here are top 10 ideas for last minute Father's Day gifts for an elderly

dad who says, Oh, don't buy me anything.

I've got everything I need.

Stay tuned.

There's a lot more in store.

Hello everybody.

It's Nancy May and welcome to another episode of Eldercare Success.

This is a special one, because it's all about our dads.

But before I get going on that top 10 list, one of the things I'm going

to really recommend that you get.

is the book, How to Survive 911 Medical Emergencies, a step by step

guide before, during, and after.

There's a lot of information in there that is easy to follow and easy to

read, including a whole list of things that can help make your life easier as

a caregiver, some of the things that you need to take care of mom and dad

that you might not even know about.

And yes, there are also a ton of tips to make sure that you have a better

experience in the emergency room and the hospital and making sure that mom and

dad get discharged faster, either to back home, a care facility or rehab facility.

there's a lot that you don't know that you can have more control

over on those situations and more.

So please, I recommend you buy the five star rated book, How to Survive

911 Medical Emergencies, a step by step guide before, during, and after.

It's authored by moi.

Yes, and a lot of work went into that specifically for you.

And now let's get on with the show.

Father's Day gifts for an elderly dad who really doesn't want anything or who

really has everything can be difficult.

I mean, honestly, who needs another sweater?

Maybe another hat?

I don't know, maybe a meal out?

It's okay, but it's kind of boring, and I don't want to say thoughtless, but there's

not a whole lot that goes into that.

It's the same old, same old, year in, year out, what am I going to do?

I'll get him another tie.

Well, an elderly dad probably doesn't wear a tie too often.

In any case, it's challenging to get something that's from the heart

and that will be helpful to him.

And maybe an aid that's taking care of him or taking care of mom too.

That aid could be you.

Like I said in last week's episode, it pays to be a little

creative when out and about.

And when you go that route, it can be lots of fun.

So let me get into these top 10 ideas that are short notice, easy to pick up

and easy to do, and I'm pretty sure are going to be well appreciated by dad.

Idea Number One:.

One challenge that elderly people have is getting overheated, especially

when they're sleeping at night on those plastic cover mattresses.

Now, okay, incontinence is an issue, which is why a lot of mattresses are

covered with plastic, either in the hospital, well, it also makes things

easier to clean up for them, even at home.

if you have one of those plastic covers on, let's say, a traditional non

hospital like mattress, you know, the cushy ones, like a Sealy or something

else like that, just to make sure the mattress stays clean no matter

what, accidents happen, that's okay.

They can create a lot of warmth and heat against the body.

There's no breathing of the fabric there and it's difficult

and crunchy to sleep on.

Being too warm is uncomfortable.

Also being too cold is uncomfortable.

but on the case of being too warm, I found something that's

called a Chills Cooling Pad.

The funny thing is, it was actually made for dogs.

And I got one for my older dog, who's got a little bit of arthritis

and is feeling the aches and pains.

I can see that.

But dad is not really man's best friend, aka a dog.

But I know your dad is pretty special.

The interesting thing is, I wasn't quite sure whether this cooling

or chills pad would really work.

So I tested it on my older dog.

He seemed to be pretty comfortable on it.

I took my shoes off, walked on it to see if it was really doing

what it was supposed to be doing.

Well, it felt okay.

But then I tested it on my own bed to see what would happen.

I laid down directly on it.

It's a little chilly.

But underneath the sheets, it's pretty comfortable.

So, Dog Tested, Nancy Tested.

If Dad gets overheated at night, I recommend finding Chills Cooling Pad.

I'll put a link in the episode notes for that one.

And just so you know, I got the big dog size.

Not that Dad's a big dog, but, well, maybe he is.

Socks.

Now, number two is socks.

socks sound pretty boring, but the jazzy, crazy, wild, fabulous kind of ski socks

that are out there, those can be fun.

They're a little bit more difficult to find in the summertime,

This time is June, right?

But they can be crazy and wild and easy to find online.

I used to pick those crazy kind of socks up at Dick's Sports anytime I saw them.

Dad loved them and they were fun.

They kept his feet warm with neuropathy, but the rest of his body stayed

cool and comfortable as he wanted.

When his favorite aides, Millie, Iris, and Addie helped him put

those on in the morning, he would say, Oh boy, oh boy, va va va voom!

Ha ha ha ha!

I know those socks reminded him of the time that he used to ski in college.

Wood skis, believe it or not.

And also the time that he shared when his college buddies actually took

him up to the top of a ski slope and pushed him down one of those ski jumps.

