My grandfather was diagnosed with lymphoma and given 2 months to live in May. Thankfully, he is still with us and doing quite well. He is wheelchair bound and homebound (except doctor appointments) and is very tired (naps throughout the day). His mind is VERY strong. He lives at home with his very well bodied wife and daughter/son-in-law. I am looking for ideas of a Christmas gift I can get him to keep his mind strong and to keep him going. I would appreciate anyone's insights on things that have worked in the past as good gifts for someone in an end stage disease process. I appreciate your thoughts in advance!
2007-11-27 02:02:25 · 18 answers · asked by niupt2k 1 in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Cancer
I admire your love that you have for your grandfather. I have several ideas that might help as they helped my grandfather, father and mother-in-law.
1. Ask him to help you with a family tree and scrapbook.
2. Puzzles are nice, don't get the hard ones, he might get discouraged.
3. If did any cooking, have him write down his recipes.
4. Get him a daily reading from an inspirational book like Chicken Soup for the Soul.
5. Take a drive to some of his favorite places, have him tell you all about it (you might want to record this)
6. Have him reminisce about his life and record this also to pass down to the rest of the family.
7. Don't forget the caregivers, they need time off. Check into adult day care at a reputable nursing home. They provide lunch and activities such as exercise, triva, etc.
2007-11-27 02:20:24 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The best gift I can think of for you to give your grandfather is this: buy a scrap book, notecards and a camera...Then go to all family members and ask them to write something memorable about your grandfather like something funny he did or something that he did to make them feel special or whatever they put down...take a picture of them and put the two together in the album. Then at Christmas he can open it and read all the ways he touched each person's life and he can look at the picture while they are away and that gives a person a sense of worth while they were on this earth and also spend alot of time with him and ask him questions about his life and maybe write it down or get a tape recorder and tape your conversation and you will always have his voice...I wish so much I could go back in time before my grandfather died.He was an honorable man...In our town where I live, he had the biggest funeral ever because he helped alot of poor people , he opened his home to travelers, gave many meals when they were without work or food, started the first league of united latin american citizens, always volunteering at church,,,I could go on and on...I wish I had taped his voice or had a video camera so he could speak and tell us what he expected of us...our youth are being lost to crime, violence,,child protective services if you beat their you know what for speaking back to you although my son is very respectful and hard working...May God Bless you all and have a Merry Christmas,remember that Jesus is the reason for the season...and your grandfather will soon join the Lord and be happy and at peace...
2016-04-06 00:31:00 · answer #2 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The best gift you can give your Grandfather is the gift of love. Spend some time with him. See if you can, with help, take him somewhere special, like a circus, or a Xmas Show, or to a Zoo. You know, something that has a lot of visual aspects and will keep his interest. A Musical, A play, a sighseeing tour. Or just ask him what would make him happy. Maybe a dinner out with you and a walk thru the park will do for him. Good Luck, he is lucky to have you for a Grandchild at a time like this. God Bless "You." and "Him"
2007-11-27 02:09:20 · answer #3 · answered by FILE 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If you are wanting to keep is mind strong, I immediately thought of "Brain Age" for Nintendo DS! However, some people of the older generation are not into electronics. How about Sudoku puzzles? I think at this point, the best present would be your presence. I don't know what made me think of this, but I really like the book "365 Days of Earth from above". It has amazing pictures, a whole page about the location in which the picture was taken and he could read about one a day.
2007-11-27 02:07:21 · answer #4 · answered by Ren 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Im sorry to hear about your grandfather. He sounds like a very loved man.
When my grandmother got sick. I didnt want to get her anything around the holidays to remind her of what she had ( i have cancer so i know i dont want reminded on holidays )
She was also wheelchair bound. I made her a quilt with family pictures on it. She loved it.
Spend all the time you can with your grandfather. I'm now stage 4 cancer and the only thing that I can think of around the holidays is spending good time and laughing with my family as much as possible.
2007-11-27 05:56:38 · answer #5 · answered by hezzy_9805 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
My father died of cancer and I am a stage 4 survivor. It is some times hard for to read or write with all the treatments. My mother got my father the old radio shows on cassette tape to listen to(most likely on cd now). I don't know how old he is but my father was 66 and loved it. It brought back childhood memories for him. Good luck and god bless.
2007-11-27 07:21:15 · answer #6 · answered by gagnerandi@sbcglobal.net 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Sit down with him and discuss his life and family with the plan of following the family tree. You'll be amazed at how broad a background he remembers and all the family branches he can identify. Don't forget to write down places of birth, marriages, names, events (who was where when, etc). It will allow you to capture details on your family that are hard to impossible to get elsewhere (even from his wife) as well as engage his mind and memories. If possible, get a grandchild to use this to work with him on setting up a family tree poster. This will engage both generations.
2007-11-27 02:24:06 · answer #7 · answered by Riddle Me This 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The first thing that came to mind was maybe a big collage frame with pics of all the grandkids &/or other family members. I'm sure that seeing pictures of all his loved ones will keep him strong & keep him going.
I hope that helps a little!
2007-11-27 02:08:11 · answer #8 · answered by luvmybabies 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I too am a cancer patient, puzzles, not the ones with the small pieces, the ones with the larger ones, around 500 pieces. It is something I do as well as others. It gives us time to focus on something other then the cancer. Its relaxing. May God be with you all through this troubling time.
2007-11-27 03:17:31 · answer #9 · answered by SANDRA J 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Have somebody take a picture of you hugging him. Take it to a place like Wolf Camera and have them make a jigsaw puzzle out of it. Maybe you can even get "I love you grampa" put into the picture for you. It might be easy for someone good at Photoshop.
2007-11-27 02:12:19 · answer #10 · answered by jack of all trades 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