Dad cannot operate TV remote control by himself. Any advice?

If he is living in a "good home", why isn't there someone there to help him? Shouldn't he be checked on often?

I did everything possible to find the simplest remote for my dad but nothing really worked. I'd love to hear if anyone has a solution.

As far as a "good home" goes - dad received excellent care but there couldn't be an aide there every minute. He could use his call button but he wouldn't do that to change his TV channel - he wanted to do that himself. They always adjusted things for him when they came in which was often, but he still wanted that control. Unfortunately, I never found a very good solution.

Keep us posted, please!
Carol

My dad moved to my city and therefore a new cable company with a remote that had tons of buttons and they were even small by my standards. We had many phone calls over this. Finally with enough repetition he got it where he can use it now. You've at least gotten a remote that's simple. Now here's an idea. Lay the remote on a copier machine and make a copy of it. After the copy is printed take a marker and label the main buttons for him. Next place it in clear folder or laminate it so it doesn't get crumpled, dirty etc. have it near where he watches the TV in plain sight. When he calls you, have a copy of his remote by your phone so you can help him. I made my dad go through the steps several times in a row with me to help it become more permanent in his memory. Hope that helps.

There is a website with a super simple tv remote that I am going to order for my dad. He is moving to assisted living monday and will have basic canle in his room so I will also make a list of the TV channels for him mainly local news programs. Its called Tek Pal TV remote on vitalhomestore

I have this problem with my mother who has advanced macular degeneration and can no longer operate a TV remote. What solved the problem was getting Dish satellite TV service. Dish has a function that allows you to pre-program TV shows by frequency (once, M-F, weekly, etc.) and the best part is that I'm able to setup that the shows change channels automatically at the time the particular program starts. Pretty neat. So, for example, if the news is on at say 9am and I've programmed a movie for her that starts on TCM at 10am, at 9:59am, the TV will automatically change to TCM and the movie starts a minute later on its own.

Its been a great timesaver for me and she's happy. The only thing is setting up the pre-programming in advance, but she has lots of favorites like game shows and old TV westerns she likes to watch so I just pre-program those to automatically play M-F and its al set from that point.

Pre-programming makes a lot of sense! I used to try to keep the news away from Dad because it upset him. Good advice.
Carol

The above mentioned device is not compatible with cable boxes or satellite tv. Looks good, with just on /of and volume and channels up and down one at a time. Good if you only have a few channels .
We have friends who made a cardboard device to fit over the many unnecessary buttons to cut down on confusion. The whole thing is taped over the existing remote.

I bought the easiest remote the had from WalMart, one with large numbers. I put red finger nail polish on the power button, the channel selector, and volume button. I told my mother only press those buttons, nothing else. Seems to work okay for now.

We have cable (Charter) and I think they have the same pre-program function that Walt mentioned. Or what if you take HarpCat's suggestion one step further? When you make the copy enlarge it as much as the copier will allow. That will give you more room to write not just what the button says but how to use it. Maybe? Just a thought.

My cousin had a difficult time with her remote, but I found a GREAT, BASIC, SIMPLE, remote that does the job. I found it on amazon. I'm not sure if we are allowed to post links or brand names here, but PM me if you want it.

The remote I got her only has On/Off, Mute, Vol up/down, channel up/down. The letters are large and it's a life send. She is so happy she can operate it.

The handyman at the AL helped me program it. It took a little while, but with not too much trouble. He told me that every resident there needed one like it. It's the best $19.99 I have ever spent.

Sunnygirl, it sounds like the same remote that I bought for my mother. It's wonderful. The only problem we ever have with it is she often turns it off without pointing the right way. This makes the TV go off, but not the cable box, so they are out of sync. I have to get them back in sync quite often. I wish she would remember to point the remote at the system, but she forgets to do that.

I love the day of cable-ready TV when we didn't have to worry about these digital boxes. Getting HR is not worth the trouble it causes with old folks and remotes.

