Is there a product to simplify smart TVs for old people?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DH bought a new tv for his Mom in AS. Set it up. Showed her the remote. Weeks later he traveled the 6 hrs back to visit again. She had been turning it on/off but never mastered changing the channel and didn't want to bother anyone.

You can't show them once and head out. You need to get the new tech at the beginning of a multiday visit and practice a few times a day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This isn’t an old people thing. Your parents are just idiots. This shit isn’t hard.

You’re a bad person.

[Anonymous]

I bought Jubilee TV for my 95 year old Mom who is having similar issues.

I have not set it up yet but it was the best option I found. I will be able to control her TV from my house.

https://getjubileetv.com/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I tried to set my parents up with a new TV and they found the interface impossible. They couldn't understand the buttons on the remote, they couldn't tell when an icon was being selected on the screen, there were way too many clicks between the home screen and actually watching something they want to watch, and there were ads that they didn't understand were ads. They have simple preferences and if I could pre-set a number of shows they like so they are one click away, that might help.

Is there a product like a Roku specifically designed for old people who don't need a lot of options and can't handle a normal TV? Maybe something that makes the interface more like the olden days of TV where you turn it on and suddenly you are just watching PBS unless you change the channel?

That’s called cable. Sign them back up.

OP my husband and I must be "old people" now, we did have to just go back to cable. We couldn't figure out smart TV!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This isn’t an old people thing. Your parents are just idiots. This shit isn’t hard.

Just wait!

We older people have learned and forgotten more technology than you young people have even learned.

[Anonymous]

I used to have this same problem with my mom. It is incredible to me that no product exists to make TV easy for old people. It is such a common problem.

[Anonymous]

Can I ask how old your parents are?

[Anonymous]

I help older people I know who have tech issues. My adult son helps older people he knows who have tech issues (phone, internet, TV, computer, whatever). If you don't live close find someone who can go help your older parents with their tech issues. Just like you would get a tutor for your kid if they needed one.

[Anonymous]

YouTube TV works almost exactly like cable. Maybe set them up with an account and teach them just how to open that app?

[Anonymous]

On our prime tv box, I use the microphone button to say "turn on television, find netflix, turn off television" etc which saves me from finding the right button on one of four different remotes. Other systems also use a microphone button.

[Anonymous]

I face this going to an airbnb where they have different tvs or interfaces.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I bought Jubilee TV for my 95 year old Mom who is having similar issues.

I have not set it up yet but it was the best option I found. I will be able to control her TV from my house.

https://getjubileetv.com/

NP here. This looks awesome!

[Anonymous]

Gen X DH struggles mightily with our smart tv remote and Roku so it’s it not just older adults. Roku is so simple so I’m not sure what more I can do to help him. I wish he could go back to an old school tv remote and an antenna but he insists he needs all of the obscure channels.

[Anonymous]

My mom lost her ability to operate the TV last year. It was progressive, just like everything with her dementia. Streaming was out of the question, cable worked better but I ended up having to tape the remote control to only leave the power and volume buttons visible, and leave the channel on something that interested her. They make basic remote controls for the elderly that only have power, channel and volume up/down and mute, but they don’t work great (and we tried them all) and even the addition of a mute button got confusing. Again, this is a dementia problem, not just an elderly problem.

[Anonymous]

63 and I run an ecommerce company.

I have both cable (Flos), Roku, and two remotes. I try hard not to touch the wrong buttons.

This is maddening. I, too, would like a simpler solution.