For urban folk with kin upcountry, the ultimate measure of a gift is in its thoughtfulness and usefulness.
An ideal one, should be something that offers day to day functionality, as opposed to aesthetics or single use-discard alone.
The Christmas gifting season is here with us. In what has been an impossible year, many people hope we can put the travails faced behind us, and look forward to a fresh start in 2021. With urbanites’ plans for upcountry travel to celebrate Christmas disrupted, gifts will be an alternative.
For urban folk with kin upcountry, the ultimate measure of a gift is in its thoughtfulness and usefulness. An ideal one, should be something that offers day to day functionality, as opposed to aesthetics or single use-discard alone. This especially for our rural folk.
Historically, food, drinks and clothes have been popular gifts. The 2019 Deloitte -Holiday Retail Survey”, reported trends in gifting of food and liquor for the holiday season as rising. Alcohol prices range between Sh 1500-Sh 24,000, varying from beer, wine to high- end liquors, will rank highly amongst adult purchased gift items. Experiences spending, through dining or “going out” treats to entertainment places, also sees alcohol purchases in the next two weeks rising.
My personal preferences are to put health and medical needs of friends and family as gift items. With medical care needs increasing and people out of work, many struggle to finance healthcare. For elderly relatives and unemployed family, a prepaid NHIF card is one of the easiest and most thoughtful items to gift. Not only does it serve the individual, but extends benefits as family gift, all for just Sh6,000. One can even pay it in monthly bits at Sh500.
If you have a relative or friend with a chronic illness, a medical device isn’t a bad idea either. Hypertension and diabetes are emerging as the common chronic illnesses, affecting over 20 percent of Kenyans. Amongst elderly rural folk relying on far dispensaries for monitoring their health, distance compromises appointments. A digital blood pressure measuring device allows for self-monitoring at home.
Diabetics are also a vulnerable group needing regular checkups and testing. Home glucose self-monitoring is associated with better awareness of uncontrolled disease, preempting emergencies. For less than Sh4,000, you can get a glucometer, some vendors even allow piecemeal payments
Arthritis, another debilitating condition that rises with ageing, confines most elderly folks to their beds. The extended periods on their beds may predispose some to bedsores and worsen the arthritis. For such, ergonomic beds and sleep mattresses are a good idea.
Ageing, also increases toilet visits, especially at night for men. Squatting in a pit latrine becomes very painful if arthritic. Late night walks to the pit latrines can also be tiresome. Rounding up my list is a modern household water sanitation system: a water pump and a tank. With these a flushing WC toilet system in the bedroom, a shower and accessible kitchen water are delivered.
A basic solar lighting unit caps my list. Merry Christmas to all readers of the column.
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