Computer newbies forum: Need help getting my 75 year old mother connected to the Internet

Hey Guy,

This is Cub1910. I got cut off, ran out of room. This to keep mom away from! Window 8! Too many bugs- wait a while for that if ever. Window 7 is smooth as silk right now. Yes I want to upgrade but let the big shots fix the bugs first then Im in for good. Now Guy, dont mess around. I recommend an i phome for mom. It very user friendly and if she needs help you or her can call me. IM a techer at heart and age has very litte to do with it. Once you spart eagerness, it on. she has grand kids, yes? once she sees what face time can do its all over. She wont leave you alone for a new lesson. Now, I Just bought a droid. This leaves me with my 3gs, which is set up perfectly. And yes my 3gs is modified to to face time plus in has Skyppe and Tango. We have no excuss but to get mom face to face with grand kids. Skypee calls are completely free as long as both parties are supscribed to skyppe. Dont panic when they start asking for money-you give them nothing. Im all about free and ease bro. Now, I have an iphone 3gs that id un locked and jailbroke. That way if i mention an app in will be free or reduced in Cydia. You can install for mom. She is going to feel on top! remember start with text. My 3gs is for sale and in mint condition for 135. That what I paid plus I leave as many apps as I can that will help mom and find more. Just let me know something so many want my hardware. Hope this helps brother!

Guy, first you need to teach her how to use the technology and then show her how to get on the net, And somebody said to to use the facility's wifi which ic the cheapest way to do. what is she going to use it for and who is she going to connect with. Teach her first.

There are two main threads to your question that need to be addressed before you go shopping. They are the hardware issues with suitable software programmes to support the functionality you seek, and the human factors considerations. I offer the following suggestions and advice.

First, the human factors. You do not say whether this capability is something your mother would like to have or if it is something you would like her to have. If the latter, you may be faced with her being 'afraid' of it as she has 'no idea of the technology'. However, if she welcomes it as a new opportunity to exploit the capability being provided, great, otherwise you will have to persuade her as to the benefits you seek to provide or risk the new system becoming just an unsightly ornament! The key to overcoming these human factors is education and training. Whether you decide to help her in this respect yourself or she attends classes will be your decision. As she is 75 years old, she will probably find a set of simple step by step aide memoire notes very helpful for each bit of functionality she could use. Hardware and software manuals tend to be too complex and cover far more than she will need to know at this stage.

Second, the hardware and software questions you should consider:

• Does the unit/block already have broadband wireless that you can share?
• If not, do her rooms have broadband telephone connectivity, and again if not can it be provided?
• Will she use the IT in a static location in the unit or prefer it to be portable for use in any room?
• Does she have the space for a desk specifically for the IT hardware with the necessary power sockets?
• What functionality do you want her to have e.g. browsing, email, office automation etc?
• Will she need to print or copy documents or photos?
• Would she find a mouse or trackball easier to use than a touchpad or touch screen?
• Does she have strong views of an esoteric nature regarding the sightlines or otherwise of IT equipment?
• Does she have any physical or health limitations that may affect her using some IT equipment?
• What is your budget to provide the desired capability?

The answers to the above questions should lead you to a better understand of the hardware and software requirements and limitations. Specifically it should assist with selecting the type (desktop, laptop or smaller device and the minimum specifications), peripherals (printer, scanner/copier, mouse/trackball, and modem), size, colour etc that would be acceptable to her, and appropriate easy to use software.

As she is highly unlikely to be left with the task of setting up the system hardware, you will have to decide whether you will do this or get in a third party to do it.

The machine you buy will depend upon the skills of the user. If they are having mental issues a complex system, especially Windows 8, would not be a good choice. There are a number of possibilities.

I recently saw a magazine advertisement for a simple PC for the elderly. It is a Linux based with a special shell that was easy to use. It is sold as a desktop model with touch screen for $1,000.

In the UK there is SimplicITy, which is Linux based and appears to be available in desktop and laptop models. The cost is £400, or about $635. There may be something similar on this side of the pond.

There are some very inexpensive laptops for children in developing countries. At one time there was a program wherein you could buy one for yourself if you donated one to a child. The units are a bit spartan but they are rugged and reliable.
www.laptop.org/

A Google search should turn up a number of other options. Just use common sense checking them out. There are predators pushing expensive junk on the unsuspecting.

