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Best iPad Training for Elderly

SoonerChris

SoonerChris

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 4, 2008
54
8
My mom just got an iPad and although right now I'm her trainer I don't have the time to show her everything. I though about having her attend a training workshop at an Apple store but she lives almost 2 hours away.

With that, what does the forum suggest for training? Can be free or paid.
 
Check local library or Senior Centers to see if they have classes. If that is not an option you can always try iPad for Seniors books.
 
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SoonerChris said:
My mom just got an iPad and although right now I'm her trainer I don't have the time to show her everything. I though about having her attend a training workshop at an Apple store but she lives almost 2 hours away.

With that, what does the forum suggest for training? Can be free or paid.
Click to expand...

FaceTime with Grankids. Show a senior citizen how to FaceTime with Grankids and they will do it and grasp it.
 
I don't know about training for elderly specifically.

But more generally:

Lynda.com (not free) is excellent for training videos, and do have an iOS device training series. Might be a bit too fast paced and in depth though. You will need to judge.
https://www.lynda.com/iOS-tutorials/iOS-9-iPhone-iPad-Essential-Training/412679-2.html

GCFLearnFree (free, as the name suggests) have an iPad basics site which is a mixture of text, pictures , and videos: http://www.gcflearnfree.org/ipadbasics/
I know people with limited computing knowledge who have found the MS Office tutorials on this site helpful.
 
ozaz said:
I don't know about training for elderly specifically.

But more generally:

Lynda.com (not free) is excellent for training videos, and do have an iOS device training series. Might be a bit too fast paced and in depth though. You will need to judge.
https://www.lynda.com/iOS-tutorials/iOS-9-iPhone-iPad-Essential-Training/412679-2.html

GCFLearnFree (free, as the name suggests) have an iPad basics site which is a mixture of text, pictures , and videos: http://www.gcflearnfree.org/ipadbasics/
I know people with limited computing knowledge who have found the MS Office tutorials on this site helpful.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I really wasn't looking for elderly specific. What I was meaning to say was my mom is older and doesn't have as much computer expertise as someone that is younger. And a slower paced training series would be beneficial.
 
I've been in an Apple store when there's been a tutorial for older users ... after watching it for a bit I was anything but impressed ... way to many levels of understanding and many looking lost.

If there's something in particular she's interested in i.e. iMessage, FaceTime, Skype ... write it out, spend some time going through the steps THEN just have her play around ... my mom did pretty well with it.

iMessage was a real boon to her ...allowed her to keep in touch with her kids/grandkids no matter where they were in the country/world. She loved getting in the moment photos from trips they were on.

We set her up with an Apple ID, plugged some money into the iTunes Store meter ... but it took her a long, long time to figure out how that damned store worked ... eventually she was able to buy books and rent movies.
 
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My dad is in his 60s, and up until 2012 he thought googling was typing "x google search" into yahoo and he managed to grasp the iPad decently well. I just started out by showing him how to unlock and type things into safari and we progressed into apps from there
 
The best way to teach is when someone wants to learn how to use a specific feature, when I need to learn how to do something I just google it, along with my iOS version. Teach Mom that Google is her friend:)

I will be 60 in a couple months & find I can learn how to do anything I need by searching & reading
 
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Newtons Apple said:
Just teach her what she needs to know and you might be surprised how an older person will pick it up.

You better not be talking elderly is like 50!
Click to expand...

How long might it take me to explain the ipad to anyone, ages 5-80 plus? Set up 5 minutes, explainer does the lifting. Basic walk thru, including safari, 5 minutes. Using the store, 5 minutes. Throw in 5 minutes for the camera, if you must. What is there to know about using a ipad? And where has Nana been living for the last 10 years if she hasn't used a touch phone?
 
rowspaxe said:
How long might it take me to explain the ipad to anyone, ages 5-80 plus? Set up 5 minutes, explainer does the lifting. Basic walk thru, including safari, 5 minutes. Using the store, 5 minutes. Throw in 5 minutes for the camera, if you must. What is there to know about using a ipad? And where has Nana been living for the last 10 years if she hasn't used a touch phone?
Click to expand...

You are singing to the wrong person.
 
rowspaxe said:
How long might it take me to explain the ipad to anyone, ages 5-80 plus? Set up 5 minutes, explainer does the lifting. Basic walk thru, including safari, 5 minutes. Using the store, 5 minutes. Throw in 5 minutes for the camera, if you must. What is there to know about using a ipad? And where has Nana been living for the last 10 years if she hasn't used a touch phone?
Click to expand...
Guessing you meant touchscreen phones? My grandmother lived in a condo in an urban community where local Canon and IBM satellite offices are located. Her helper/housekeeper has a smartphone (Android) but my grandma's never used one. As she worked before computers became vogue, she's never used a computer either. I think some older people are just afraid of technology/change. The most technology both my grandmothers willingly dealt with was the TV remote. One of my grandmothers wouldn't even use a cordless phone.

That said, iOS is fairly easy to pick up. My mom was resistant to switching over to smartphones as she couldn't make heads or tails of Android. I gave her an iPhone 5 (in 2012), did the initial set-up, showed her the camera, Phone/Contacts, Messages, Safari, Facebook, YouTube and Pandora and within 30 minutes she was good to go. Still had the occasional question but for the most part, using it came pretty naturally. Gave her an iPad and also did initial set-up but that one, I didn't have to teach her anything. Using it was just as easy as her iPhone. Granted, I didn't show her the store and she's never really needed to use it. Besides, I'm the organizer for Family Sharing.

Now, my mom (60yo) can't live without her iPhone. Her 5s was acting up (bad battery) so she was using a flip phone while waiting for the SE to arrive (that phone was unexpectedly popular). She was very frustrated during the 1-2 months that her 5s was basically inoperable.
 
SoonerChris said:
My mom just got an iPad and although right now I'm her trainer I don't have the time to show her everything. I though about having her attend a training workshop at an Apple store but she lives almost 2 hours away.

With that, what does the forum suggest for training? Can be free or paid.
Click to expand...
Have you tried YouTube or itunesU? Both are free
 
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