<p>My mom just saw an ad for the RealPad, an AARP product. Has anyone seen or bought this tablet? I’d like mom to have access to email and see family Facebook posts, but wonder if it’s possible to limit the other stuff. (She’s the type who is naive and falls for scams.) What is out there that would work for very basic online use?</p>
<p>It’s not the type of device which makes someone vulnerable; it’s how it is used. Email unfortunately is a common point of entry for scammers, so if she must have email, be sure it has really strong filters. Educate her about phishing, and also about not clicking things in an email, including those innocent-looking joke/adorable emails that make the rounds…</p>
<p>Many libraries and senior centers offer free classes and individual tutoring in how to use tablets, which might be helpful once your mom has one.</p>
<p>I’d be careful if your mother has a tendency to fall for scams. Some are very hard to detect, and so many are specifically aimed at seniors. Is there someone in the family who can periodically check in with her to see what she’s up to online?</p>
<p>The very first tablet I ever saw belonged to a 91 year old. He sold me on it!</p>
<p>My mom loves her iPad and she’s in her late 80s. She e-mails, Skypes, can navigate web sites. It didn’t take that long to get her up and running. She had a desktop before so now she’s not “tethered.” She’s always been a sharp lady, however, and not one I would call “old” in her interests. </p>
<p>My brother got my mom an ipad a year ago. I thought she would never use it, but she takes it every where she goes. She can even do online deposit. Instead of scanning documents, she’ll take a picture and email it to me. </p>
<p>To be honest, if you have any worries and you see your elderly relative a lot, set up parental controls on it. If you are really worried, you can have all their email forwarded to you and keep all their passwords.</p>
<p>My spouse has his mom’s info so he can check on her if he has to. Luckily, she is too paranoid to shop at all online unless she mails a physical check for payment.</p>
<p>Email is probably where people can get into trouble.
Could she have one email that she uses for friends and family and another for everything else?
The real pad sounds like a way to get their magazine in the hands of more folks.
Sounds like a great idea, but actually a really annoying way to read a magazine.
<a href=“AARP RealPad is an unnecessary Android tablet for seniors - Liliputing”>http://liliputing.com/2014/09/aarp-realpad-is-an-unnecessary-android-tablet-for-seniors.html</a></p>
<p>She lives with me and has memory issues/dementia. She sees the rest of us on our devices and has said, “I want one of those things!” So I feel bad and think it might be nice, but maybe I should just have something she can go on when she’s out in the family room with us, like my Nook. The RealPad looked interesting because of the 24/7 customer service. Same issue with having own phone. She wants one - although we have a perfectly good home phone she can use any time. She has a history of falling for phone scams too. {sigh}</p>
<p>Oh dear. I wouldn’t give internet access to someone with memory problems. That’s a phisher’s dream come true.</p>
<p>Could you get her one of the new nooks or kindles which look like a tablet, and then put it in airplane mode so it’s cut off from the outside world? Can those things be loaded with games, so that she can “work” on her device when the rest of you are working on yours?</p>
<p>BTW, sometimes we have to say no. My 90-year-old-mom wants a smart phone. Not because she knows the slightest thing about smart phones, or has any use for one whatsoever, but rather because she sees them on TV and knows that her family has them. That’s not a good enough reason, though, to give her something which could be dangerous in her hands.</p>
<p>^Ha, yes! Mom has also says she wants an iPhone 6 every time she sees a commercial for them. Definitely not planning on pursuing that.</p>
<p>My mom used an iPad for the years leading up to her death. She LOVED it and took it everywhere with her. she had a walker with a pouch, and in that pouch was her iPad.</p>
<p>My father (89 now), who is extremely intelligent and did very well with a computer (until the last year of two) really had trouble with a Kindle and iPad. The touch screen was difficult for him for some reason, and he never really got the hang of it. I don’t know if it was a dexterity thing or what.</p>
<p>My dad (89 now too) also loves his laptop & desktop. He has an ipad which he rarely ever opens and doesn’t seem to care about. He have mom return his kindle to Amazon for a refund as he saw no point in it. He mainly retrieves email and also looks at his day trading online.</p>
<p>He uses his iPhone 5s as a phone and sometimes also uses the calendar functions. Mom doesn’t use her iPhone 4s at all and refuses to touch any electronics in their home. She gave away her kindle and her ipad and won’t touch the computer any more.</p>
<p>At the nursing home where my mom was, several residents had Kindle Fires or tablets. The social worker would hold regular talks with them about internet privacy and talked to them about thieves, burglars and rogues and how they would be affected. My mother’s former roommate would read her kindle al the time, since she could adjust the font to a higher setting. </p>
<p>I guess it depends how comfortable an elderly person is with electronics. My mom had no trouble with her cell phone and used her computer a lot, so using an iPad wasn’t an adjustment. </p>
<p>I disagree. It isn’t just a matter of comfort with electronics. It’s a matter of dexterity with the touch screen. Some folks adjust quickly, but some don’t. It’s different than hitting keys. I even remember that from my early iPhone days when I switched from Blackberry.</p>
<p>My mother (now 91) had no problem using desktops and laptops in the past, although she is rather a technophobe–she used to day trade!–but unfortunately, when her old and very inadequate laptop really needed to be replaced, she was influenced to get an iPad by my niece. She had difficulty with the touchscreen, and with apps vs websites accessed using a browser (familiar to her, don’t work well on the iPad), and so forth. She was accustomed to the Windows environment, not Mac.</p>
<p>Personally, I would have gotten her an inexpensive laptop for about the same amount of money. If your house has wifi, your mother would be just as portable with a laptop, and it might be much easier for her to use.</p>
<p>I appreciate all the input. It’s funny to hear her request these things when she is the same person who refused to use a microwave for more than a year when my dad bought their first one many years ago. </p>
<p>Agree that it makes sense to take the time to figure out what the person will enjoy and use most. Several have posted about SRs that love their iPads and several who don’t. If you buy from Costco, you have 90 days to try and return if it isn’t a good fit for the customer. </p>
<p>Kindle has the tech support help as well, which can be useful. If there’s a format/device friends have, that can be helpful, so they can learn together. </p>