We’re all getting older, right? Can’t get away from that. As the world moves online, many senior citizens seem to have fallen out of touch with Internet technology. We’ve been asked to consult on the purchase of a computer set-up for just such a senior. We’ve done this before but that was more than ten years ago. That’s an eon when it comes to this kind of technology. Things have changed quite a bit, haven’t they?

You’ll probably hear that Apple computers are much easier to use. Certainly we’ve considered some iPad products and one-piece Macs but the problem with these is the difficulty of our continued support. While the computers themselves may be simpler to use, Apple products are more difficult for us to access online. The great thing about PCs is the outstanding array of software available, including free remote control software.

We’ve written about remote software before. Here is the link: Free Remote Support Software Teamviewer makes the process of repairing a computer from a completely different location as easy as sending an email. Our current target is an 85 year old who has never used a computer before. That may sound like an incredible challenge but with Teamviewer to help us in times of trouble, we’re confident that we’ll be able to succeed.

Here are some of the products that we’re considering:

1. Tablets – You’ve all heard of the iPad, no doubt about that, but there are other brands available. Some use the PC (Microsoft) OS but others use Android or the Google Chrome OS. Still others, the Playbook for example, use very proprietary OSes. By that we mean that interacting with other pieces of technology can be tricky. We’ve found that typing on a touch-screen is difficult and takes us back to the ‘hunt and peck’ technique we spent years trying to eliminate. Still, the idea of a one-piece, very portable computer is attractive.

 

Aside from the keyboard problem which we could quite easily solve with a Bluetooth or USB/wireless keyboard, there is the printing dilemma. Our new user will want to print out pages, emails and snippets of books, we assume, so we’re looking at wireless printers, too. Our experience with wireless has been pretty good but we’re a bit worried because of our experience with network printers in general. It’s better to use a dedicated IP address for any printer.

2. Next, is a desktop or a laptop better? If we decide to ignore the user friendliness of the tablet, we have to decide on what form the new computer should take. We’re not sure that an 85 year old woman is going to be lugging a laptop around her condo but if she does run into problems, bringing a laptop over to our office would be much simpler. Remote software works well most of the time but every now and then she might need some hands-on assistance.

With HDMI output available on a larger laptop, using a large monitor would be a snap. Touchscreens would seem to make sense here as well. With Windows 8, Microsoft seems to be moving away from the traditional mouse, preferring to make use of icons and swipes instead.

A desktop allows for more traditional ‘office’ use. We’re not sold on a senior lounging around on a sofa with a laptop/notebook/tablet balanced on her knee. While the rest of us may be glued to our screens for hours at a time, we think most seniors will want to get online, do their stuff and then return to their traditional lifestyle. Then again, just as the Internet and portable technology has changed our lives, how can we not expect it to change the lives of seniors?

We haven’t yet decided on the best route possible. Maybe this will be a trial and error process. We’re thinking this might be a Goldilocks situation, spending some time with each option before making the final decision. If only we were able to rent or borrow the various pieces of technology available but, as you know, each person’s computer or cell phone is set up just for them. For most of us, lending our precious electronic communicators is simply out of the question.

If you’ve gone through this process, let us know. We’ll make the final decision in the store but maybe you have experience in this area. Share your thoughts and considerations with us, please.

Thanks for reading!