What are some fun and creative things to put in a "get well soon" care package?

Does she knit or crochet, would giving her some yarn and needles keep her busy?? I would think of things that would keep her busy when she can’t do much.

I’ve spent the last 10 years making care pakages for nieces and nephews in college. Different than Gram, but here were some hot sellers: Dried fruit, granola, and other edibles. Plus a few simple craft items just to give them a distraction. And stamped envelopes so they could send stuff in the mail.

No, she can’t do knitting since her eyes and arthritis have gotten worse. It really makes it hard to come up with things to keep her busy. :(

Notecards with stamped envelopes is a great idea, I will add it to the list, thanks.

Funny fuzzy slippers with good soles for traction. You know yellow duckies and all. Keeps the feet warm and more, keeps the heart warm too.

Does she like card games? A deck of cards could really help to pass the time, if she likes to play solitaire by herself or if she has time during the day to play cards with other residents.

If she likes to read but can’t, perhaps she would appreciate an audio book.

And a cute, fuzzy stuffed animal never fails to make someone feel better! It’s as close as you can get to sending a hug.

What a thoughtful thing to do! Flowers or a plant are nice, but a customized package is even better. You already have some great ideas.

When 86 year-old Mom broke her leg last year, I spent three months with her while she was in rehab. Her eyesight is poor as well. Here are some recommendations:
* A micro-bead neck pillow. Make sure that it isn’t too big or full.
* A shawl. Mom’s church gave her a prayer shawl, and she loved that thing.
* A track suit or just trousers. They are perfect for the casual, exercise-focused environment of a rehab center.
* Non-skid socks like these. The rehab center typically provides a pair or two, but it never hurts to have more. They are ideal for the slick linoleum floors. Plus, it’s nice to have a selection of colors to match up with different outfits.
* Many rehab centers have an on-site salon for hair and nail services at low prices. This was a big deal for the patients. If the rehab center has a website, you might be able to check to see if they offer this service and arrange to put a credit on her account for this.
* Small items that Mom wanted on hand were: tweezers, lipstick, a comb and dental floss.
* If she still uses a checkbook, this plastic signature guide is an invaluable gift for someone with visual problems.

* A Talking Clock This isn’t cheap, but it is the best gift for a person with poor eyesight, especially one in a hospital or rehab center where it is easy to lose track of time.

@Fly The audio book is an excellent idea.

Tiny radio or does she have one?

I was also going to mention the audio books, but the sagacious @Fly beat me to it.

I have a Sony Walkman and get books on CDs from the library, but you can rent them easily online.

I use them in bed when I am ready to go to sleep and want to shut my brain noise off. I listen to them nightly and make sure I have a CDalways available at my bedside; they are a good substitute for sleeping pills.

When my mother was in rehab for broken bones (several long stays over the past few years), there was a little in-situe library that had books on CDs.

I use them also in the car.

One source

Have you looked into large print books? With a good reading lamp, they make things much easier if you have vision problems.

Yes, audio books and maybe large print books, likes the Readers Digest type.
You could also include an audio tape of your family members sharing their favorite memories and stories of grandma, make it humorous, have everyone share their own unique memories.

I think you can download audio books from i-tunes, so you can assemble a bunch of those.

Also, from i-tunes you can download some soothing ambient sounds. Sometimes it gets noisy at hospitals and rehab places. Ambient sounds, like a brook or crickets chirping or a crackling fire, or even train sounds are really nice to block out un-wanted sounds and ease sleep.

You can also buy some from Amazon. Here are a few of the ones that I own that I absolutely love:

Sleep on a Train

Crackling Fire

Echoes of Nature Frog Chorus

Rain and Thunder

Another thing that you can buy or download onto CD’s are old-time radio show broadcasts like Suspense. This is a good one, but because it’s complete it’s a little pricey. They have others that only have a few episodes that are more reasonable. They also have other radio shows like Burns and Allen and Ozzie and Harriet.

Of course put some of her favorite music on CD.

Print out some 8 X 10 photos on your printer, preferably close ups of her family members. Put them in plastic sleeves in a notebook. She might not be able to see standard 4 X 6 photos very well, so make them nice and big. Write “My Family” on the front. You can even write each person’s name in big lettering on each photo. The attendants can also help her to enjoy these, if the people are labeled.

Definitely some candy, cookies, crackers or chips that she likes. Find out first if she has any problems with her teeth. Some older folks can’t tolerate nuts or super-chewy stuff like caramels or hard/crunchy things like chips. Home made peanut butter cookies, snickerdoodles or brownies would be nice.

Do you know if she has a favorite hand lotion? Sometimes the generic stuff they give you in the hospital isn’t the same as your own favorite.

Well wishes to your Grandma for a quick recovery : )

Does she do puzzles? I know you mentioned her eyesight, but can she do crosswords or word finds or Sudoku? Give her some Mad Libs she can do with the staff (dirty ones too lol). Jigsaw puzzles?

How is your grandmother doing? What did you all end up sending to her?

I think giving a gift is not so hard. You can present something to her that she will truly loves or you can be there with her. Your gift is your presence. But if you want something more special present a dance number or something she’ll love to see :)) x