offer around.
Tin of biscuits

Some thoughts...

Bottles of water with a sports cap - they're easier to drink from when in bed.

Big box of wipes, baby wipes or body wipes because hospitals are always overheated and its nice to be able to freshen up.

A nice fluffy towel and flannel - the hospital ones are generally hard.

Ear muffs/ headphones/ eye shield(those ones like celebs wear on planes) so that she can block out the others in the ward if she wants to.

A chain and padlock so she can lock her bedside cabinet if shes to be mobile. Might be taken the wrong way and cause worry though - you know her best.

Hope all goes well

Bed socks. DP's gran was in hospital recently and complained about the cold in the evenings, she couldn't sleep because her feet were so cold.

And a nice little photo of you smiling at her

send her a daily meal of something she would really like to eat - a lot of patients in hospital go downhill because of the cruddy food on offer and end up subsisting on sandwiches which isn't enough when you're trying to recover.

Can you put her favourite music on an ipod for her? Or a small CD player?

How about a writing set so she could write letters to you all?

Or a stripper?

how about a laptop and instructions to join mumsnet?

The hospital water always tastes really foul, so some Ribena/barley water/whatever your Granny likes would be good. My Mum gave a relative a nice mug when she was in hospital, as the tea came in polystyrene cups, which the relative hated (not surprisingly).
I love getting M&S fruit salad, as the hospital food is so grim.

Some nice smelling lavender potpourri....hospitals smell awful and there have been numerous studies done that say that patients recover quicker with aromatherapy. Good food too (though you should check if what she is allowed is limited).

oh, some lovely ideas! thanks, you lot, will get creative and put together a little parcel of things.