Looking to buy a gift for my neighbors. Any suggestions?

[WiredIncorrectly]

My neighbor underneath me is an older lady. In her 60's at least. Her husband has dementia. They shout a lot, but I understand the situation is complex and I don't mind it. I'm not affected by it in this case, I'll put my headphones on.


I took the dog for his toilet today, and when I came back my nephew was waiting for me outside. My neighbor downstairs was talking to him.


I noticed she looked run down, and tired. But I said hello to her. Didn't really know what to say to her, so I just started talking about the trees that were cut down.


I asked my nephew what she was talking about.


Apparently she was asking about me and if I'm ok. She said to him I'm a quite person, and she worries if I'm ok because she doesn't see me a lot. Sometimes I'm low, and I guess people can sense or see that.


Anyway, she said she really likes me and thinks I'm a good person. She told my nephew I'm her favorite neighbor.


It was cool to hear. Put a smile on my face. Today has been a difficult day. Constant panic attacks and some pretty dark thoughts atm. I'm pulling through, going to discuss it on 21st with my psych.


But I want to do something nice for her. Is there anything I can buy her as a gift that she might appreciate? I'm useless with this stuff. Just something to cheer her up.


Thanks

[BlueIris]

Something handmade would be nice. Could you bake her a cake?

[WiredIncorrectly]

My baking is ok Blue, but I'm not too good with the decoration. Would need some practice. Handmade, interesting. I do sewing and have been meaning to get back into it. Thanks Blue, hope you're ok.

[BlueIris]

It's a struggle sometimes, but yeah, I'm getting by.

[Darksky]

Lemon Drizzle cake is easy and it’s not supposed to look polished. Royal Icing just drizzled on the top and maybe finely grated lemon rind sprinkled on before the icing is set.

I just want to say though that you are a lovely person, always thinking of others.

[Carnation]

Aww, that was lovely to hear wired.
Can I suggest a plant? Or maybe as its coming up to Christmas a nice box of biscuits or a panettone, something like that. All those cost a few pounds.

[WiredIncorrectly]

Lemon drizzle cake, a small plant and a box of biscuits sounds like a good idea! Thanks folks. I'm going to do that for her.

[Scass]

You are kind. She sounds like a nice neighbour to have, and I’m sure you could both benefit from a quick chat every now & then.

[MyNameIsTerry]

That's a really nice thought, James. She sounds like a caring person and given her personal situation she could easily be forgiven for not having time or emotional energy for others.

So showing you care will give her a real boost I bet. Just a chat will be a positive for her and maybe an outlet from her own troubles.

Anything that shows you appreciate her will do but i agree with others about taking the time to do something special for her. That shows you've put more effort in.

If she likes dogs she will find it comforting to have a stroke of him. Obviously you always have to be mindful of the dementia she deals with so I'm not saying in her home, just if she is out when you are.

Sadly dementia is very challenging and I can't see how anyone, especially so close to it, can go through it without shouting. It tests you to your limits and on top of it you've got so many emotions in play. There are also many stress factors such as medical support not doing enough.

[WiredIncorrectly]

Hey Terry. I didn't spot you at first because your avatar has changed.

She has a dog too. A little white dog. Like a Yorkshire Terrier, but not. Forgot the name of them. Popular with older people. My dog, and her dog, are sort of friends. But my dog is big, and when he plays his big paws almost crush the little fella. But they get along. She sometimes gives my dog treats, and vice versa.

I'm not very good at talking. I get all jumbled up with my words and mumble. I notice people struggle to understand me. That makes me feel a bit awkward. But to know that she enjoys talking to me is nice. It doesn't seem to matter to her, and I feel less nervous around her. More comfortable if that makes sense.

I've ordered from Amazon, I will wrap them up and give her them on the 1st of December, with a little card

Dementia is an awful disease. My ex looked after her friends mother for many years. She had dementia. I heard many stories and they were not nice. My ex's grandad has dementia too. She has to go up there some weeks to look after him and she struggles a lot.

When I hear the shouting, I feel bad for her. It's her husband, and she's watched him decline and she's now struggling to manage his care. It must be hard for her to make a decision to put him into a care home. For her, she's losing/lost the person she loves. It's almost like dealing with the death of a person, except you're dealing with it on a daily basis.

Life can be cruel :(