Gift Suggestions for 88 yo woman?

[poohbear1029]

My grandma is 88 yo and is the sweetest. She has 7 kids, 20 grandkids and 13 great grandkids.....most of us have spouse, etc. She is a widower who lives in a small apartment in an eldery housing complex.

Anyway, she has simple needs, and not a lot of space for clutter. I also live almost 1000 miles away from her.

Any good suggestions on what I can get her? Other than the basic limitations of being 88 yo, she is very sharp, etc....she doesnt drive though and has some dietary restrictions, so food would be hard.

TIA!

 

[ntburns22]

I am giving my 80 year old grandma a calendar with everyones birthdays, anniversaries, and other important dates. She is always asking when so and so's birthday is.

 

[Cindyluwho]

I bought a gift certificate for a pedicure for my 94 yo Grandma last year. she loved it! she now goes every 8 weeks or so, I've got her hooked!

 

[Boo'sMom]

Postage stamps with pic of you on them (or your kids if you have them)

www.stamps.com or www.zazzle.com

 

[ducklite]

A photo album with pictures of all her relatives, and label them with a larger font so she knows who they all are.

Anne

 

[mum4jenn]

Stamps,stationery or just a box of envelopes,and if she has to go to a laundry mat...a roll or two of quarters.

 

[Robinrs]

I work at a senior living resort and have to get gifts for over 20 women over the age of 70!!

I've found they LOVE things that showed you were thinking about them. Something with their name imprinted on it or their initials. Nothing says loving like something like that!

They also love anything that shows their families and their significance in the family. One of the ladies showed me her prize present the other day, a large tote with see through slots for pictures of her grandchildren. This is a very wealthy woman with VERY wealthy children and this is her prized item.

Keep that in mind and you'll have her smiling!

 

[RadioFanatic]

I always made a little basket for my Mama with a paperback (big print) to read, some lotions and pretty soaps, cookies, tea and nail polish (she loved painting her nails). She passed this past may - it's weird not making her present - I really miss her.

 

[Shugardrawers]

Women of that age tend to be much more practical than we are. A gift card to her favorite grocery is a great idea. My MIL loves those. For really inexpensive options a coupon to wash her windows or do other household chores she can't goes over big. One year I gave my Grandpa a formal invitation to lunch at my house, just the 2 of us. I cooked up a storm and fed him like he hadn't eaten in years. There was lots of chatting and catching up over dessert and we had a blast. He said that was the best gift he'd ever gotten, my time.

 

[Rella Bella]

How about a subscription to the local paper... my gram loved reading it but didn't want the expense so we all chipped in for a year's worth. She loved it!
Or you could do her home town paper if she's had to move away...

 

[JVL1018]

My FIl is 78 and returns almost everything he is given. LOL
We've taken to giving him gift certs for teh grocery store-we know he uses that! Gift certs to restaurants, or we write in the card, dinner is on us, and we take him out at a later date.
This year we got him a DVD player as he has been hinting. The kids got him a bunch of DVDs.
Magazine subscriptions are good too. Readers Digest, something like that.

 

[Shugardrawers]

she doesnt drive though

OOOH I just thought of something. Is it possible to call up a cab company and arrange for her to have say $50 in credit with them so she can go somewhere without having to depend on anyone else? I've never heard of this but if you can find one who will do it what a great gift!

 

[ducklite]

OOOH I just thought of something. Is it possible to call up a cab company and arrange for her to have say $50 in credit with them so she can go somewhere without having to depend on anyone else? I've never heard of this but if you can find one who will do it what a great gift!

That's a great idea! If she's got regular places she likes to go you can set it for "X" number of round trips to those places.

Anne

 

[tiggersmom2]

I am giving my grandmother (84) a huge picture album of me, hubby and the kids. That will be priceless to her. I am also pre-paying her electricity bill for 100.00. That will take a load off her shoulders.

 

[poohbear1029]

Thanks Guys! You have given me a lot f really great ideas.

 

[MELSMICE]

DH's grandmothers is 89 & lives on her own in a Senior complex. We give her a gift card to the local grocery each year which she says is her favorite gift!

My grandmother is 88 & I had her name for Christmas. She has a ton of pictures of everyone already so I didn't go that route. I got her some of those fuzzy chenille socks from Penney's because her feet are always cold. I also got her some Wallflowers from Bath & Body because she always loved to burn candles. It wouldn't be safe for her to do that anymore so I thought this would still be a good way for her to get the nice scents she always enjoyed. She also wanted a nice white cardigan which I found after quite the hunt.

I think her favorite gift of all time though (past gift) had to be the year I wrote all her relatives (sisters, brothers, cousins, children, grandchildren, great grandchildren) a letter with self-addressed envelopes & special stationary included. I asked each of them to write their favorite memory of my grandmother. I then made a big book of all those letters for her. She really, really enjoyed that. You could probably do it via e-mail to get it done this year & print the letters on nice paper.

 

[lucyanna girl]

An 88 year old man?

 

[pumba]

my mama is going to be 92 and my MIL is going to be 90........we are (six kids) all taking the simple things that she goes and gets each week or needs each month. One of us is doing all her meats and chicken breasts...all individually wrapped and put in freezer with the item name and date. Another one is getting her all her paper goods, like toilet paper, nose tissue, napkins and paper towels ..paper plates ..different sizes. another one of us is getting her the non-perishable goods....like applesauce, fruits in cans and other things that she has a hard time carrying when she goes to the store. One of us is getting her the newspaper subscription. Also half gallon water from the local spring company. She says the city water tastes like chlorine. anyways.....we are all trying to do something that will make the winter more bearable for her. she is hard to fit to clothes so that is not an option for us.....Hope this helps......
oh yah my mother also gets her internet service for six months. she has her own computer too....

 

[ducklite]

my mama is going to be 92 and my MIL is going to be 90........we are (six kids) all taking the simple things that she goes and gets each week or needs each month. One of us is doing all her meats and chicken breasts...all individually wrapped and put in freezer with the item name and date. Another one is getting her all her paper goods, like toilet paper, nose tissue, napkins and paper towels ..paper plates ..different sizes. another one of us is getting her the non-perishable goods....like applesauce, fruits in cans and other things that she has a hard time carrying when she goes to the store. One of us is getting her the newspaper subscription. Also half gallon water from the local spring company. She says the city water tastes like chlorine. anyways.....we are all trying to do something that will make the winter more bearable for her. she is hard to fit to clothes so that is not an option for us.....Hope this helps......
oh yah my mother also gets her internet service for six months. she has her own computer too....

Pumba--that sounds wonderful! One suggestion--a Brita filter that attaches right to teh tap will eliminate the chlorine taste--I had this same problem in NJ and the Brita filter totally resolved it--and was more convenient and less expensive then the bottled.

Anne

 

[minniecarousel]

Large print novels or a subscription to Reader's Digest large print.

An amyryllis (sp) - a bulb that comes prepackaged and blooms in January.

CD's (if she has a CD player - otherwise, cassettes) of some new music - Hayley Westrenra, Charlotte Church, Il Divo - or old favorites like Montovani, Frank Sinatra, or Big Band.

Stamps

AA batteries

A throw blanket - especially one that has a "pocket" for her feet.