Tablet for 80 year old

Didn't know whether to put this into 'please help,' 'senior issues,' so here goes: My mother is not good with any electronic device, even the TV remote. No judgement, just fact. I want to get her some kind of a tablet for Christmas that is easy to use and would play videos that I put on there. (I am not good at tech stuff either as you may be able to tell from my question.)

In particular, youtube has tap dancing priests. My mother was a tap dancer. She is Catholic. Is there a way to copy or download a youtube video onto a tablet so she can play it easily. Also, I want to be able to put books, and other commercial videos, etc. on it for her.

What do you think? Can you recommend a tablet for this? 

I am following this thread for my 94 year old mom, I am worried about the learning curve though.

I like the I-pad mini.  Light weight, easy to hold.  Load it with apps for books, videos, movies/tv shows, podcasts, newspapers/magazines, etc.  and download individual selections she might like. You can set up the email app so she can access messages with a touch of her finger, bookmark websites she might like, etc.  An added plus is that the mini holds its charge for a really long time and recharges quickly.

I cannot recommend a specific tablet, but here are a couple of things to think about:

1. big screen may be better--for eyesight issues and tapping icons

2. hubster's kindle fire has a cover that when he opens the cover the machine is on instantly--solves the how do you turn it on/off issue.

3. holding these things for any length of time can be difficult for the hands of many adults that aren't seniors yet--some sort of stand might alleviate this challenge and keep the tablet tethered to a power source

Good luck in your search.

As someone who can relate to older elders' needs, I think you should select an Apple product first!   Very user friendly right out of the box!

I saw that tap dancing priests video. Amazing! 

Definitely an Apple product.  A mini might be too small (from a finger dexterity perspective).  I'd go with the regular sized Apple iPad (Air or generation prior would be fine).  Added benefit of being able to go to the in-store training geared towards novices with a very patient and knowledgeable Apple genius.

Okay, that was my instinct -- to go with an apple, and thanks for the info and suggestions!

Just to add to the chorus: iPad is the way to go. 

My mom is in her 70s. She had a (Windows) computer and was absolutely scared to death to use it. She was terrified she would "break it" somehow. After about 8 years, all she had learned to do was send email and do an occasional google search. (Sometimes I had to remind her she could do her own internet searches.) When the power supply died on that machine last year, my sister and I replaced it with an iPad Air. She uses it for EVERYTHING. Sixteen months later and she is now teaching her friends how to use their iPads and iPhones. It's amazing.

A couple of observations from a professional point of view:

Several of my mid to late 80s clients have been given basic Apple tablets, preloaded, that their grandkids help them manage (re accounts etc). They go to their libraries to 'self manage' books and movies, and have learnt games like Candy Crush, that ninja game and a word game or five. A couple Facebook or FaceTime/Skype. 

Keep it simple, keep it fun and no pressure. Above all don't be disappointed if it doesn't take.

For someone with poor vision, or poor memory, consider adapting a child's style tablet. Less complex to operate and you can still use it for the apps you'd like. 

For very poor vision, talk with a specialist agency about the clever ways built-in accessibility modes adapt everything.

In my experience buying a few of the versions of children's tablets that are out there, they are so far below the Apple quality that they are harder and much more frustrating to use.

joanne said:

A couple of observations from a professional point of view:

Several of my mid to late 80s clients have been given basic Apple tablets, preloaded, that their grandkids help them manage (re accounts etc). They go to their libraries to 'self manage' books and movies, and have learnt games like Candy Crush, that ninja game and a word game or five. A couple Facebook or FaceTime/Skype. 

Keep it simple, keep it fun and no pressure.

Agreed. I set up my mother's iPad so that it is very nearly foolproof, using the built in apps, plus a couple other Apple apps like Pages, and only one or two third party apps. Functionality is not duplicated on any apps. That is, there is only one note taking app, only one calendar app, one photo management app, etc., and all of them are very, very basic. I also made sure to get one with enough storage capacity so that she will never have to manage her content, other than perhaps offloading some photos at some point in the future.

It is about as worry free as any computing device can be, which of course is precisely what she needs.

