Gift ideas for parents who still live in their own home?

I love the bird feeder idea!!! what a wonderful way to also involved younger folks to be aware of the elderly. wouldn't it be great if we all looked out for one another in even the smallest sweet ways!!

One more suggestion. Since they are in their own home, how about a bird feeder and maybe arrange with a neighborhood student to keep it filled. My parents have one at their assisted living facility that I gave them, and it became so popular, that the facility put them at various places. A group of students from the local elementary school fill the feeders twice a week.

Ferris, if you do ever get a walk-in tub, don't let that plumber install it! I love my tub, and if I turn into a prune it is because I turn the water jets on for a few extra cycles -- not because it takes a long time to drain. The pipes are bigger in diameter than a regular tub, and both the filling and the draining take less than you'd expect. I open the plug, stand up to wash and rinse my hair under the shower, and the tub is empty.

But a tub is not exactly a casual present! :)

There is a lovely magazine called Reminisce that I send one year. It was not expensive and the pics are lovely of stuff from the 20,30, 40 and 50's. I found it in a nursing home lobby and got it for Dad. I live far away, but we have done "work days" in the past, to get a big project/repair done as well.

Food, the kind of stuff they won't buy for themselves but love anyway. Fruit baskets, any thing consumable. Mom passed a few weeks ago and instead of doing the flower thing (of which there are plenty) I sent Dad, a box of favorite bulbs and gardening supplies, lots of stuff that they had at the family home that they had to move out of and stuff that Mom loved to, One of Dads greatest joys has been gardening so it served the purpose of getting him up and doing something and out doors, plus some time to reminisce .

Gift certificate to their barber or beauty shop. Pay their cable bill for a month or two. Gift card at restaurant. Movies. (Netflix)

I like fun food for the elderly (chocolate, cookies, cheese assortment, nuts, etc). some of my family members liked getting lottery scratch offs, mom likes word search books...the big ones from the book store. Any outing, to lunch, or anything they are still able to enjoy, dad loved a casino excursion.

CDs, DVDs are nice, but do you know what they already have? Trying to get our new system to switch from TV and then back again is such a hassle that we don't watch DVD's anymore. Kids used to get me CDs for everything until they finally learned that I don't have a CD player. We both love the lap blankets one d-i-l made for us. One of the best gifts we get is the daughter who shows up Sat afternoon to help put the clean sheets on the beds.

How I wish I could cook, but everything turns out to be a science project that goes bad. If I called my parents and told them I would bring them something I cooked, they would lock the front door and pretend not to be home ;)

Take them out or make them breakfast? Buy them the old Lawrence Welk dvd's, carol burnett, etc. Make them their favorite meals and freee so they can just microwave instead of cooking? Make them up some rice pudding or something to eat for desserts? Soft cozy blankets or new slippers with grip bottoms so they wont fall, new sheets, do their laundry, outdoor chairs? Good luck, been there!!! Everything I ever gave was returned back to me unless they could eat it, lol !

I am not sure how many gifts Mom can accept because she has been on Medicaid since December 2013 for her assisted living care. I guess postage stamps are OK.

All of these suggestions are wonderful! So I dont have anything to add, but we also give my grandfather food items, music cd's,out time, try to take him out ( he rarely wants to go with us). He also loves to try to make his favorite dishes ( being blind is hard so the help for this is a gift in itself) Good luck :)

My mom love the Turner Classic Movie channel. I got her a subscription to their magazine. They send her a new one every month that shows all the movies that month.

Framed photos do take up much space, but how about a digital frame? My 94-year-old Mom had both cataracts removed and now has nice new glasses to see better! I keep my gifts simple since I am have been unemployed for over two years and Mom was moved up to a private assisted living place out-of-state. For Mother's Day, I sent her a lovely card with three printed photos from my digital camera. It's too bad Mom does not have an email address or like to use the Internet. Family has to do snail mail for her. My best gift to her is call her once a month. I am planning on visiting her soon. I am unable to fly as much as I would like to to see Mom, but because she is now 94, no one knows how much longer we will visit with each other. My prayers are with Mom.

irvinsw, excellent idea about giving postage stamps as a gift, I just checked the post office website and they have so many different designs to choose from, for the *forever* stamp, such as a booklet of stamps with songbirds which my Mom will like :)

Ferris1 -- we've had a walk-in shower for 20 years. Basically, it's just a shower stall because there was no room in there for a tub. Works great. When I first had my surgery, I used a chair and a hand-held shower head. Now I can use the larger bathroom again.

Ivinsw: A peidcure would be wonderful. I now have rods and pins in my back so can't reach my toes. Right now, my husband trims them, but his hands shake so much that I worry that he'll cut my toe off in the process. (He has early Parkinson's) If your mom can no longer reach hers, that would be a wonderful gift.

I think men are the biggest problem as far as gifts go. Haven't seen any good ideas here yet for the men.

