Having missed Christmas in the US this year, I will be giving out my gifts at Easter. One of my sisters-in-law will soon be undergoing long and hazardous brain surgery. Frankly she is scared. The recover period will be long.
What ought I to get her?
I thought one of those electronic photo frames would be nice. Would some fancy head scarves be creepy?
Any other ideas?
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This is more opinion than factual, so let’s move it over to IMHO (from GQ).
Hard to say without knowing the individual. Talking books perhaps in a genre she likes. Maybe something totally unrelated but feminine like expensive perfume?
Does she have help with the household (how big)? A delivery Service for Food, or a cleaning Lady once a week could help freeing up time and energy to deal with the Family instead of things. (Or it might be an unwelcome Intrusion - People are different).
Will she get Rehabilitation afterwards? Otherwise, a day at the spa with the whole Family?
She “will have to learn to walk again,” due to damage to her sense of balance. She is looking at ten day in the hospital recover ward.
Active in the church and with a large adult family in town, food and babysitting ought not to be an issue.
(Have you seen the neato wheelchairs they got nowadays? I spent a distracted hour looking at them. Of course that is not a gift idea, but geepers.)
A pair of new Sneakers (flat sole) in a cool colour/ design to motivate her? A Rollator Walker (mobility) - Wikipedia ?
That’s very good to hear.
I’ve never known anyone to actually use one of those electronic photo frames. First, putting together a slide show is very labor intensive. Second, some people just refuse to learn to use one. It’s a gift that’s destined to stay in a closet indefinitely.
Ask her directly. Maybe she will like a headscarve; maybe she will hate it and prefer a good wig.
And ask her husband/ the rest of the Family, so you don’t duplicate gifts, or can pool for expensive gifts.
iPod nano, loaded with music she adores, (do the research!), a long charger cord and a innocuous container to conceal/disguise it, for while she’s in hospital, (so it doesn’t get swiped!)
Very thoughtful, extremely comforting in stressful times, and pretty affordable!
I also fully recommend you simply flat out ask the woman in question.
She will know best what will be most useful to her
I very much like the iPod for her.
We got one for my fully bedridden mother in law, with brilliant results.
(I posted about it at the time, I was so pleased. But don’t know how to link to it since the search engine doesn’t function, but if you search for, ‘And sometimes the joy sneaks right up on you!’, you can read about our experience!)
Good Luck!
In addition to music, you might could pre-load it with a few audiobooks if that is something you think she might enjoy. Introduce her to Audible.com and spot her a few credits to make some choices of her own.
My sister-in-law has progressive MS and is almost completely paralyzed and in a wheelchair. We normally get her things like scarves or other clothes, or movies she can watch on her computer, or houseplants or other knickknacks. This year the biggest hit was a real stuffed (taxidermy) squirrel we found at Goodwill. She hates squirrels.
I talked to her husband, my brother. The headscarf is out. Little tiny hole that will be covered by her hair. The iPod is out. She has a smart phone.
I think I will go with the electronic photo frame. I use mine all the time.
Neato wheelchairs? Site Please? My moms uses a wheelchair (not full time) and I’m always looking for stuff to make it easier.
Thanks.
Since you mentioned she is active in a church, you could include inspirational images or sayings interspersed with the photos.
Here you go. Neato Wheelchairs. But you cannot really buy someone a wheelchair, it is very dependent on a lot of stuff.