Best present for your ageing parent? Simply be present

Spending time together is not always easy or practical, but it is priceless - and it does matter

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A colleague is scrolling distractedly through images on her smartphone as we wait for a meeting to start.

"What do you get for a mother in her 70s?" she whispers.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on December 16, 2018, with the headline Best present for your ageing parent? Simply be present. Subscribe