He had never been on anything like that before.

Well, thankfully he made it down in one piece because dad was

here with me to 99 and 47 days.

Gotta love that.

Speaking of socks, if you can't find the crazy ones, Why not paint them yourself?

Go to Michaels or a craft store and get fabric paints.

You can put XOXO on the top so he can read them when he's looking down at his feet

and your name or your kid's names, his grandkids or anybody else that you want.

Kind of fun.

And every time he puts them on, I guarantee he'll have some sort of comment.

Ideally, if he loves them.

Tip number three is a story jar.

I love this one because it's so easy to do and it's ever changing.

Here's what you need to do.

Get a large jar with one of those snap close lids on them.

Ideally huge, about a gallon size or so.

You can get them at a variety store, a kitchen store, or in most grocery stores.

Or even Walmart and Target.

They're not expensive.

I'd say probably about 5.

Take colored craft paper or small note cards and write out a fun story

about an adventure that you all had together as a family, or something

that you've done on your own that you wanted to share with your dad.

You can even add small photos scanned in from your computer

and print it out and fold it up with a little tagline underneath.

the amount of fun you can have is only dependent upon how many

stories you put in that jar.

Every day for Dad becomes a new joy filled adventure and a story.

I suggest you even add the little wonky stories, like my dad

used to eat everything I made.

It never failed.

Sometimes they were good and sometimes they weren't so good.

True story.

while learning to make bread, well, my breads were kind of doorstoppers

to start until I figured out how to get the yeast to rise.

Thank you, King Arthur Flour.

But a couple of those loaves ended up being doorstoppers.

One, my dad even broke a knife in.

I've gotten a lot better since then.

But I can remember that afternoon like it was yesterday.

You'll also have a good laugh on that one.

tip number four, if dad enjoyed gardening in years past, but can't

get out to the garden, he's a little stiff, a little slow, or just, it's

not safe to get out there, Then create a windowsill herb and veggie garden.

You can take all of the supplies that you need to do so, bring them

over to Dad, and put them together yourself, with his help of course.

Maybe he won't actually participate, but I can guarantee

he'll give you good direction.

Plant them in a planter that can sit on the sill, and when they're ready

to harvest, or cut, scrambled eggs.

Or, a delicious simple syrup that's flavored with some of those veggie herbs.

That's really easy to do.

All you do is take one cup of boiling water to one cup of sugar,

add the two together, make sure the sugar is dissolved, stuff a

bunch of those herbs in there.

The best is really mint.

Oh, it's delicious.

Once it's cooled, you can take a couple of spoonfuls of that delicious liquid and

put it into a fresh glass of iced tea, lemonade, or even an Arnold Palmer drink.

it's a great gift that keeps on giving and moving forward.

And it's yummy too.

Tip number five is a special day out, which is always something

that we love doing, but this one can be just you and dad.

In this case, if you can't be there with Dad on Father's Day, which we

all can't, you might want to create a coupon book with ideas and a bunch of

groupon deals with a note on each of what you can do next time you're there.

Maybe even for the next six months as you come to visit next time, you can

sit down and have fun figuring out which adventure you want to go on.

And it'll be a discount because it's a groupon.

Tip number six.

A subscription to a magazine he's never gotten for himself, nor would

he ever, probably because he's saying, Oh, that's just too expensive.

It's crazy.

One year I got my dad a subscription to National Geographic.

He never got anything like that for himself, but he loved looking through the

old magazines and National Geographics that were in the care facility that they

were in for a very short period of time.

you've likely heard about those stories in other episodes, but maybe

we'll talk about that later on.

In any case, he loved learning and reading about the adventures and their research

being done and shared in each issue.

So I decided to get him a fresh subscription.

my dad would often tell me something that I didn't know about when we got together.

or something new that he read about in a previous month's issue.

Dad would always say, Oh, that's fantastic.

Did you know about blah, blah, blah?

No dad, I didn't.

Thanks for sharing.

Tip number seven.

if you're near any kind of body of water and your parents loved or like

cruising, but might physically not be able to actually do so, Or, could be

cognitively limited, consider doing a 2 to 4 hour short chartered boat ride

Around the local harbor or shore.

Bring a decked out picnic basket for the afternoon cruise

adventure and have some fun.

This one is easy to do with all your family members.

Bring the grandkids, your sister, your brothers.

Well, if you don't want them, leave them at home, but hopefully

you all get along pretty well.