One very young-at-heart client has become quite the Facebook grande dame. She caught one of her junior generations mentioning to a friend 'I caught up with old Aunty K... on the weekend...'.  Well! K nearly unfriended Junior on the spot! 'You can call me anything but I'm NOT old!' (She's 90)  

I like your stories, joanne, and everyone's suggestions. I went with a Kindle FIRE since she does use a Kindle voraciously with help from grandkids. I am hoping they are similar devices. I plan to preload it with tap dancing priests, and the like. I am hoping to learn how to download youtube videos onto the tablet, and asked for help with that in another post. Thanks again everyone!!

BrickPig said:

joanne said:

A couple of observations from a professional point of view:

Several of my mid to late 80s clients have been given basic Apple tablets, preloaded, that their grandkids help them manage (re accounts etc). They go to their libraries to 'self manage' books and movies, and have learnt games like Candy Crush, that ninja game and a word game or five. A couple Facebook or FaceTime/Skype. 

Keep it simple, keep it fun and no pressure.

Agreed. I set up my mother's iPad so that it is very nearly foolproof, using the built in apps, plus a couple other Apple apps like Pages, and only one or two third party apps. Functionality is not duplicated on any apps. That is, there is only one note taking app, only one calendar app, one photo management app, etc., and all of them are very, very basic. I also made sure to get one with enough storage capacity so that she will never have to manage her content, other than perhaps offloading some photos at some point in the future.

It is about as worry free as any computing device can be, which of course is precisely what she needs.

PAGES! I have totally given up trying to figure out Pages! I was a devotee of WordPerfect for years and then MicrosoftWord and was totally comfortable with both. When I bought my IMacPro laptop, it had Pages - that was two years ago - and it still drives me nuts. I do much less work these days as I am in my dotage, so I am not about to buy anything else. I even think the docs program is better.

I think it's great that you used the term "in my dotage." It sounds so appropriately old-fashioned and dignified.

And you mean Macbook Pro laptop, right? Sorry, I shouldn't be so hard on an old doter like you.   

You can get Word or LibreOffice for your Mac, you know.

Apple definitely.  We switched my mom over to Apple when she was in her mid 70's - first a Mac Mini - then an iPad and currently at 81 an iPad Mini (she travels and her old iPad was heavy) and iPhone.  All the bewildered phone calls about Microsoft virus pop ups stopped on day one.  It's so easy and if they live near an Apple store sign them up for workshops - there are usually filled with other seniors.

eliz said:

Apple definitely.  We switched my mom over to Apple when she was in her mid 70's - first a Mac Mini - then an iPad and currently at 81 an iPad Mini (she travels and her old iPad was heavy) and iPhone.  All the bewildered phone calls about Microsoft virus pop ups stopped on day one.  It's so easy and if they live near an Apple store sign them up for workshops - there are usually filled with other seniors.

Based on the overwhelming feedback to buy an Apple product, the OP has decided on  a Kindle.   See post before yours

lol oh well.  I was just going to report that I was at Barnes and Noble today and there was a magazine titled "Ipad for Seniors".

Tom_Reingold said:

I think it's great that you used the term "in my dotage." It sounds so appropriately old-fashioned and dignified.

And you mean Macbook Pro laptop, right? Sorry, I shouldn't be so hard on an old doter like you.  "> 

You can get Word or LibreOffice for your Mac, you know.

Yes I know I could purchase the software, but I just can't justify the expense since I really don't earn a living on a computer any longer. Downloading free stuff always ends badly for me.

Re the dotage reference, I was going to type "long in the tooth" but figured folks might not get it!

Fingers crossed. I did manage to load the tap dancing priests onto the Kindle Fire, and lots of family photos. Still trying to figure out how to download other stuff and put it in. I believe I will actually have to sit and watch the tutorial, etc., and learn how to use it so she can call me whenever she has a question. It is an interactive gift in more ways than one.

mtierney said:

BrickPig said:

joanne said:

A couple of observations from a professional point of view:

Several of my mid to late 80s clients have been given basic Apple tablets, preloaded, that their grandkids help them manage (re accounts etc). They go to their libraries to 'self manage' books and movies, and have learnt games like Candy Crush, that ninja game and a word game or five. A couple Facebook or FaceTime/Skype. 