JessieBelle, Sorry you have to deal with that. My cousin does not encounter that problem, because she does not have a remote box with her tv. The AL provides free cable for about 40 channels. It is plenty to keep her entertained, so we don't think she needs the box. Perhaps you can contact the company and see if they have any suggestions.

Sunnygirl, we received a letter from Charter Cable the other day that talked about how everything was going digital now. There were apparently some people with basic service who didn't have boxes. Charter wrote that everyone was going to have to have a box now. My mother had to have to box already because she likes Game Show Network. That only came in a package that had to have a box, from what she said.

Our TV has a timer on it for on /off. We don't have cable or satellite. We have ANTENNA. It works, we get basic tv which we really only have time for. It's Free once you buy the antenna. We do have internet for which we rent Netflix for a few dollars a month. Look into TV sets if they have a program installed to change channels at certain times. Then set timer to turn on or off at a certain time. Books on Tape may be a good thing for him too. Those are fun to listen to. You can check them out at your local library, for around $1.00 a week. Not bad.

TO SUM IT UP FOR MY POST:

ANTENNA - it's easy & cheap, if you get a good reception, and most major channels have high definition! TV to program channels and timer on/off.

BOOKS ON TAPE. from library

The AL facility has some set up with satellite. I'm not sure of the details, but I don't think they would agree to put a box in each room, but if they do, I'll just get my cousin an indoor antenna as described above instead of using the box. It will suffice, IMO. My cousin's dementia does not allow her to actually comprehend what she's watching. She enjoys seeing things, but doesn't actually understand what's going on. I've discussed this with her a lot. When I ask her what's happening on the tv show, she says she's not sure. She can tell you that people are sad, upset or happy, but not why. She likes to watch the old comedies like The Cosbys, Roseanne, etc.

OMG! And I thought my mom was the only one!

Books on tape aren't really all that good because most people my mom's age can't hear. Plus she doesn't like books, period. She has never read an entire book in her life. I have subscribed to large print New York Times for her (it's the only one that offers large print 'news' although that's debateable :) ) and Reader's Digest Large Print (she sits there and pretends to read it)

An antenna would be impossible as I live in a condo.

And people in my mother's age group still believe that tv is 'new' and great invention for some reason.

I just have to bite the bullet, walk into the den where she watches three programs each day, i.e., The Price Is Right, The Chew, and Katie (which has been in reruns since March but she just doesn't believe me)

You made me feel better about her not being able to just push the red button!

Thank you for at least making me feel a bit better today that my mother can't operate the remote. In fact, I'd hazard a guess that she never could operate the remote and they've been around for thirty years or so!

BTW, what's up with this antenna business? The only antenna I can think of that you're talking about is Dish? But that would be remote, too. I didn't even think there were antennas anymore. Everything is cable now and it's been that way for at least ten? years? I remember getting a small box to convert my old tv from analogue to digital?

And it's coming your way if it hasn't already. Same with telephone. Pretty soon, new customer will not be able to get hard wired phones. I'd Google this for people who are saying to get an antenna, but I'm way too tired today.

My 20-something nephew recently demonstrated use of his voice-controlled Ipad, which can somehow be linked to a TV. He simply said, "TV On" or "Channel 3" and it worked. I don't have an Ipad, so don't understand. I am not a techie, but just read this old review on voice-activated remotes:


Apparently in 2012, PC World didn't think these products were yet ready for the average person. I have not found any similar reviews that are more recent. My nephew made it look easy.

I am not a tech person, but it seems to me if you can watch tv on your cell phone or tablet, maybe there is some way to opperate her tv remotely, and or, to preprogram her favorite shows so all she does is turn the tv on (maybe not even that). I know what my dad likes, and set the channel up to play while I am away for a bit. (He likes Monk, NCIS, Law & Order Criminal intent, America's funniest videos, 60 min. Wheel of Fortune) He has recently go to getting stuck on a cartoon station if i leave the remote with him. He has wireless headphones so he controls the volume with them. Maybe the Tv could be on a timer for on and off.

