I am looking for the ideal Christmas gift for my grandfather with end stage lymphoma...?

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!

I am looking for the ideal Christmas gift for my grandfather with end stage lymphoma...?
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.
Reply:Fix him his favorite foods. Spend as much time with him as you can! I just went through this with my father-in-law. Time is priceless in this situation. Spend as much time as you can with him. God bless.





The following may help you also...





You can encourage your loved one to talk about his or her life — what I refer to as life review. These are those marvelous stories that get told around the campfire. I may ask a man to tell me how he met his wife. Sometimes, when adult children are present, it's amazing to find out they've never heard these stories.





http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/library/CA/000...
Reply:Maybe a framed shadowbox with things that remind you guys of the times you had together?
Reply: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.
Reply:The first thing that came to mind was maybe a big collage frame with pics of all the grandkids %26amp;/or other family members. I'm sure that seeing pictures of all his loved ones will keep him strong %26amp; keep him going.


I hope that helps a little!
Reply:Since his mind is sharp perhaps one of these tavern puzzles, "Based on centuries-old puzzles forged by blacksmiths for the amusement of tavern patrons, these mechanical mind teasers need no force to solve – just patience! Hand-forged steel, they're great conversation pieces and unique gifts. "


http://www.plowhearth.com/product.asp?se...
Reply: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"
Reply:I think that you should get him some puzzles. Like word puzzles or sudoku. My grandpa has Parkinson's and this definately keeps his mind strong. It may be a little thing that you give but it is the thought that counts!
Reply:Digital frames are hot items this year. Download all your and your family's digital pictures on to a memory card and it will play them continuously. Some even have mp3 compatability so you can download all his favorte songs and he will be able to see his favorite people while listening to his favoite music.
Reply:the very best gift you can give him is your time. Spend as much time with him as you can.


Sorry, Good luck
Reply: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.
Reply: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.
Reply: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.
Reply: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.
Reply: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.
Reply:A CD player and audiobooks are wonderful for people who are ill. I had an aunt who was going blind and died of cancer last April. She listened to audiobooks all of the way up to the end. If he's not into audiobooks, maybe some of his favorite music.
Reply:try alternative medicine such as chinese doctors or naturalpath.