My mom still likes to send cards and notes to relatives and friends, and doesn't send e-mail, etc. So, she really appreciates postage stamps and boxes of greeting cards. Yesterday, she said she wanted a pedicure for Mother's Day...I was shocked.

I thought a walk-in tub would be great too, UNTIL a plumber pointed out, you have to wait until all the water is drained before you can open the door. You will look like a prune before you get yourself dry! I'm still dreaming of a floor level walk-in shower so I don't fall stepping over the tub.

Perhaps setting them up with your state's library for the blind and physically handicapped? They provide books, magazines, and other media in accessible formats (large print, audiobooks) and also provide the equipment to read or listen to them. This service is free to people with disabilities. Check with your local public library branch to find out more.

Something else I thought about -- Dr. Christian Northrup talks about how when women reach a certain age, all the stuff we've suppressed all our lives just won't be held back any longer and forces its way up and out. It's like the organism is saying "Enough already!" and just lets it all hang out. Freedom! As a modern philosopher has advised: "Don't get headaches, GIVE them." Or, we might say, BE one!

I made my mom a CD with favorite hymns and another with songs from her era 40s and then some of their favorite show tunes from 60s. They enjoyed listening to music and this was easy for them.

They loved seafood but no longer we're able to travel or liked going out and spending the money -- so a couple times I ordered steamed crab bushel federal expressed. Maine Lobster has dinners for two with appetizer soup, main meal and dessert --all prepared and shipped in so it just needs re-heated. A great treat they wouldn't splurge on.

Lastly, your presence and time is most appreciated. So do lunch or just do take out and go for a nice drive for the day. That's what mom likes now.

A house cleaning!! Even just a one time thing would be nice if they will let them do it! My parents still like to travel and go to casinos... my wonderful daughter took them to AC a month ago for their Christmas gift. They all enjoyed it. (Only dad has ALZ,) but he likes to go places and just hovers over Mom, who doesn't mind if she is WINNING!!

Try dvds of something they enjoy. .The Smithonian or the history channel..I love to watch fishing by Jeremy wade's Fishing Monsters. .Or George Carlin if they like comedy. ..It was a hit with my dad

My mother (90) loves flowers, but is unable to garden any longer. So I take her to pick out hanging baskets she will be able to enjoy for months to come. It also accomplishes getting her moving a bit everyday to water and look at them.

amott6, I know exactly what you mean about framed pictures... my significant other [we both are pushing 70] has two grade school grand-daughters and his daughter is always sending us framed pictures.... enough already.

And no more "World's Best Grandmother or Grand-father shirts or coffee mugs", we appreciate the gifts but it goes into the donation bag the next day. I feel awkward wearing a t-shirt that a stranger is reading what is on my chest.

JessieBelle, my parents occasionally get gift cards for restaurants and the way we solved that problem is to order "carry out", pick up the meal, and have it at home. We've been doing that for many years now with Olive Garden, as going to the restaurant is now too complex for my parents due to hearing and vision, plus finding a table where Mom doesn't feel the air conditioning blowing on her :)

for the mother, try flowers or chocolate, but please, please, no more framed pictures. There is only so much space on a wall. My husband appreciates gift certificates to Barnes & Nobel or local restaurants. Fruit baskets are nice too, but most of all, we like visits and/or letters.
(We are the "old people" you are talking about.)

Thank you all for all the great gift ideas :) Lot of good choices. Mom loves soft chocolates.

What caught my eye were the address labels for cards being mailed out as Dad still has some of his vision and since Mom's writing is now unreadable [she use to have beautiful handwriting] the labels would help.... and I will go to Hallmark and buy greeting cards for them to have on hand, no last minute panic rush for me to go out each time and look for a card couple days before a birthday or anniversary. Reader's Digest large print sound good, too.

I've tried to buy them items from the health care type catalog, but Mom tends to turn her nose up to the items as it doesn't fit well with her décor... well, excuse me... and Dad thinks some of the items are for *old people*.... hello.... my parents are in their 90's, guess so items are for people who are 105 :)

Walk in tub (I want one), big magnifying lighted reader (if they have vision problems some of this might be considered a medical expense. Take them on a short sightseeing trip (when I was a kid, we called it a "sunday drive"). My sister in law made a book using old family photos and slides, my dad loves to look at this. She used a company, "picaboo". I printed 8x10 pictures, put them in clear sheet protectors and a notebook. Enlarging photos helped with poor vision. You could even write names, dates, places, a story about the photo of old family moments. (names will be helpful later when they forget people). Have fun.

I agree, time is the thing and my mother really only wants my time and she's starting to resent electronics as they seem to get harder fro her to use. I'd say a Kindle would be a great idea cause it's easy to use but also if they can mange that, a subscription to Audible is wonderful. I use it all the time as I "read" while doing chore in the house, especially dinner and dishes.