What to buy an 87 old for his birthday....

[matriarch]

OK people, this may seem a frivolous thread to you, but I need some serious help here.

Background, my dear old pops will be 87 years old next Saturday.
I'm having reaaalllll problems coming up with a sensible/viable birthday present.

He has really limited eyesight in one eye after a cataract operation that went wrong.
He's not very stable on his legs, can't walk far, and as a consequence, can't do much of his gardening, which he loves.

In the past gifts have included - many times - audio books, of which now, thank goodness, there are hundreds to choose from in my local Waterstones.

I've got the card, I'll be buying him a helium balloon...he loves those....but as for the main gift........HELP!

Thoughts/ideas so far:

A magnifying screen (if I can find one in time), rather than a magnifying glass so he can still read ordinary books.

A pair of bottom of the range, user friendly, easy to use pay as you go, mobile phones - one each for him and my mum (who is 86). She goes out shopping on her own because he can't walk far, and is deprived of her love of just browsing the shops before going home in case anything's happened to him (he falls over easily, trips) while she's out. The mobile's would put her mind at rest if she wanted to extend her trip before getting the bus home, and also allow him to call her if anything is wrong.

I thought about one of those little electronic gizmos they've been advertising on TV that's designed to improve your memory and mental agility...can't remember what the darn thing's called.......about the size of a palm-held appointment thingee (it's early, I'm menopausal, the memory's shot normally, but at 8 on a Sunday morning?? forget it), and you use a stylus to make selections...they have games, mental arithmetic, puzzles.......come on guys, help me out here!

Edited: Found one: Nintendo Brain Training

Any and all (sensible, legal and non-pornographic) suggestions will be happily considered.

 

[starrkers]

Good luck! I have similar problems buying for my dad (he is legally blind at 85 and suffers chronic anaemia, requiring frequent blood transfusions, so is lacking energy to do anything).

Depending on how crook his eyes have become, how about a talking clock or watch? My dad has both and loves them.

 

[matriarch]

Good luck! I have similar problems buying for my dad (he is legally blind at 85 and suffers chronic anaemia, requiring frequent blood transfusions, so is lacking energy to do anything).

Depending on how crook his eyes have become, how about a talking clock or watch? My dad has both and loves them.

Thanks for that, not a bad idea. He still has one perfectly good eye, but because the other doesn't work properly, his perspective vision is a problem, like sometimes missing the table when he goes to put a cup down....it's almost like just having one eye that works, try it sometime!

 

[amicus]

You mentioned gardening...I wonder if a special chair, a stool of sorts, just the right height, with maybe a means to hang small garden tools from the side might be an insightful gift?

Weeding and even harvesting produce and flowers becomes difficult as mobility decreases. And maybe one of those little mechanical 'grabber' things, that enable one to pick up items without bending over or stooping down.

Amicus...

 

[matriarch]

You mentioned gardening...I wonder if a special chair, a stool of sorts, just the right height, with maybe a means to hang small garden tools from the side might be an insightful gift?

Weeding and even harvesting produce and flowers becomes difficult as mobility decreases. And maybe one of those little mechanical 'grabber' things, that enable one to pick up items without bending over or stooping down.

Amicus...

Thank you Ami, some great ideas.

What I'd love to do is have someone go in and lift all of his beloved garden into raised beds so he could do just that, sit and work on the beds. Unfortunately, that takes time and a lot of money. But one of these days I may have to muster a working party (ex, brother in law, sons, brothers) and do just that for him.

 

[Belegon]

I quite like the phone idea, Mat.

 

[English Lady]

I like the mobiles idea, it's practical and thoughtful, too.

How about house plants? so he can do some gardening in his home?

 

[gauchecritic]

A bonsai.

Art things. (paper, paints, brushes etc)

Teach him how to knit or a second hand knitting machine.

A second hand laptop and encouragement to write his memoires.

A dvd stuffed with every single family photograph you can find.

Lego.

Art straws.

A box of matches. (and then the equipment plus sticks for making matchstick sculptures.)

A wheel chair (you might be surprised by sudden willingness not to have to walk, but this may put pressure on your mum)

One of those 'year you were born' dvds or 'the war years' etc.

Airfix.

 

[matriarch]

A bonsai.

Art things. (paper, paints, brushes etc)

Teach him how to knit or a second hand knitting machine.

A second hand laptop and encouragement to write his memoires.

A dvd stuffed with every single family photograph you can find.

Lego.

Art straws.

A box of matches. (and then the equipment plus sticks for making matchstick sculptures.)

A wheel chair (you might be surprised by sudden willingness not to have to walk, but this may put pressure on your mum)

One of those 'year you were born' dvds or 'the war years' etc.

Airfix.

Wow.
Thank you, lots of ideas there, although the things that require good eyesight (art, matchsticks, knitting, airfix) are a no go, because of his eyes - he painted for years, but doesn't do any now, likewise his jigsaws, which he loved, but finds it almost impossible to pick out the small details.

The dvd packed with family photographs is already a project I'm working on.

I like the 'year you were born dvd', very good idea.

Thank you.

 

[BlackShanglan]

I recall my mother buying her father some comfortable clothing, with the recognition that people with limited mobility often find that more formal/standard clothing pinches and binds. She bought him some nice-looking but soft, knit tracksuit-type clothing and some special socks that didn't use elastic. (He had to be especially careful of his feet because he was diabetic.)

My grandmother still loves a nice bottle of wine. She takes a glass with dinner and enjoys it. She says that she also very much likes receiving any little trinkets or flowers or plants that she can put around the house and be reminded of the giver each time she sees them.

