I would get a SSD for my Mom. She has a Macbook Pro that was fairly high-end but the crappy hard drive slows down everything she does. She is a Professional Photographer and a nice SSD would really help everyday responsiveness and her editing workflow.
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0106AO1SK/ref=s9_simh_gw_p147_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=desktop-1&pf_rd_r=1RNZ2WS3EVFNX34F9966&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=2079475242&pf_rd_i=desktop