Gift giving for older folks

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GeorgiaXplant

Well-known Member
Location
Georgia
Just thought I'd put this out here. Years ago when MIL was still alive, she had every conceivable thing under the sun. There was nothing she wanted or needed, and we were always at a loss about what to give her on her birthday or Mother's Day...it usually was flowers just because she liked flowers. Christmastime? We were stumped.

She was pretty much housebound and would ask me to pick up a birthday card, sympathy card, anniversary card for her to send to someone.

So we hit on the bright idea of making a list of all her grandchildren and other relatives and her friends and started buying cards whenever we were out and about and gathered up 30 or so cards and put them aside until Christmas. Bought a roll of stamps, too. When Christmas came, she got the box of cards and the stamps. She loved it! Throughout the year, whenever a birthday came and went, we'd replenish the stash of cards so that she'd have cards again at Christmastime for the coming year.

If you have somebody like this in your family, or even if your own kids ask what you want, maybe this would be the answer.
 

What a great idea, in fact I’m sure a lot of people, not just older folks, would appreciate a box of cards as a gift
 

The next time my daughter asks me what I want, I'm going to tell her about this and suggest that she consider it for her MIL, too, who still drives, but has a hard time getting around without using a cane or a walker. She'll go to the grocery store because she can lean on the grocery cart but hardly ever goes shopping in regular stores to buy anything or just to browse. And the roll of stamps, or even just a couple of books of stamps, would be appreciated by her, too, because her income is very small.
 
What a wonderful idea, though card prices just keep rising, that could become expensive. Amazon actually sells boxed assorted cards for a range of prices.

I have found food items are good too. I do a lot of my own canning and give them as gifts. I jar of soup and some homemade bread makes a great gift.

 
At 89 years of age my Dad doesn't need any more belongings. We get him a gift card to the diner where he presides over the OLD GUY PROBLEM SOLVING GROUP.
Other family members do the same. He can socialize for most of the year with ot it costing him a cent.
 
Jetz said:



What a wonderful idea, though card prices just keep rising, that could become expensive. Amazon actually sells boxed assorted cards for a range of prices.
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Plenty of nice cards at a cheap price at a dollar store.

Just the other day, I went to "Dollar Tree" to get a birthday card for my brother.
They had plenty of nice cards for all occasions for 50 cents each.
 
Great idea. At our age we don't really need much of anything,other older members of the family feel the same. When thinking of a gift for older members of the family I say to myself,if you can't use it up or eat it,don't buy it.
 
You're right about the price of cards, Jetz, but I picked them up by onesies and twosies wherever I happened to see some that were suitable. At the time, the dollar stores didn't have anything really nice, and Walmart didn't have the aisle with the Hallmark dollar cards.
 
When I was a kid and we were buying gifts for my grandma who didn't need another ornament or cardigan we used to buy gift stamps for her TV licence ...

Here in the Uk you have to pay a television licence annually it's against the law not to have a license and you can face a prison sentence if you are found without a licence, and it was always an expense that old people found difficult to meet every year...so we would buy a stamp every week and stick it in a card.. I think it might have been about a shilling each week.. and then at the end of the year the car would be full or almost full and she could pay for her TV licence that way..and it was a big relief for her not to have to find that money out of her tiny pension

For my grandfather we used to do the same with car tax payment...
 
Manatee said:
What we need is a dumpster for the clutter.:D
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I agree, I think that is is best to stick with useful items or things that have a short life span.

I like the idea of cards and stamps.

I also like to give and receive potted plant bulbs to brighten the winter months.

52481430

Probably the best gift is a visit. If you have a housebound relative or friend arrange a simple picnic in their home and spend a couple of hours reminiscing over pizza or deli sandwiches. Take a couple of photos with your fancy phone and post them on FB, encourage other friends and family members to give them a call or pay them a visit. Sometimes it's these little things that make the biggest impact and create the best memories.
 
You're right aunt bea there's so much more available now to give as gifts to older folks..including face-timing instead of just making a call.... if the older person has no access to a computer or fancy phone, then as you say, spending precious time with them is often something worth more than gold to them..

Also remember than often Older people don't manage to get out very often..or may not have the means, so taking them for a drive to places that mean a lot to them, where they may not have visited for a while, will usually be appreciated..stop and have a coffee or lunch...and reminisce with them.. take photos or videos of those places that are precious and give them as a gift...
 

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