Gift help please.

[Gypsy]

What to get my 87 year old grandma with progressive dementia for the Persian New Year?

No bling, she does't wear any any more.
Clothes are boring and honestly, she isn't going to be with us any longer and I'd like something more meaningful.
No purses or handbags she doesn't carry them anymore.

HELP? I'm well and truly stumped.

Maybe:
A REALLY super nice pashmina if anyone can recommend somewhere with a lovely patterns and silk and cashmere weaves.

 

[Lotus99]

I usually send my grandmother flowers. She doesn't need "stuff" anymore, and flowers seem to brighten her day. I know it sounds like a phone-in gift, but it really does make her happy.

My grandma also likes photos -- if you have kids I'm sure she'd love pics of them, otherwise, pictures of you/your SO.

 

[Gypsy]

Thank you Lotus: I will be bringing flowers and I she has a ton of photos. She places a lot of value on gifts. She enjoys presents and always has.

It's not the thought, it's the thought and the execution that you are graded on with my entire family (and it's exhausting).

Here are a few wraps. Grandma is always cold and likes a good wrap.

Ivory/Taupe in this one is lovely: http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/chelsey-reversible-silk-wrap/3216586?origin=category

Red Rhumba reminds me of my grandma's roses: http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/nordstrom-double-face-eyelash-fringe-wrap/3197146?origin=category

Sheer Gray, grandma appreciates a good paisley as much as I do: http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/nordstrom-exploded-paisley-cashmere-wrap/3194588?origin=category But I'd only be able to afford this one gift.

I can either get 1 each of the top two. Or the third.

Or something else (feel free to suggest).

 

[VRBeauty]

Gypsy -

What a dilemma! I guess some questions are in order - like what is her living situation, and how far along is her dementia?

I think you're on the right path with a shawl or lap throw of some sort. Is she in a place where she would still appreciate the kind of quality you have in mind? If not, color and texture - and possibly ease of care - might be more important than luxury. Maybe check etsy for a hand-knit shawl? If you want to go hand-knit, you might also look for boutiques run by local charity groups or seniors organizations.

If your grandmother's dementia has progressed quite a ways... very creative etsy seller in England makes small quilt-like "mats" (they're more hand towel sized) alzheimer's patients that are designed to provide a variety of sensory experiences: http://www.etsy.com/listing/53495271/art-for-the-hands-tactile-mats-for.

Going in a totally different direction, would she appreciate a photograph, or some nicely scented soap?

And of course what she's most likely to really value is your time...

Good luck, sweetie. I hope you find the perfect gift!

 

[VRBeauty]

I gather from your response to Lotus that I misread your description of your grandmother's condition!

Each of those shawls are lovely; I especially like the second one!

 

[Gypsy]

Hi VR!
I don't know if my mother would be offended by me getting her one of those mats. She's in denial a bit. Grandma is on some kind of medicinal patch that's apparently working wonders. I haven't seen her since she's been on it though.

The middle one is lovely, and like I said it reminds me of her roses-- which she doesn't have any more since she had to move to an apartment with a 24 hour nurse. She appreciates quality, even now, and luxury especially.

And my family are 'tag' people. Not necessarily brand people (although we have a few of those too) but they definitely judge the gift according to how nice the place it was purchased was (yes, this irritates me too, but I've given up on changing them. It's their gift, so I get what they will appreciate).

She used to love gardening and cooking and can do neither anymore. I suppose I could get a rose bush for her patio, but I'm afraid it would just be a burden for her nurse and she'd forget about it.

I just bought this robe for my mom, but now I'm wondering if it might not be better for grandma: http://www1.macys.com/shop/product/charter-club-gown-robe-gown-robe?ID=662832&CategoryID=55808&LinkType=#fn=sp%3D1%26spc%3D200%26ruleId%3D65%26slotId%3D67 It's practical, washable, and she'll be able to wear it everyday. She spends a lot of time in bed or in nightgowns. Plus it's pretty.

The more I think about it, the more I like it for her, what do you think?

 

[VRBeauty]

I think a robe is a great idea! A nice combination of a bit of luxury and pampering a lot of practicality!

ETA - I just checked out Nordstron's robes and had to laugh - all of their models are so vampy that it's pretty much impossible to imagine any of those robes for your grandmother!

 

[Gypsy]

I cancelled the robe order and re-ordered it, adding the gown to the order for grandma so she can have a matched set (mom's not the type but grandma is). With the additional promos and free shipping I qualified for I paid only $2 more for the set than I did for the robe by itself. I have NO IDEA how that works, but as far as I'm concerned it worked out to two for the price of one.

Okay. This ended up being a lot easier than I feared thanks to you VR. Your mention of something practical and washable got me thinking of the robe I had intended for my mom, and how perfect it would be for grandma. SCORE!

((HUGS)) and THANKS!

 

[Gypsy]

I think a robe is a great idea! A nice combination of a bit of luxury and pampering a lot of practicality!

ETA - I just checked out Nordstron's robes and had to laugh - all of their models are so vampy that it's pretty much impossible to imagine any of those robes for your grandmother!

OMG. I know. SCARY STUFF! Robes are no longer meant to COVER anything apparently.

No Macy's (or more practically Penny's) is better for grandma speed night wear. I think she'll like this set. The light green and white are prefect for spring and the nightgown has a nice lace at the collar, which is something she likes. I have no idea why I thought it would be better for my mom, now that I think about it.

ETA: Now, I need a gift for mom. Preferably from Nordies as I have several returns to make there Sunday and I'm NOT mobile with this damned ankle, so it's got to be one stop shopping.

 

[VRBeauty]

Glad I could be of some help!