In another forum we made recommendations regarding setting up an 82 year old lady in a similar situation. After the list of questions relating to why and what and security had all been answered, we virtually all recommended a tablet because of its versatility, portability and ease of use, for a lady who wanted to do email and Facebook to stay in touch with her family, find recipes and hit YouTube for some giggles (yeah, right). Something with a keyboard for sure -- the virtual keyboard doesn't cut it for seniors (I know, I am one). If you go that route, go with an ASUS Transformer, or get an aftermarket board for an iPad, and keep it simple. There are lots of Android and iPad users out there, but not many Surface users, so a W8 OS might not be such a good idea for a senior since the learning curve will be a bit steep with no expert help. The overwhelming vote was for an Android tablet, and the ASUS Transformer Prime seemed to be the winner in that group (with the detachable keyboard). Not sure whether that was the tablet they went with, but it is a good suggestion (and it's a personal favorite -- I'm seldom without mine).

Well, I am assuming that she wants to go on the Internet?

I would get a 10" tablet with instant start. I would not bother explaining anything unless she asks.

Also set up everything for her including email address with simple name and password. If possible quick, inks to most used websites by her. Also of course email addresses. Of her friends.

Be patient! Stay with her for a couple of hours or more to see bow she goes. Do not correct every mistake let her learn.

After a couple of months you will have an idea of where she goes and so make easy links for her.
Be patient!

Hi,

You do not tell us your age, and depending on this, this technology may seems very simple and normal to you but a total mystery, that is scary for most elderly people....
I am almost 70 and fairly used to computers since 1985. I am the youngest in my family. I tired to introduce all of them to this technology. This is what I found with 99% of them.

Computer (PC and Laptop) with window technology is too complicated to learn, very difficult to comprehend and especially hard to remember(NO SHORT MEMORY)
I am using Teamviewer http://www.teamviewer.com/en/index.aspx the free remote support and online meeting that allow me to teach all of them at a distance (France and USA) by connecting to their own desktop. I found out I constantly have to repeat things as they ALL (after 65) forget how to proceed. Windows platform scare them all, they are afraid of virus and hackers and always download what they are offered and not supposed to.
They delete their own files by mistake., not knowing what the hell they did....etc My advice is:

1) KEEP IT SIMPLE.
Apple and iPAD technology is much easier to learn, you do not have a mouse right or left click that ALWAYS confuse them. I convinced my sister (82 ) to buy an Ipad after being unable to even read her mail on a laptop. Still she need some instruction on how to proceed. NOTHING is simple to older people and what may seems obvious to you is not for most elderly people.
20 years ago I had a hell of a time explaining my father (88) how to record a message on a cassette tape (3 buttons) that seems so natural and easy for me.. he constantly erased it instead. forget about computers!

2) KEEP IT LIGHT in weight but BIG ENOUGH to FIND, and READ and OPERATE (no iphones !!!!)
BUY A RED or vivid color for easy finding. black or white is INVISIBLE to them.

SIZE: One of the major problems (as for myself) is the SIZE OF LETTERS and keyboard. I have to wear reading glasses and even so, I do not like using iphone or blackberry or else for texting or internet. I still prefer my PC BIG TIME despite not being mobile. Texting language is ancient Chinese to me
remember older people do not have a study hand and if the keyboard is too small they cannot type correctly. or find the letter- they most of the time have to learn how to type. forget texting with the new language they would not understand.
I WOULD INVEST IN VOICE RECOGNITION TECHNOLOGY - A GOOD ONE- (needs training)

3) Iphone technology is easy to learn and remembered but Do not choose iphone that are too small - that they would never find them as they forgot were they put them._and very hard to read and operate even for me. I would choose a medium size ipad, light in weight that is ALSO a major factor in deciding.
shock restsiatnt: beware of shocks are they will fall their laps many times....

4) do NOT overcharge with gadgets with too much information especially for beginners.
they just need 3 THINGS :
a- EMAIL access,
b- viewing and safely storing FAMILY PICTURES
and eventually with lot of patience on learning how to use it:
c- internet access (with learning how to surf - still a long process for many elderly )
That is all....for a begining

NOTE: still many of older people prefer using the phone to communicate... no texting . even email!!!!.

5) Keep in mind elderly get easily tired or discouraged using these tools,
Depending on your finance, I would not go overboard with brand new technology. If low budget, consider buying a used iPad as a starter, and upgrade to a newer one when she is getting used to.
VOICE RECOGNITION technology is to consider to avoid them having to learn how to type.
but remember an other IMPORTANT POINT

6) when changing or upgrading, everything they have learned and hopefully remember has to ALWAYS STAY THE SAME ! even ICONS on desktop. even the most simple thing.
EVERY THING HAS TO LOOK EXACTLY THE SAME ALL THE TIME OVER AND OVER. or they will get confused.

Even if they remember their childhood bed stories, elderly people DO NOT HAVE SHORT MEMORY. They are like PC with no motherboard battery.... you constantly have to bring them up to date!. Be patient. be simple.. teach one thing at the time , a short period a the time, step by step, baby steps.....until it is automatic and never change things around. NEVER !!!!!