And make this one a memorable gift for you and for everybody.

Bring your aides along, bring everybody along.

It's an adventure for everyone.

And yes, it can be a two to four hour cruise, whatever you want to do.

less the Gilligan's Island crash, ideally.

Tip number eight, I call, how can I count the ways?

This is an easy one and kind of fun.

If you're like me, and we spent hours, sometimes just laughing hysterically,

well, maybe not hours, but at least an hour or so laughing at the cards in

let's say a Hallmark gift store section,

Then, why not pick up not just one or two cards, but 20 Father's Day cards,

and send one a day for the next 20 days.

Or better yet, send one a week for the next 20 weeks.

Father's Day does not just come around once a year, neither does Mother's

Day, but every day is Father's Day.

So celebrate every day with a little fun and a little joy, and a card that might

show up in the mail when you're not there.

You can also create your own family adventure newsletter and

send them to him once a week.

take photos on your phone, put a little caption of what happened and some

thoughts and share them with mom or dad.

In this case, dad, because we're talking Father's Day.

I used to do weekly letters to my dad with all the week's adventures

and stories that went along.

Some of them got a little embellished, But snapshots of photos that he had

been in New York on business meetings.

Well, we grew up in the Island.

So he was in New York all the time doing business.

And that I was at now as an adult, myself made it fun for me to share with him.

And he remembered everything from Rockefeller center to the tulips

that popped up in springtime, right along park Avenue.

I shared every single one.

And there was always a story that went along with it.

I call those letters, letters from camp.

Sometimes every day is a camp day.

Right?

Tip number nine is plant a tree in dad's honor.

You can plant it in your backyard or someplace special that maybe mom

or dad can come and visit regularly, especially in the springtime if it blooms.

I recommend getting a tree that flowers so that you can see the progress

and they can see the progress too.

I have a good friend who's a founder of an organization called Heroes to Heroes,

They plant trees in Israel with each group of veterans who have severe PTSD

and Who go and build bonds with Israeli soldiers or veterans who have been in

similar situations and learned to heal with their heads and their hearts.

She planted a tree for my dad with her veteran guys, too.

Thank you, Judy.

You see, later on in life, my dad seemed to worry a lot about the vets.

A World War II vet himself, he never talked about the experiences of war that

were bad, except for one which horrified him, And that was how his commanding

officer behaved with an enemy group after they had been captured on the U 505.

It's a pretty interesting story.

I'll put a link in the show notes to that, but I've got the inside one.

And finally, tip number 10, just spending time with your dad, even if it's hanging

out, watching old movies together.

They may be boring for you.

But I'm gonna guarantee they'll be fun for him and just quietly being there

with him and mom Might be the gift that he's always wanted for a long time

Don't let simple pleasures pass you by and don't let them pass by dad.

Remember the song by Jim Croce?

Cats in the cradle?

When are you coming home, son?

I don't know when, but we'll be together then, Dad.

I know it'll be a good time then.

Okay, so I'm not a singer, but please, whatever you do,

don't let that happen to you.

Our parents love us, and hopefully you love them too.

The thing here is, a little love, creative thinking, and fun can go a long way.

A traditional watch, a blanket, a burger on the grill, or just a phone call and a

photo can be a bit dull to you and to him.

those sort of obligatory or obligatory, I'm not going to pronounce that one right,

but I'm going to let it go as a blooper.

They can also lack a bit of heartfelt enthusiasm.

I know we're all busy, but trust me, when dad's no longer here, you'll

look back on the simple and fun things that you did for him and smile.

Every day can be better than the next, for you and for your dad

too, even if he's frail and your caregiving time is exhausting.

All it takes is a little creative magic.,

On that note, you can create just a little bit more magic for somebody else who's

caring for an aging parent by sharing a link to this show EldercareSuccess.Live if

you'd also share your ideas and thoughts with me on that page, I'd appreciate it.

You can subscribe there too.

There's a little blue tab on the right hand side that says Send Nancy Voicemail.

That's if you want to send me a note and say hello your ideas.

I'll air them on future shows and give you credit for them too.

sharing your ideas, your thoughts, your comments, and more are a gift

that you can give to everybody.

As I like to say, we're stronger and better together.

I hope you've enjoyed these top 10 tips or at least 10 interesting tips on

creating Father's Day gifts that will be memorable for you and for your dad.

Please enjoy your day.

I hope dad does too.

Be well, stay well, and keep caring.

It's Nancy May from Eldercare Success.

Bye bye.