Good luck with the shopping for Mom - that sounds like quite the challenge!

 

[Gypsy]

Okay so ideas for mom: (My mom is hipper than I am. She really is, always has been).

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/josie-indo-stripe-pajamas/3252369?origin=category&resultback=5615 (fun and funky, which my mom likes)

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/midnight-by-carole-hochman-love-letters-pajama-set/3210199?origin=category (this is my taste and I know the quality is good, but it IS boring)

http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/midnight-by-carole-hochman-swept-away-chemise/3208703?origin=category This might be nice for mom. But I would need an additional gift. It's not enough by itself. Maybe with this one: http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/midnight-by-carole-hochman-satin-embrace-chemise/3187353?origin=related-3187353-2377662-0-1-1

http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/natori-jaguar-pajamas/3241587?origin=category She would (regrettably) LOVE these but they are WAY out of budget.

 

[VRBeauty]

for very hip:

http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/dkny-su...09956?origin=PredictiveSearch&resultback=3280

or more sultry:

http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/natori-nara-nightgown/3241493?origin=PredictiveSearch&resultback=2912

If another vendor is a possibility:

http://www.herroom.com/natori-rc6028-n-by-natori-koto-pj-set.shtml

 

[MsP]

I see you already found your grandmother a gift but my new go-to gift is alpaca.

Alpaca throw blankets, alpaca scarves, alpaca gloves, etc etc. Throw blankets are my personal fave butI LOVE it and I love that I can find it made locally. There is a farm coop in my area that collects the wool from local alpaca keeps and weaves it. I know these exist around the country. I usually include a little note card about who the farm is, and in some cases you can even get photos of the actual animal. I don't know-- something about it makes me happy.

I used to be a fan of cashmere blankets but they're so delicate... I got my SO a cashmere robe the other year. Greatest gift ever apparently...and he's a masculine MAN. haha

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Love the gown and robe for your grandmother!

For your mom, the two I personally like best are:

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/midnight-by-carole-hochman-satin-embrace-chemise/3187353?cm_cat=datafeed&cm_ite=midnight_by_carole_hochman_'satin_embrace'_chemise:366146&cm_pla=sleepwear:women:nightgown&cm_ven=bizrate&mr:referralID=f5e61e41-6add-11e1-ac63-001b2166c2c0

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/midnight-by-carole-hochman-love-letters-pajama-set/3210199?cm_cat=datafeed&cm_ite=midnight_by_carole_hochman_'love_letters'_pajama_set:382482&cm_pla=sleepwear:women:pajama_set&cm_ven=bizrate&mr:referralID=ddd32382-6add-11e1-ac63-001b2166c2c0

I personally wear gowns, but both of those look comfortable and are really pretty!

 

[decodelighted]

We bought a lot of people Micro-fiber plush fleece sheet sets from Company Store this year & they've been a big hit. Not so great for warm areas though.

 

[soocool]

Perhaps something vintage from the era she grew up, i.e. music, gloves, scarf, shawl, bed cape. This may still hold great meaning for her.

 

[Enerchi]

Perhaps something vintage from the era she grew up, i.e. music, gloves, scarf, shawl, bed cape. This may still hold great meaning for her.

Like that idea, soocool!

or specialty foods - teas/chocolates/biscuits/items that are hard to come by but she always loved to eat? If she is living in an assisted living facility, food is often pretty generic and this may be the kind of treat she'd appreciate. It's also a "consumable" so it wouldn't be taking up space or creating clutter for her.

 

[Meezermom]

Does she have a favorite fragrance? Sometimes the scent of a favorite fragrance can bring back happy memories.

 

[Gypsy]

If another vendor is a possibility:

http://www.herroom.com/natori-rc6028-n-by-natori-koto-pj-set.shtml

Love this one! Might have a winner!

DS, you and I have similar tastes in lounge wear. I adore both those and Carole Hochman is my go to 'upscale' lounge wear brand (wearing a nightgown from that line right now as a matter of fact). But mom is much hipper than I am, I'm afraid and doesn't generally go for solids for her loungewear and tends to prefer prints whereas I am a solid girl.

Miss Prudential, I'll have to look into Alpaca, I know nothing about it. Very cool. And I bet my best friend (whose birthday is next month) would love something like that, especially with the names of the farms. Do you have any favorites you can link me to?

Deco, I've been looking at those. Do they avoid the pilling issue? I would definitely consider a set for my mother in law, and her birthday is in May. Plus she's on in NJ and it gets cold there.

soocool, that is a great idea. I'll have to remember that for the next special occasion for her.

Enerchi, that's a great idea! Yes, she has a few 'splurge' foods that I used to sneak her. I haven't done it in a while but she always enjoyed that. I'll add a couple for her to her gift 'haul' for this year. I know she'll enjoy it and I KNOW my mom won't buy her that stuff.

Meezer, I just bought her some perfume last year... but she doesn't go out of the house very much any more and doesn't tend to wear fragrance unless she does. I agree that the scent has such strong memories sometimes, it's a great gift idea!

Thank you everyone. I think I'm going to go with some nice lounge wear and that Natori set VR posted is right up my mom's alley. Very suitable.

You guys are awesome as always.

 

[Enerchi]

You guys are awesome as always.

YOU are awesome! We want to give back little to you, for all you do for all of us!
Happy Persian New year!

 

[Gypsy]

You guys are awesome as always.

YOU are awesome! We want to give back little to you, for all you do for all of us!
Happy Persian New year!

Thank you so much sweetie. I don't do all that much really, but it's lovely to have such great friends like you and to be appreciated. ((HUGS)) and again, thank you.