Christmas Presents For Older People

Older people are possibly the hardest people to buy gifts for. If you are seeking inspiration and ask an older person what they would like a common response is that "I don't need anything" and so you are left with the problem and hoping that a bright idea may emerge.

The following ideas may include the "bright idea" you are seeking:

• Buy or fill a box with blank cards that can be used as a birthday, welcome home, sympathy, new baby, etc by writing the appropriate greeting in. However, don't forget to add a book of stamps as well.

• If the older person is relatively mobile and likes to shop or visit friends, buy a "taxi fare float" from a local taxi company that can be used when the person chooses.

• The usual tin of biscuits can become boring and the person is always left with the tin that is too good to throw away but what can you do with it? An easy and individual alternative is to go online and send half a dozen, beautifully decorated cup cakes, order a cake of just two or three portion size to be sent once a month and vary the type e.g. plain, fruit, iced.

• Many jigsaws now follow a reminiscence theme, pictures relevant to years gone by and these will provide stimulation and a talking point for visitors. Large print jigsaws are also available.

• A Pay As You Go Mobile is a gift that can be used when a person goes out, to call a taxi to go home but is also a lifeline if the owner is out and does not feel well. Similarly, if an older person's home phone is old, why not think about replacing it with a new one with big numbers and key in the important numbers, family, friends, doctors, hairdresser, etc.

• A subscription to a magazine is a gift that lasts all year and the range now available to buy is large.