7) a last thing.... younger people think it is impossible to live without all this toys with new technology and they think theirs parents are missing a lot and insist to have them learn this thing, thinking it will simplify their life:
IT DOES NOT, IT COMPLICATE THEIR LIFE !
I am in the middle of this and understand both points of view... Most of the time no elderly needs or really want this. and if they do not decide by themselves to get one and try, chances are, they are not going to use it or for a very short time. they will get bored and discouraged.

one thing my be helping on continuing: a webcam easely connecting them to their familly. a link to communicate according to THEIR own pace and desire. they do not want to be disturbed at anytime or having constantly to run to answer a phone ring. respect this and they will Love you for this .
May be reserving a fixed time everyday or so to communicate if you have to call them first, so they have time to prepare for it ..
Good luck to you

Pierre -Jean L.

I am a volunteer computer teacher at our local library. I teach all ages including seniors. Most senior Newbies are afraid they will break the computer. I tell them the only ways to break the computer is to drop it or spillliquids on the keyboard.Check your library for classes.

We have only three people in a class. The instructer's laptop is connected to a projector so the students can see what the instructor is doing on his/her computer.

The key for beginners is to:
1. Learn the basics: desktop, keyboard, etc.
2. Learn how to search
3. Find free beginners lessons on the web
4. Learn how to bookmark the lesson site
Then they can learn at their own pace.

Here are three ideas for computers made with seniors and the elderly in mind:
1. A Plus Computers:
http://www.aplusseniorcomputer.com/?gclid=CIPhrOKw5bMCFcKPPAodBzkAEw

2. Wow Computer: http://www.mywowcomputer.com/

and the similar

3. Telikin Computer: http://www.telikin.com/
Hajh

My mother is 95 years old and she is a _heavy_ user of not only Internet e-mail but also the Web. She also takes many photos; she e-mails and she prints photos; and she receives and views both still photos and videos from her family and friends.

The most important thing she ever did was switch from Windows to Mac, ten years ago when she was 85. Until that time, she had great difficulty with all aspects of computer and Internet use, DESPITE FREQUENT in-person tutoring and telephone consultation by Windows consultants. For years I had been urging her to switch to Macintosh, but she was afraid to do so. She was afraid because she had found Windows so difficult and frustrating, and she assumed that switching to an unfamiliar operating system would be impossibly difficult. Finally I bought an iMac G5; I set it up with her name, her e-mail address and password; her ISP (Comcast) user ID and password; and so on. I installed the same e-mail client (Eudora Pro) and web browser (Firefox) applications that she'd been using under Windows. I also installed Timbuktu Pro, the screen-sharing and remote-control app. that I had been using to help her with her Windows computers. Then I put the iMac back in its box and FedEx'ed it to her. (I live 400 miles away.) The next afternoon I received an e-mail message from her. I can quote it from memory: "I love this machine!" She had gotten a handyman at her retirement condo to take the iMac out of its box, set it on her desk, plug it into AC power, and plug it into the Ethernet jack of her cable modem. Mac OS X in her iMac did the rest. No consultant. No tutor.

She gave away her Windows machines and never looked back. She never needed another consultant or tutor. For years she had called me or her daughter (who worked as a Windows consultant) daily for help with her Windows machines, and had never mastered many basic tasks. Now she calls me just once or twice per month, and she does stuff that she could never learn to do with Windows. Perhaps most remarkable is that her daughter the Windows guru, seeing all this, switched to Mac herself! Now the daughter (my sister) has more Macs and bigger and faster Macs than I do. All the children of that sister, and my other siblings' families, and my wife's sister, have also switched to Mac. (My wife and my own kids already used Macs.)

Now 95 years old, my mother has poor eyesight, so she has an iMac with a 27-inch screen. Her hands are arthritic, and she uses and appreciates the standard iMac keyboard and mouse. She could not manage with an iPad. I recommend getting your 75-y.o. a 27-inch iMac, not an iPad, regardless of how cool an iPad seems to you. At age 75, your mother's eyes are bound to deteriorate.

When my mother has needed to replace her printer and to get bigger external hard-disk drives for Time-Machine backups, I've just ordered them via the Web and had them shipped to her. She needs someone to open cartons, to lift something as big as a printer, and to plug stuff into the AC power outlet behind her computer desk; but she does not need help getting the peripherals to work. With a Mac, stuff just works. You don't need to install drivers etc. Windows users don't believe me when I tell them how much easier everything is with a Mac; but they sure do believe it after they've switched to a Mac. I have seen VERY many Windows users switch to Mac; and NONE of them has ever wanted to return to Windows.

