<p>Looks for an easy to follow book on the iPad has not been easy. I fist checked Amazon for the iPad for Senior books, but most didn’t seem to be easy enough. After reading the reviews a looking at the sample pages, I have decided it will just be easy to continue to be their IT expert! While not my chosen field or job description, I think at least to start, this is what I have to do.</p>
<p>I told my mom today that I was going to get the iPad set up and install some apps before bringing it to them. I then mentioned they might like it so much that dad decides to get his own. My mother informed me that this was her iPad and dad was not getting one!! Looks like sharing is not happening in this household. This is just so funny as my mother received an iPad as a gift 3 years ago and return it, “What would I need this for, I have a computer” I think it actually hurt my aunt and uncle’s feelings as they had purchased it for her 80th birthday, but they got over it.</p>
<p>Today I was at Barnes and Noble and in the magazine section there is a “magazine” called iPad for Seniors - thought of this thread. It has LOTS of actual pics and step by steps - it would be more than my mom could follow (English was her second language and so reading/absorbing English has always been hard for her) but perhaps some of the more adept seniors might find it helpful. </p>
<p>With the holiday and work, I just got around to taking the iPad to my mother today. 3.5 hours later I am not sure how much she will remember! She was able to navigate with me sitting there, but I suspect I will be receiving quit a few phone calls with questions On her computer, she still types an item to be searched in the address bar and tell me she could find what she wanted. She uses AOL so the address bar and search bar are next to each other, but no matter how many times I tell her to search using the one on the right, she still does it wrong!</p>
<p>I think she will enjoy her recipe sites the most, and playing her games; beyond that I am not sure how much she will use it. Hopefully with enough practice, she will find it is easy to use.</p>
<p>On another note, my brother decided to help my 85 year old father with a Facebook. He was so excited that he was able to add a picture of himself for his profile. I had a photo of him with my mom from his birthday in August, so I emailed that one to him; he said he will post it on FB. I told the grandchildren to friend him as he will like seeing the few pictures they post. My dad sits on the computer a good part of the day; what exactly he does I do not know. FB will now give him more to do. I told him if wanted me to put FB on the iPad, and my mother would allow, I would do so.</p>
<p>@snowball – I am probably a bit more neurotic than one should be about this sort of thing, but I try to insist that my family members use a throwaway email address for Facebook. I haven’t heard recently of as many of the “I am stuck in London w/o cash and passport; please send money” scams that all seemed to originate via FB. (In case you have not heard of these, someone hacks into the email account linked to FB and sends emails–not FB messages–to everyone in the address book.) The other thread about grandparent phone scams prompted me to mention this here.</p>
<p>Of course, you would have to create a gmail account for the elderly parent but it may be worthwhile.</p>
<p>I am impressed with all your parents who are willing and able to handle technology! My mom is mid 70s and I am having a hard time getting her to figure out her tivo remote control…I’ve taped off and removed the buttons she doesn’t need but it still confuses her. I was worried that was my future…your stories give me hope!</p>
<p>OP, when you mentioned that your dad likes the word jumble…it made me think of Boggle…I love that game app. That is one to consider. :-)</p>
<p>My Mom has had an iPad for about two years and spends hours playing Words with friends, Solitaire, creeping on FB and reading books. She still has problems thinking that “they’re not letting me do” … whatever. </p>
<p>We got my mom an ipad last year. She is on FB all the time. Her favorite game is solitaire. She even does online banking and trading (yes, she trades online) on iPad. She can use ipad to make deposits. Sometimes when she gets a piece of mail she doesn’t understand, she’ll take a pic and email it to me. I am very surprised how easily she took to iPad, much more so than a regular computer.</p>
<p>Spotify is far better than Pandora! In so many ways! They can actually import all of their favorite songs into a play list! I also enjoy the Radio(.com) app. I’m a news junky and love that I can listen to news from LA, TX, NY etc. there may be others out there that I haven’t found yet. NPR is another great app. ABC if your parents like to watch TV shows while in a waiting room, on a train/plane or dad is waiting at the mall. I suggest ear buds to avoid bothering others. </p>
<p>I must be a not very good husband; even my S (before he had gone OOS to college) had more patience to go shopping with my wife. He was more patient because he would actually walk to each store with her but I often chose a nice spot in the mall (like the food court) to wait for them. (3 of us still drove there in a car though.)</p>
<p>DS received a “free” iPad from his school (every student got one) but he used his MacBook exclusively instead. He said just recently that if he knew I used my iPhone so frequently, he would brought that iPad home for me to use.</p>
<p>BTW, is there any person here who likes to remove his/her glasses and place the phone’s screen very close to the (aging) eyes while using the smartphone? In recent years, this somehow becomes the most comfortable way for me to use my smartphone. I only use a real computer at work (Its use becomes less and less uncomfortable for my aging eyes as the years go by.)</p>
<p>My wife does not like me using my smartphone too much. She said we should downsize the number of smartphones, definitely after I retire. This is because we are almost always together while we are out. (except the part of “waiting at the food court”.)</p>
<p>I make my fonts bigger for text/email, and adjust the screen (make it bigger) so I could see better. My kids laugh at me that they could read my texts across the room.</p>
<p>I think my brother and I have created monsters with Facebook for my dad and the iPad for my mom. Mom has only called a few times; the last was to ask where the @ sign was on the keyboard She is busy downloading one game after the next; not sure she has done anything else on the iPad. My hope was that she did a bit more reading and less game playing, but I guess whatever she does to stimulate her brain is better than nothing.</p>
<p>My dad is collecting friends left and right and busy changing his profile and adding pictures! He is not a great typer, and his spelling and/or proofreading skills leave a lot to be desired, but he is having fun posting. I had sent him a picture from his birthday by email which he promptly posted, except for some reason it posted mirror image. Once I told him, he decided to repost it again the correct way. When he notices a mistake in spelling on a post, instead of editing it, he creates a new post. I guess the FB patrol will realize he is 85 years old and not make fun of him. </p>
On her computer, she still types an item to be searched in the address bar and tell me she could find what she wanted. She uses AOL so the address bar and search bar are next to each other, but no matter how many times I tell her to search using the one on the right, she still does it wrong!</p>
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She is busy downloading one game after the next; not sure she has done anything else on the iPad. My hope was that she did a bit more reading and less game playing, but I guess whatever she does to stimulate her brain is better than nothing.</p>