All iPads iPad for Grandparent's? Advice welcomed.

My grandmother is 80.

A year ago a gave her my old iPad 1 and she has been enjoying it so far.

What she loves is to read books and be able to increase the fonts so she can read without glasses,

I try to keep it with music she likes and sometimes she asks me to upload the photos that has taken from a trip to the iPad.

She doesn't do complex things like read mails or browse the web but definitely enjoy the iPad.

My grandparents are pretty old so they don't have iPads.. But my parents do... They are in their high 60's. My mom is addicted to hers. I can't see her giving it up anytime in the near future. She has an iPhone 4S as well and loves that too. She can still use her iMac but spends way more time on her iDevices.

Go for it!

My mother is 87. We got her an iPad 2 about 9 months ago and literally within minutes of opening the box we had it set up and she sent out her first email. This after struggling in frustration with a netbook running XP (badly) to the point of giving up. It is great being able to send emails and use face time. She loves it, and with our family spread out across the US we love being able to stay in touch so easily.

I'm a 61 year old grandmother. If they use a computer they will probably enjoy it. Especially if they have family who doesn't live close. They can use FaceTime or even Skype. My grandkids FaceTime me all the time.

I would however suggest you get them an iPad and not the mini. While I love the mini form factor the fonts are pretty small, especially in Safari. I also would put a really light case (something like I have - a STM Grip) so they don't worry about it slipping out of their hands and has a stand that lets you use it without holding it all the time. i lay mine in my lap with the stand out and it balances quite well. It depends on how well they get around but since they need some assistance it might be a good idea.

And if they don't read but love books audio books are great. The speakers are ok to use without headphones or buds.

Lucky grandparents to have such a thoughtful grandkid. Load it up with pics and videos. Us old people love that too.

Enjoy them while you still have them around. I still miss my Granny and Grandpa, even 40 years later. But I know they really enjoyed having us around every moment we could spare. Just wish I had spared more.

I am 75. My family calls me Grandma Geek. I have gamed (MMORPGs and some FPS) for 13 years. I have an iPad 3, 4S, and on Christmas Day a mini. My hubby is 78 and he has a Kindle Fire HD 8.9" that he uses for watching movies and listening to audio books (we have Amazon Prime). I am technically savvy, he is not.

If your grandparents can use a computer, I would definitely get them an iPad. I think the size of the iPad would be better for them than the Mini. Be certain to get them a good stylus also as I did for my husband because shaky hands/fingers can find the touch experience problematic. And a good protective case. And Apple Care+ because accidents happen.

I think you are terrific to do this for them

I love this thread as I'm enjoying all the stories of grandparents who are into technology. Nice!

I gave my mum an iPad 2. She has never used a computer, doesn't have email and doesn't surf the web. I spent 2 whole weeks teaching and forcing her to learn it. That's because she lives on the other side of the world. Now she's super familiar with it and FaceTime all the time.

Gave my mom (59) an iPad 3 (3G), she loved it bought a 6 $ / month / 1GB Contract (Denmark), and she fast adapted to Facebook, mail, Skype etc. mostly watching live TV though.
She could get rid of the old ibook (that was dying) and it was all fine and dandy, she brought it along with her to my grandparents and we chatted over Skype, it was good.

When my grandfather saw the iPad he wanted one too (He's 84 now) but grandmother didn't wanted too, too expensive, but when I told her the 6 USD / month deal she allowed him to get it.

and wow was that a change in his life...
He had been through an operation that meant he couldn't bike, use the car or even just walk normally anymore, so he had been stuck in doors, his mind had started "slipping" (Considering his mom got Alzheimer I was very concerned about his mental health).
We got him the iPad 3 (3G) same as my moms, so that they could help eeach other, it's now over 6 months ago.
His mental health is increasing, he is being humorous and happy again. Unfortunately he uses it so much we had to upgrade his 3G contract to 10 GB/month.
So what is he using it for ? youtube, facetime and google maps.
youtube: humor and old jazz...a lot of old jazz.
Facetime/skype video calling family members
google maps: he can't bike/walk as much as before, so he enjoys looking where things are and google streetview to re-visit places he can't really go anymore.

I wish he would do more with google/wikipedia, but the concept of webpages isn't that obvious to him, he likes the apps.
Also his great grandkids installed some games on it, kids games, and he plays with that.

