Holiday helpers take note: Restaurant gift certificates, postage stamps and a little help around the house are the presents that please seniors

For holiday elves with seniors on their gift lists, the cranberry-juice glass is both half empty and half full. The shopping is either very easy or impossible, depending on how you look at it.

The tangible things they want are simple: Most AARP members gathered at a meeting late last month said they’d be delighted with gift certificates to local restaurants, and moderately priced ones at that. But the top spot on the wish list for many of them was something that is not sold in stores -- or on TV or online, either. Peace is not for sale. Neither is safe passage back home for Raymond and Gloria Andry’s two grandsons, who are in Afghanistan. But truth be told, they wouldn’t look good in gift wrap, anyway.

So in the meantime, here are some holiday gift ideas from two groups of seniors, many Web addresses, assisted living centers, one Dear Abby column, and a little pelican in a pear tree (not really).

Paper pleasing: About half of the members of AARP Chapter 2624, which meets at Kenner City Hall, would be pleased as Christmas punch to receive gift certificates to local restaurants. They can be for «seafood, Italian, anything,» said 76-year-old Lucille O’Shello of River Ridge. A few put in pleas for department store gift cards, and a credit at Wal-Mart is just fine.

At the group’s most recent meeting much of the discussion centered on changes in the Medicare system, and members were very concerned. So we did some checking at local drug stores. The major chains offer gift cards, too, and they can be used for pharmacy purchases. If you can’t buy peace on Earth, maybe a little peace of mind will do.

Warm reception: Mary Pearson, 79, would welcome with open arms a black shawl. The gift of warmth was also the first thing that came to mind for Ruth Kidd, coordinator of the senior center at Bethany United Methodist Church in eastern New Orleans and a past president of the AARP chapter that meets there. Lap quilts make great gifts, said Kidd.

«Many of the aged people, their legs get cold when they sit and watch TV,» said Kidd, who’s 76. She also suggested ear muffs, gloves, wool socks, and knit caps that pull down over the ears -- for women and men both. «The men might (usually) wear caps, but their ears are cold.

»And we have so many now that move around on their own," Kidd said, echoing the Kenner seniors’ desire for gift certificates. Kidd suggested they be to restaurants, department stores or neighborhood groceries.

Miles to go: Indeed, many do get around, and plan to continue. A gift-giver with a bigger budget should know that many of the older people we polled want to hit the road. Give Aurora Cyprus, 71, an overnight trip to a casino; Sarah Wang, 82, wants to go to Branson, Mo., and Marjorie Backstedt, 77, to England. Sherry Vicknair has her heart set on Disney World. Tickets to a Louisiana State University bowl game would make Emile Bauer, 81, very happy. (Visions of Sugar Bowls surely dance in his head.)

For older adults who ride city buses, a pass for unlimited use for a month would likely be appreciated. The city of New Orleans RTA TransPass costs $55 and allows unlimited travel on all bus and streetcar routes. Passes go on sale the 25th of the month for the next month’s use; at press time, RTA folks were trying to arrange sale of January passes early Christmas week. They’re available at the RTA headquarters at 6700 Plaza Drive in eastern New Orleans between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, or from 60 area businesses. For more information, call 242–2600 or visit the Web site www.regionaltransit.org/passes/. Some seniors and disabled people qualify for reduced fares for fixed-route services; ask.

Please post: Debbie Koehler, a spokeswoman for Malta Park, said that residents of the assisted living facility would be glad to receive postage stamps, writing tablets and long-distance phone cards.

Consider suiting the stamp to the recipient, and adding a little lagniappe. Among 37-cent options at post offices now are stamps that commemorate the Louisiana Purchase, the Korean War, Thurgood Marshall, Irving Berlin, Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn and a menagerie of animals and plants. Include the lyrics to a composition by Irving Berlin («White Christmas») for the music fan, a video or a celebrity biography for a movie lover, a book or fact sheet for the historian.

And when possible, skip the fine print. An assortment of large-print books is available in most bookstores. If the perfect book comes only in standard type, many vendors also sell some handsome and clever magnifiers. Choices include a bar that slides down lines of print, «cards» of various sizes that the reader places over the page, and the old-fashioned Sherlock Holmes-type magnifying glass. Prices range greatly, but start at about $2.

If arthritis is making unreasonable demands, perhaps the recipient would like the fold-up device we saw that holds a book for hands-free reading. (We also saw a contraption that allows a card-player to hold just the contraption, which holds all the player’s cards.)

In general, think big, if his or her vision isn’t what it used to be: telephones and universal TV remotes (that you program for them) with large number keys, a watch with jumbo numbers, an address book with big print.