I know there are very large remotes here for elderly people you can buy from a catologue? Big numbers on them?
I write it down for mum but its getting harder!

Litldogtoo, hard wired telephones [land-lines] will be around for awhile because currently technology is still trying to find a way for someone to dial 911 on a cellphone and have it give the location of where the call is coming.

I will never give up my land-line, I had to call 911 a couple of weeks ago, and the dispatcher had my exact address, all I needed to do was verify it. This is great incase someone has a stroke and can still dial 911 via a land-line but cannot tell the dispatcher where they live.

We do not have cable tv or satellite tv. We have an antenna on a pole outside our house which feeds the signal to our two tv's. We have about 12 local channels. We either rent movies (no high speed internet either) or read.

My mom no longer remembers how to use the remote for the tv. When she was still at home with me, I even duct taped the remote so the only buttons that were available were the ones that she needed to push. That didn't work. She would touch buttons to get it tv fouled up and just have to sit there until we got home. I hated that. She is now in a nursing home. She does not have the ability to ask someone to turn her tv on or off so I met with the staff in a patient care meeting and told them that I wanted her tv turned on in the morning and left on all day until she went to bed a night. I also put up a sign in her room telling them that. Otherwise, someone will take her to a meal and turn off her tv. Someone else will bring her back and the tv will not be on and mom will sit there staring at the blank tv screen. The signs are finally working now. I just want the tv left on so that she has some entertainment during the day since she can no longer read her books any more. The problem with the remote is that she would hold it in her arthritic hand and even with the duct tape on, she would touch buttons on the remote with her fingers that were wrapped around it. Oh, the things we do........

My parents use an antenna for their TV's and have since the beginning of TV time. It works great and they get a lot of channels because we are in a large metro area.... thus a lot of PBS stations.

I was thinking, if one's parents are mobile, thus can easily get in and out of a chair and walk to the TV, most newer TV's still have the old fashioned buttons on the bottom front or on the side of the flat screen.... only problem is that on some TV models the buttons blend in with the frame. My Sony has the buttons on the side, and they are large... On/Off, Volume, and Channels.

Gaylein, cardboard under the duct tape works better. Perhaps you could just try a timer on the tv...like the kind you use for a Christmas tree to on and off it if it becomes a problem again.
I am about to do that too, to limit the TV time. He CAN do stuff but just chooses to sit with the darn thing on 16 hours a day and it is LOUD. I spent a fortune last year buying the headphones and he is very resistant to that. It is very annoying in a two bedroom home when I want to sleep and have to wait for the stupid ballgame (always extra innings) to go off.

@frequent flier -

Pretty sure hardwire is on it's way out .... see article below. I've also read this on other news sources. The enhanced 911 is going to have to change somehow. It's the sign of the times. I don't particularly like it, just saying. :)

online.wsj/news/articles/SB10001424052702304834704579403090132882148

Litldogtoo, unfortunately I couldn't read the article as I am not a subscriber to the Wall Street Journal :(

I did find an article that says 50% of households use both landline and cellphones, so there is still a large market for landlines. And those of us lucky enough to have Verizon FiOS cable, we can continue to use landlines.

We live in an area that we are able to use ANTENNA. We have good reception for antenna, as some places don't. It's simple, it works, and it's basically free. It works for us. We may be the last ones who use antenna, but it's okay. The stations we watch come in clear, and that's fine. We don't get 150 channels, but I do like my Wheel of Fortune and Survivor.... :) It is fun to go to neighbors and watch their satellite or cable, whatever it is. Ask me to change the channel? Forget it, it would take me all day to figure out what remote to use and buttons to push. Besides, you have to point it in the right directions... I need a simple remote.

I've looked into some of these other simplified remotes, but I could not get them to program. However, I did find a new creation called Button Blocker.

It's a removable remote control, that covers the useless buttons on the remote, simplifying it by exposing only the most basic and frequent buttons (power, volume, guide). It's interesting in that it does not need to be programmed, and it fits right on the cable remote control. And it's hard to lose if it's the glow in the dark model. Worth taking a look into.