It's been really nice to get more in contact with him and to see him doing so much better.

it's funny to see his enthusiasm compared to my moms (She isn't very keen on using it for official stuff and she is in general only using few features of the iPad)

I'd say go for it, it might be helpful.

in regards to "how to use it" they usually need little to no introduction, just set it up already (e-mails, Apple-ID, skype etc. also so you can go in and help them afterwards)

My granddad is fairly technical, however, my nan is not. She used to use the main Windows computer once a week and she hated the experience. I told her to buy an iPad (iPad 2 was the latest at the time).

She went ahead and bought one and now spends at least 3-4 hours a day on the thing. She absolutely loves it. She browses the web, watches youtube videos, explores the world using maps, has downloaded lots of apps. She now also has an iPhone 4 and is about to buy an AppleTV so she can AirPlay. She also has an AirPrint compatible printer. She uses the web to find new recipes and then prints them straight out. She even has a Facebook account!

The iPad has absolutely changed her life. She is more connected and happy than ever.

I would say you are probably better off buying an iPad 3/4 rather than a mini for your grandparents and they will definitely prefer the bigger screen.

I am 69 and in love with my iPad mini. I bought the a full size iPad about a year ago and returned it as it felt too big and heavy. I use mine for games, email, books, Facebook, GPS, music, my computer when away from home. I have a Kindle reader that now gathers dust.

The screen size is just fine for me. I do have excellent vision.

My mom is 83. She resisted for the last 3 years. Finally caved 3 weeks ago. I put on around 300 pix of family, a bunch of mel brooks interviews from a new box set, and she is in heaven. Also put on the Netflix app and a bunch of others. She uses it hours everyday. A no brainer.

My mum is disabled and 65 and is thinking about getting a tablet. I would rather she got the iPad mini as its a bit lighter than the full size one but I don't know if the screen would be big enough for her. She has also been looking into alternatives (due to price) but I'm reluctant to recommend one of them. Mostly because I am unfamiliar with the UI and I will be her tech support. I live around three hours away. Anybody have any recommendations?

My mom is 65 and I am thinking of getting her ipad mini.. I wish ipad 4 was as light and smaller(bezel should be thin)... I hope she can use it.

Apple fanboy said:

My mum is disabled and 65 and is thinking about getting a tablet. I would rather she got the iPad mini as its a bit lighter than the full size one but I don't know if the screen would be big enough for her. She has also been looking into alternatives (due to price) but I'm reluctant to recommend one of them. Mostly because I am unfamiliar with the UI and I will be her tech support. I live around three hours away. Anybody have any recommendations?

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It's up to you which you get her. How is her vision? Obviously the iPad 3/4 will be much better for that. However, if she does need something light and her vision is ok, then an iPad mini should be ok.

Definitely stick with the iPad though, don't go with another tablet. The first reason is that she will find it much easier to use and get more enjoyment out of it and also if you are giving her tech support, you'd be silly to go with another tablet.

Batavian said:

I love this thread as I'm enjoying all the stories of grandparents who are into technology. Nice!

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Ha ha, you may not realize it but many of us 'grandparents' were actually involved in the tech revolution. It's our generation that wrote most of the initial programs and built the first PCs.

I've been involved in writing and developing software for close to 30 years. But in a way i agree with you. It is always surprising to the young that the older generation actually were young at one time. We were the same when we were young too.

These days families are scattered all over the place. When I was young I wrote letters to my grandparents during the year when I couldn't visit. When my son was young he could call them on the phone. The iPad is a great way for families to keep in touch very easily. FaceTime (or Skype for that matter) are absolutely the best. When my grandkids are at my house we have a lot of fun using it to take pics and videos and look at them instantly. When I was young a Polaroid camera was like magic. Times change and sometimes actually for the better.

Personally I think a tablet is a great present for a parent or grandparent to help them keep in touch. And right now iPads are the best on the market, especially for the tech-challenged.

I have worked in the ICU in a large hospital. I can tell you that people that are either (very) sick, weak, debilitated, or physically disabled.... think that the iPad is a blessing when they are sitting in an ICU bed. (hospital provides free WiFi to employees, visitors, patients alike).

And it's a given that Apple's iOS is probably the most "easy to learn" and intuitive for non-techies, an iPad is probably most suitable for older people who do have physically disabilities or weaknesses. In some cases, I would not even suggest anything smaller than a full-sized iPad... since the smaller devices (iPhones, iPod Touch, iPad Mini, etc) tend to be hard on their eyes, and also the smaller icons/text take more effort to point at.