Leaving a legacy: Everybody has a good story; some just need a little encouragement to tell it. Those who don’t need much prompting might enjoy a well-bound blank journal and some pens to record their memories of childhood and beyond. Reader’s Digest Books gives grandparents a little help with «Our Story: A Grandparent’s Record Book, Sharing Your History with Those You Love» ($24.95), with pages for categories such as «Price Comparisons,» «Changing Fashions,» «Our Wedding» and «Our Children.» A similar option is «Grandparents’ Memory Book, Or Did You Really Walk Five Miles to School?» by Teri Harrison (Great Quotations, $14.95); or try Jane Taylor McDonnell’s «Living to Tell the Tale: A Guide to Writing Memoir» (Penguin, $12.95).

In addition to well-chosen books of any kind, magazine subscriptions might be enjoyed, too.

Time and technicalities: «Personal Computers: A Guide for Seniors (and Other Computer Neophytes),» by Pat Coleman (Dorset Press, $16.95), looks like just what Great-Uncle needs, because he keeps saying that one day he’s going to try one of those machines at the library.

Coleman’s book is in large print with illustrations and diagrams that are easy to understand, about the basics and more. It covers screen savers, using a floppy disc, getting around in Windows, how to print and change computer volume, sending and receiving e-mail, setting up a home page and much more, and it’s jargon-free.

Other books that received positive reviews from readers include «The Senior’s Guide to Easy Computing,» by Rebecca Sharp Colmer (Eklektika Press, $14.95); «300 Incredible Things for Seniors on the Internet,» by Joe West (300Incredible.com, $8.95); and «The First Week with My New PC: A Very Basic Guide for Mature Adults & Everyone Else,» by Pamela R. Lessing (Capital Books Inc., $19.95). One reviewer said, «I wish I had this book when my mother got her computer as it would have saved me a lot of time on the telephone.»

Speaking of time, it may be the best idea yet. Koehler of Malta Park said, «The nicest thing to do is to take them out for the day, or just a little while. For ice cream, or lunch, or just a change of scenery.»

Time also goes a long way toward making more mobile seniors such as Linda Brayden happy.

«You know what I really want?» she asked. «Some help around the house. Pulling the weeds, washing the windows, painting the kitchen.»

And whoever has Ronald Phillips on a gift list will have to settle for a second-choice present. «A new president» probably won’t be under Phillips’ tree this year.

. . . . . . .

Staff writer Dayna Harpster can be reached at dharpster Most AARP members gathered at a meeting late last month said they’d be delighted with gift certificates to local restaurants, and moderately priced ones at that. But the top spot on the wish list for many of them was something that is not sold in stores -- or on TV or online, either. Peace is not for sale. Neither is safe passage back home for Raymond and Gloria Andry’s two grandsons, who are in Afghanistan. But truth be told, they wouldn’t look good in gift wrap, anyway.

So in the meantime, here are some holiday gift ideas from two groups of seniors, many Web addresses, assisted living centers, one Dear Abby column, and a little pelican in a pear tree (not really).

Paper pleasing: About half of the members of AARP Chapter 2624, which meets at Kenner City Hall, would be pleased as Christmas punch to receive gift certificates to local restaurants. They can be for «seafood, Italian, anything,» said 76-year-old Lucille O’Shello of River Ridge. A few put in pleas for department store gift cards, and a credit at Wal-Mart is just fine.

At the group’s most recent meeting much of the discussion centered on changes in the Medicare system, and members were very concerned. So we did some checking at local drug stores. The major chains offer gift cards, too, and they can be used for pharmacy purchases. If you can’t buy peace on Earth, maybe a little peace of mind will do.

Warm reception: Mary Pearson, 79, would welcome with open arms a black shawl. The gift of warmth was also the first thing that came to mind for Ruth Kidd, coordinator of the senior center at Bethany United Methodist Church in eastern New Orleans and a past president of the AARP chapter that meets there. Lap quilts make great gifts, said Kidd.

«Many of the aged people, their legs get cold when they sit and watch TV,» said Kidd, who’s 76. She also suggested ear muffs, gloves, wool socks, and knit caps that pull down over the ears -- for women and men both. «The men might (usually) wear caps, but their ears are cold.

»And we have so many now that move around on their own," Kidd said, echoing the Kenner seniors’ desire for gift certificates. Kidd suggested they be to restaurants, department stores or neighborhood groceries.

Miles to go: Indeed, many do get around, and plan to continue. A gift-giver with a bigger budget should know that many of the older people we polled want to hit the road. Give Aurora Cyprus, 71, an overnight trip to a casino; Sarah Wang, 82, wants to go to Branson, Mo., and Marjorie Backstedt, 77, to England. Sherry Vicknair has her heart set on Disney World. Tickets to a Louisiana State University bowl game would make Emile Bauer, 81, very happy. (Visions of Sugar Bowls surely dance in his head.)