I have no professional or pecuniary interest in Windows, and I have always owned and used Windows machines as well as Macs. Right now I own and use a Dell notebook and a big fast & powerful Dell "tower" machine, in addition to two Mac notebooks. I need the Windows machines to run technical/engineering software that's not available for the Mac OS. I find it more convenient to dedicate Windows pee cees to this software, than to run Windows on my Mac. Very often I use two computers simultaneously, side by side, one Widows and one Mac. They're on the same 50-Mbps 802.11n LAN, so it's easy to exchange files between them. Half the time I use Timbuktu Pro on my MacBook Pro to run the Windows machine "remotely," sometimes from the other side of my desk.

-Chuck.

A normal, 75 year old mother, who lives in a self-care aged unit, DOES NOT need 21st century "electronic gimmicks".
What she DOES NEED is a devoted child, physically present in her ROOM, whenever the kid has time for it..
BUT,
I understand the kid is either in the "rat-race-with-no-time" or an "i-pad" addict, who has to have an electronic connection to her whenever he can type & text (even while driving :))))
Stop the poor-excuses, and go spend time with her, show her pictures, take her to walks in parks, etc.

I teach computer beginners at a 4,000 member senior center. Many come to me saying "My (son, daughter, grandchild) wants me to get a computer so we can email each other. If that is their primary reason, I usually discourage them because they are unlikely to have the stamina for learning.

Computers and the Internet today may be a hobbyist's delight but are a work-in-progress ever-changing. We still have the phone and U S mail, both quite standardized and sufficient for family correspondence. Why burden seniors with the effort required in a still developing technology?

Hey! I am 87 and thoroughly enjoy computing and all that it offers. I started in World War II when I guarded a two story computer building at the Naval Research Laboratory in D.C. But I have much sympathy for those not technically inclined and in their declining years. Yet I welcome those who enter our Computer Lab to learn for their bravery and fortitude. If I have not deterred you, Guy P., buy your mother a Chromebook, a minimal investment for email at $199 that you can use after she rejects it.

with help from staff and local school pc classes[ students would love to get extra credit] teaching & learning, elderly to use the dragon speaking program for basic use ,, my mom has been dead almost a year and she would set for hours watching me surf,, with the flat screen set on clone.. her last days with failing mind,body were eased.. excellent idea sir!!!

get her an iPad (WiFi only, since she will NEVER use it away from the house). I say iPad, as I got my 88 year old mother a Dell PC about ten years ago, shifting to one of the first Intel iMacs about seven years ago, in an attempt to make using the computer more user-friendly and safe to use. For a person her age, in general, there is no such thing as "user friendly", as the technology is inherently confusing to here. She uses the computer to 1) email her friends and family to stay in touch 2) forward every crazy email that she gets FROM ANY SOURCE 3) sometimes check the net to find recipes and things like that 4) to listen to CD's and to occasionally view DVD's, and 5) drive me crazy with the same minor operational issue on a DAILY BASIS! At her age, her ability to remember most things is less than it used to be, but when it comes to technology, it is ZERO. I added LogMeIn to be able to correct 95% of her problems remotely, but it is still a pain in the a$$. This is why I suggest an iPad. It is 1) less expensive 2) can move from room to room with her, removing the need for a central computer workspace 2) more versatile than her seven year old iMac 3) can be targeted specifically to those apps that she uses daily and removes lots of peripheral confusing issues 4) intuitive to learn, and once mastered, is a better option than a stand-alone desktop.

If you are the one to help her set up the computer, you are committed for life to be her personal computer tech person FOREVER, day or night. You will be called upon to fix the same things over and over. An iPad would reduce this necessity if only the apps she uses are on it, and the settings are tailored to her use.

Good luck!

My mother-in-law at a little more advanced age was able to learn to use a Telekin PC. It is designed especially for seniors who get confused with all of the options and drop-downs and so forth on a conventional PC. It runs a version of Linux which is updated automagically by the vendor along with anti-virus and spam. So there is no periodic maintenance to do on the PC. The base monitor is large, but if your mother's eyes are bad, you can get an optional very large monitor version. Lessee what else... ah yes, when she calls and says "how do I...", you can access her screen remotely and use the mouse to point at things and talk with her to walk her through. This can reduce your drive time to support the PC immensely! And finally, it is an all-in-one PC with the CPU/RAM etc inside the monitor body and a separate keyboard and mouse. This cuts down on the tangle of cables and the space taken up in a small apartment typical of assisted living. Best of luck with your Mom -- my best advice is to be patient and be willing to show her how to do things several times and eventually the PC activities she does regularly will become routine for her.