I remember one holiday I bought my parents two large grocery bags of items that my Mom would never have thought of purchasing. Mom had her regular items that she had bought for the past 70 years..... so I thought it would be fun to try other things, like getting Cheetos's for Dad.
It is never easy to buy for elders who pretty much are happy with what they have. Once my parents had passed, I noticed Dad used everything I had bought for him, that man loved new tools. But I would find the clothes I bought for Mom still with the tags tucked away in a guest room dresser... Mom rather wear her regular clothes until they became rags decades later.
I know caregivers are always wondering what to give their parent(s) for the holidays. Let's start a list.....
Thinking of your first post and how many people would be needed to substitute for what we do is a good reminder of the multiple roles caregivers play.
I try to think what he would have done when he was younger and more mobile, what we did when we were children, and what would be special. Every year Dad drove the family around a specific area noted for its light displays. I drove him around a few neighborhoods last year; he enjoyed that.
I always liked the experience of selecting a tree, but I wouldn't take him onto a lot to walk around (dragging the oxygen concentrator) to find a tree that neither of us have any room for.
I got my Dad "Popular Mechanics" "Readers Digest" "Remanence" "The Washingtonian" [local magazine]... plus he loved his weekly hometown newspaper.
And I second the idea of beautiful artificial flower arrangements. I got mom one with roses a few years ago and it still looks great. Just a couple of blooms in a glass vase with faux water. They look very realistic these days.
And I got her new flannel jammies that are pretty and warm. I also replaced her plastic drinking cups in her kitchen and bathroom. I just liked the idea of sprucing up her things that are old and tired looking.
Thankfully, I discovered some Alfred Dunner tops that perhaps, big perhaps, will fit the quotient. She is extremely picky right down to her choice of toothbrush. Life with a narcissist is no walk in the park.
So I got him a bunch of 3-ring binders, the newer ones are easy to open with just one tab to click open instead of two. I also got Dad an easy to use 3-hole punch which had a handle thing that made punching holes so simple [I even bought one for myself].
I just did some research on the Great Call Splash website and found that monthly monitoring and activation is $49.99, apparently on special now for $37.49. Then I found another site that indicates monthly fee is $19.99.
And footnoted is this clarification:
"Monthly fees taken from websites 7/29/14."
I'm wondering what the monitoring source is as well as the costs, beyond the apparent purchase price.
I go to world market or Cracker Barrel and select a bunch of little treats, penny type candy, maple candies, small cheeses, breadsticks, cream sodas.
Another idea is to create a book of pictures that you can create thru shutterfly of happy family memories, a fun vacation, the beach or just places around town.
Seniors don't really want more things, but some small lotions, socks with non slip bottoms etc are always nice.
Oh, another idea, if you have an elder who has trouble remembering what day it is, my Dad really liked his Day Clock which had one "hand" which showed what today was.... do not get the one with 3 "hands" that also work like a clock, way too confusing.
But there are DVD racks of John Wayne, WWII and other historical DVDs that bring back memories for seniors.
The candy section has selections of goodies I had forgotten about completely. I wonder when I go there if any of those old time foods trigger memories for someone with any level of dementia. Some of the historical candies certainly do trick flashbacks for me.
I wonder if 40 or so years from now Cracker Barrel or another restaurant will have SmartPhones on their walls.