For older adults who ride city buses, a pass for unlimited use for a month would likely be appreciated. The city of New Orleans RTA TransPass costs $55 and allows unlimited travel on all bus and streetcar routes. Passes go on sale the 25th of the month for the next month’s use; at press time, RTA folks were trying to arrange sale of January passes early Christmas week. They’re available at the RTA headquarters at 6700 Plaza Drive in eastern New Orleans between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, or from 60 area businesses. For more information, call 242–2600 or visit the Web site www.regionaltransit.org/passes/. Some seniors and disabled people qualify for reduced fares for fixed-route services; ask.

Please post: Debbie Koehler, a spokeswoman for Malta Park, said that residents of the assisted living facility would be glad to receive postage stamps, writing tablets and long-distance phone cards.

Consider suiting the stamp to the recipient, and adding a little lagniappe. Among 37-cent options at post offices now are stamps that commemorate the Louisiana Purchase, the Korean War, Thurgood Marshall, Irving Berlin, Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn and a menagerie of animals and plants. Include the lyrics to a composition by Irving Berlin («White Christmas») for the music fan, a video or a celebrity biography for a movie lover, a book or fact sheet for the historian.

And when possible, skip the fine print. An assortment of large-print books is available in most bookstores. If the perfect book comes only in standard type, many vendors also sell some handsome and clever magnifiers. Choices include a bar that slides down lines of print, «cards» of various sizes that the reader places over the page, and the old-fashioned Sherlock Holmes-type magnifying glass. Prices range greatly, but start at about $2.

If arthritis is making unreasonable demands, perhaps the recipient would like the fold-up device we saw that holds a book for hands-free reading. (We also saw a contraption that allows a card-player to hold just the contraption, which holds all the player’s cards.)

In general, think big, if his or her vision isn’t what it used to be: telephones and universal TV remotes (that you program for them) with large number keys, a watch with jumbo numbers, an address book with big print.

Leaving a legacy: Everybody has a good story; some just need a little encouragement to tell it. Those who don’t need much prompting might enjoy a well-bound blank journal and some pens to record their memories of childhood and beyond. Reader’s Digest Books gives grandparents a little help with «Our Story: A Grandparent’s Record Book, Sharing Your History with Those You Love» ($24.95), with pages for categories such as «Price Comparisons,» «Changing Fashions,» «Our Wedding» and «Our Children.» A similar option is «Grandparents’ Memory Book, Or Did You Really Walk Five Miles to School?» by Teri Harrison (Great Quotations, $14.95); or try Jane Taylor McDonnell’s «Living to Tell the Tale: A Guide to Writing Memoir» (Penguin, $12.95).

In addition to well-chosen books of any kind, magazine subscriptions might be enjoyed, too.

Time and technicalities: «Personal Computers: A Guide for Seniors (and Other Computer Neophytes),» by Pat Coleman (Dorset Press, $16.95), looks like just what Great-Uncle needs, because he keeps saying that one day he’s going to try one of those machines at the library.

Coleman’s book is in large print with illustrations and diagrams that are easy to understand, about the basics and more. It covers screen savers, using a floppy disc, getting around in Windows, how to print and change computer volume, sending and receiving e-mail, setting up a home page and much more, and it’s jargon-free.

Other books that received positive reviews from readers include «The Senior’s Guide to Easy Computing,» by Rebecca Sharp Colmer (Eklektika Press, $14.95); «300 Incredible Things for Seniors on the Internet,» by Joe West (300Incredible.com, $8.95); and «The First Week with My New PC: A Very Basic Guide for Mature Adults & Everyone Else,» by Pamela R. Lessing (Capital Books Inc., $19.95). One reviewer said, «I wish I had this book when my mother got her computer as it would have saved me a lot of time on the telephone.»

Speaking of time, it may be the best idea yet. Koehler of Malta Park said, «The nicest thing to do is to take them out for the day, or just a little while. For ice cream, or lunch, or just a change of scenery.»

Time also goes a long way toward making more mobile seniors such as Linda Brayden happy.

«You know what I really want?» she asked. «Some help around the house. Pulling the weeds, washing the windows, painting the kitchen.»

And whoever has Ronald Phillips on a gift list will have to settle for a second-choice present. «A new president» probably won’t be under Phillips’ tree this year.

. . . . . . .

Staff writer Dayna Harpster can be reached at dharpster@timespicayune.com or at (504) 826–3444.