My grandmother also has a neat little set-up in a sunny window area of her room - a triple-tiered set of white shelves in some sort of wirework or openwork material. They are perfect for a large collection of indoor plants. She can do quite a lot of growing there without worrying about the weather or her balance, and she can enjoy them all day. It's a beautiful feature of the room.

He's already got a lovely best present, at any rate - a daughter who loves him and thinks of his happiness.

 

[R. Richard]

How about fancy food. Stuff that both mother and father like but may not have time to shop for? Best of all, if it works, you always have a gift fall back.

 

[Weird Harold]

A pair of bottom of the range, user friendly, easy to use pay as you go, mobile phones ... The mobile's would put her mind at rest if she wanted to extend her trip before getting the bus home, and also allow him to call her if anything is wrong.

I don't know whether they're availabe in the UK, but I have a pair of "FRS" walkie talkies that would work better for staying in touch over short distances -- up to seven miles. They would work better because they don't require dialing and can be set to voice activated trasmission mode so it isn't even necessary to push the "push-to-talk" button.

 

[Boxlicker101]

You didn't mention his hearing. Maybe a hearing aid, especially the kind contained in the ear.

Possibly a wheeled walker for added mobility. Maybe some kind of wheeled bench so he can get around better while gardening.

Why would anybody consider this to be a frivolous thread?

 

[Vermilion]

is £80 too much Mat?

(Second one down on this page...)

Or I found something similar, but w/o the light and under £10... here

x
V

 

[matriarch]

is £80 too much Mat?

(Second one down on this page...)

Or I found something similar, but w/o the light and under £10... here

x
V

That's brilliant. Thank you.

Thank you all so much for your ideas and suggestions, much appreciated.

The wife and I will be pondering on this for the next couple of days.

 

[matriarch]

You didn't mention his hearing. Maybe a hearing aid, especially the kind contained in the ear.

Possibly a wheeled walker for added mobility. Maybe some kind of wheeled bench so he can get around better while gardening.

Why would anybody consider this to be a frivolous thread?

He already has a hearing aid, provided by the state (the problem is persuading my mother that she also is deaf and needs one !!).

I like the idea of the wheeled seat, I've seen them around. Definitely worth looking into, thank you.

I think frivolous was probably the wrong word to use, I certainly don't consider my dad's birthday frivolous, but wasn't sure if others would think it worth worrying about. I did you all a disservice.

 

[MagicaPractica]

I love the idea of a laptop for helping him write his recollections but if he's not comfortable with that technologically, how about a small cassette recorder that uses full size tapes, a supply of tapes and a small battery charger? That way he could record his recollections for the family. Of course that depends on whether you think he'd use it, my father wouldn't.

 

[Chantilyvamp]

On my grandfathers 85th long ago with eye sight going and mobility coming to a halt we got him a few gift certificates for massages. He loved them. Saved them for when he ached the most. He said as long as my grandmother didnt bash him in the head for having another woman massage his legs he was thinking of getting somemore.

I like the phone idea as well.

 

[rammage]

try a video phone? would probably be easier for him and your mom to communicate if they could see each other (especially since you said your mom wont wear a hearing aid )

i think the whole idea of putting his plants in a raised bed that can be easily accessd by him is the best idea. plan all the steps/organization out, get tools, pick a day, get out there early, and get it done!

 

[matriarch]

Again, more wonderful suggestions.
You guys are great, thank you.

Rammage, I agree the raised beds need to be done...I may just have to work on that.

Magica, the tape recorder is a good idea - just one little hitch, my mother is already writing her life memories (on scraps of paper and cheap pads, despite me giving her a really nice journal last christmas for just that purpose... ), and I have a feeling she'd get realllyyy jealous of him having the tape recorder. I might have to think about that.

As for the laptop.....I actually still have an old Siemens 486 lap top, loaded with Word 2....(in it's day, top of the range).....I wonder if I could get him to play around with that? Worth thinking about as an extra.

Chant, the massage voucher is great - but - they already have a 'lady' (my mum's word), come in to massage his back and legs. For some reason they get her pretty cheap, not sure how, but they're all happy with the arrangement.

Meanwhile......decisions have to be made - before Saturday.

 

[matriarch]

Thanks for all your suggestions and comments, people.

Decision was made and ordered on line last night.

An original (not a copy) newspaper of the day he was born, sent in a special presentation pack.

Hopefully that should arrive tomorrow.

Also going out after work today to get a couple of audio-books for him, already have a helium balloon in the boot (trunk) of the car, and a super-dooper pop up birthday card merely awaits our signatures.

Weather is looking crap for the 350+ mile round trip, but it will be worth it.

 

[scheherazade_79]

Hope you have a safe trip, Mat

 

[matriarch]

Hope you have a safe trip, Mat

So do I, weather forecast isn't good. I have a distinct aversion to driving in heavy rain.....never tried flooding.

 

[Roxanne Appleby]

There are so many "ifs," prerequisites and qualifications that it's probably not practical, not to mention a bit pricey, but the lives of so many old people could be so enhanced by internet socializing, just like we do here. Myspace is wasted on the young.

 

[cheerful_deviant]

Wow.
Thank you, lots of ideas there, although the things that require good eyesight (art, matchsticks, knitting, airfix) are a no go, because of his eyes - he painted for years, but doesn't do any now, likewise his jigsaws, which he loved, but finds it almost impossible to pick out the small details.

The dvd packed with family photographs is already a project I'm working on.

I like the 'year you were born dvd', very good idea.

Thank you.

Perhaps one of those digital picture frames with a whole series of family photos preloaded. You can scan in old photos even if they aren't digital. Basically an animated scrapbook.