All iPads Advice sought: iPad for senior (elderly)

[mich8261]

I am looking for advice on how to best set up and support an iPad remotely for an 80 something year old with zero (and I mean ZERO) computer experience.

Because of the pandemic my family is cut off from my 80 something year old dad. Phone calls are fine but it would be nice to see each other from time to time, especially with my young daughter. The retirement home is installing wifi throughout his building so I was thinking of sending him an iPad which he could use to FaceTime with us. One key to success will be my ability to support him remotely. Here’s how I was thinking of setting it up and also where i am looking for advice.

• I am leaning toward an iPad Air 2 since it is on the list of iPadOS 14 devices and it is relatively inexpensive
• When I ship it to my dad it needs to be fully configured. For that reason i was thinking of setting up my dad under my iCloud family plan
  but wondering if this is good idea or necessary (we are in different countries) or should I set up his own iCloud account?
• what software can I install on the iPad that would allow me to remote access, ideally working in a way that he could see what I am doing so I can use this to demonstrate how to do certain things

are there other considerations? Am I missing anything?

thank you

 

[0128672]

It may not fully apply to your situation, but the same scenario was discussed in this recent thread here. Maybe there will be some nuggets of info you might find helpful:

iPad Desktop Setup for the elderly?

My grandpa is getting older, and his old windows desktop has been trashed due to malware (It is recoverable, but it’ll just repeat the process over time.) Now with mouse + keyboard support on the iPad i’m wondering if anyone is using this setup? The idea would be turning the base $329 iPad into...

forums.macrumors.com

 

[Apple_Robert]

How are you planning on remotely accessing his iPad and make changes to it directly, should he mess something up? I am not aware of an app that will let you do that.

 

[AutomaticApple]

I am leaning toward an iPad Air 2 since it is on the list of iPadOS 14 devices and it is relatively inexpensive

Have you looked at getting a refurbished 6th generation iPad?

Refurbished iPad - iPad

Save up to 15% on a refurbished iPad at Apple Online Store with free delivery. All models are Apple-certified with a 1-year warranty.

www.apple.com

 

[mich8261]

It may not fully apply to your situation, but the same scenario was discussed in this recent thread here. Maybe there will be some nuggets of info you might find helpful:

iPad Desktop Setup for the elderly?

My grandpa is getting older, and his old windows desktop has been trashed due to malware (It is recoverable, but it’ll just repeat the process over time.) Now with mouse + keyboard support on the iPad i’m wondering if anyone is using this setup? The idea would be turning the base $329 iPad into...

forums.macrumors.com

Thank you for that. Excellent.
[automerge]1594392026[/automerge]

Have you looked at getting a refurbished 6th generation iPad?

Refurbished iPad - iPad

Save up to 15% on a refurbished iPad at Apple Online Store with free delivery. All models are Apple-certified with a 1-year warranty.

www.apple.com

I know it would be better but I am already going over budget. This plan may flop so I don’t want to sink too much money into it
[automerge]1594392751[/automerge]

How are you planning on remotely accessing his iPad and make changes to it directly, should he mess something up? I am not aware of an app that will let you do that.

That is a good question. I am hoping there is some Apple or third-party software that would allow me to “remote into” his iPad.

 

[_karrol]

Regarding the iCloud accounts I can say from my experience that you can leave your account there. My parents live in a different country and I gave them my old iPad connected to my account and it's been fine for the last few years. I assume you might only worry about the iPad being used by someone else than your dad as he lives in the retirement home, but anyways, the iCloud account is password protected if you want to purchase something or make changes to the settings of the account.

 

[Expos of 1969]

No idea what country you are in or what kind of home your dad is in but I would be concerned with possible theft of the iPad. But unfortunately there is not much you can do about that. Anyway, I don't want to put a damper on your plan. I hope it goes well.

 

[ApfelKuchen]

For the sake of FaceTime and iMessage he should have his own Apple ID (identity) - no different than having a separate phone number.

 

[Capeto]

You can try TeamViewer QuickSupport to at least see what he sees on his screen, and guide him through whatever steps he needs to complete when he needs your assistance.

I've never used this particular version of TeamViewer, but I know on PCs/Macs you can use a whitelist so that only preapproved contacts can see his screen. I would strongly recommend this as TeamViewer is unfortunately used by a lot of scammers.

For the sake of FaceTime and iMessage he should have his own Apple ID (identity) - no different than having a separate phone number.

Seconding this, you don't want his iPad ringing every time you get a phone call or message.

 

[oneMadRssn]

Because of the pandemic my family is cut off from my 80 something year old dad. Phone calls are fine but it would be nice to see each other from time to time, especially with my young daughter. The retirement home is installing wifi throughout his building so I was thinking of sending him an iPad which he could use to FaceTime with us. One key to success will be my ability to support him remotely. Here’s how I was thinking of setting it up and also where i am looking for advice.

• I am leaning toward an iPad Air 2 since it is on the list of iPadOS 14 devices and it is relatively inexpensive
• When I ship it to my dad it needs to be fully configured. For that reason i was thinking of setting up my dad under my iCloud family plan
  but wondering if this is good idea or necessary (we are in different countries) or should I set up his own iCloud account?
• what software can I install on the iPad that would allow me to remote access, ideally working in a way that he could see what I am doing so I can use this to demonstrate how to do certain things

I recently did this for my grandparents. I went with a refurbished 2nd-gen 12.9-inch iPad Pro (the last one with the Home Button). I set it up to have the larger zoomed screen setting, which basically makes everything the same proportion as it would be on a regular-sized iPad, but bigger. It makes it easier to read for them and to tap buttons with unsteady hands.

I turned off most of the gestures as they're confusing and cause unexpected behavior to someone not fully familiar with iPad OS.

I also bought extra chargers for them and put one near each sitting area in their apartment, with 6ft cords. That way it should never be without power.

I also bought this case: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0739R29SJ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Seemed to be the best balance in terms of adjustability of angles and ease-of-use.

Unfortunately remote access is mostly a non-starter. There is a work-around with screen-recording and Team Viewer (read about it here: https://community.teamviewer.com/t5...n-on-my-iPad-iPhone-with-TeamViewer/ta-p/4734) but it's convoluted and not user friendly.