Keep it simple, keep it fun and no pressure.

Agreed. I set up my mother's iPad so that it is very nearly foolproof, using the built in apps, plus a couple other Apple apps like Pages, and only one or two third party apps. Functionality is not duplicated on any apps. That is, there is only one note taking app, only one calendar app, one photo management app, etc., and all of them are very, very basic. I also made sure to get one with enough storage capacity so that she will never have to manage her content, other than perhaps offloading some photos at some point in the future.

It is about as worry free as any computing device can be, which of course is precisely what she needs.

PAGES! I have totally given up trying to figure out Pages! I was a devotee of WordPerfect for years and then MicrosoftWord and was totally comfortable with both. When I bought my IMacPro laptop, it had Pages - that was two years ago - and it still drives me nuts. I do much less work these days as I am in my dotage, so I am not about to buy anything else. I even think the docs program is better.

I don't personally use Pages or Microsoft Word to their fullest potential, so ultimately I can't make much of a judgement comparing the two. I find Pages to be much more straightforward and easy to use, but that's just me. If you want to give it another try, people seem to really like this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Apple-Pro-Training-Numbers-Keynote/dp/013398706X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1450180513&sr=1-1&keywords=apple+pages

To be clear: I have not used this book. I'm just pointing out that it's the highest rated Pages/Numbers/Keynote book on Amazon. Perhaps it might be of some use to you.

@mtierney, LibreOffice has been solid for me and many others. It's not like other free downloads. But maybe it doesn't matter, as it seems you don't need word processing much.

Thanks BrickPig and Tom for the suggestions -- your advice is always welcomed.  

Can anyone explain why I am receiving frequent notices that my webpage has to be reloaded?

mtierney said:
Can anyone explain why I am receiving frequent notices that my webpage has to be reloaded?

If this only happens on one or two specific websites you visit, it could be a problem from their side which, of course, is out of your control.

On the other hand, if you are seeing this error more or less constantly, here are a few things you can try, listed in the order in which I would try them:

Fix 1: Reboot your iPad (Press the Home button and the On/Off switch simulaneously and HOLD them until the Apple appears on the screen, then release and wait until the lock screen comes back on.)

Fix 2: Clear the cache in Safari. (Settings>Safari>Clear History and Website Data) Note that this will erase all your cookie data, so you will have to re-login to any websites, forums, and such.

Fix 3: Reset your Network Settings. (Settings>General>Reset>Reset Network Settings) This will delete all your wifi settings, which means you will have to re-enter the passwords for all the wifi networks you may have had saved, including your own.

Hopefully one of these things will solve your issue.

Brickpig, thank you for clearing up the mystery for me too! It's only on a few pages, but they constantly need to reload and it drives me batty. I can see that I need to affirm better iPad housekeeping for 2016!   

I've never gotten that message on my ipad, but I use the Chrome browser rather than Safari. It works great for me.

Tom, I just get notification that 'the webpage has reloaded due to a problem'. I'd thought it might have been because we have 'jittery' wifi, often overshadowed by neighbours' poorly-set equipment. (It also affects our phones, radios, TV etc) 

I started getting that error two or three months ago, and if I recall correctly, what fixed it for me was resetting my network settings. But it's been so long now I don't remember for sure.

BrickPig said:

I started getting that error two or three months ago, and if I recall correctly, what fixed it for me was resetting my network settings. But it's been so long now I don't remember for sure.

I tried Fix #1 because the other two suggestions sounded downright scary   

I haven't done much web browsing since, so my fingers are crossed!

mtierney said:

BrickPig said:

I started getting that error two or three months ago, and if I recall correctly, what fixed it for me was resetting my network settings. But it's been so long now I don't remember for sure.

I tried Fix #1 because the other two suggestions sounded downright scary  "> 

I haven't done much web browsing since, so my fingers are crossed!

I promise the other two are not scary. It will be annoying to have to re-enter your passwords to any websites or forums you use  (fix 2), and potentially even more annoying to have to re-join your wifi networks (fix 3) if you frequently use your iPad in lots of different locations. But not scary.