Best E-Reader for bed-bound arthritis sufferer?

Carnyx · 02-10-2012, 05:03 PM

Hello all,
I've been asked to source an E-Reader for a Rheumatoid Arthritis sufferer in England. They're advanced in years, bed-bound, very withered(I believe they've also suffered a bone withering disease), but have some movement in their head/neck/upper body/arms.
I don't possess an E-Reader and know very little about arthritis or accessibility issues, so I'm really punching above my weight here.
I have spent a fair old chunk of time *trying* to research this on the WWW, and while it's given me some background knowledge on E-Readers, I've found it very difficult gleaning which E-Reader's best for such a user.
In terms of weight, contrast, ease of downloading books without a PC or WiFi, all roads *appear* to point to Kindle, but I was disappointed that the Kindle Touch isn't available in the UK, as I thought Touchscreen might be useful.
From my research, it appears that some E-Readers that are available in the US are not available in the UK, and I believe that, likewise, some books are also unavailable in the UK due to copyright issues. I emailed Amazon and Barnes & Noble explaining the situation, and asking what benefits their E-Readers might offer somebody in this position. To my surprise, both sent unhelpful automated replies. However I gathered from the B&N auto reply that they don't sell the Nook in the UK so I've provisionally crossed that off the list.
I don't want to miss any important considerations and pick the wrong one, so I thought that I'd put the question to the experts on this forum. Is anybody here in a position to make any recommendations on the best E-Reader to go for?
On a separate note, the carer who asked me to look into this is also considering getting a stand to hold the device so that it hangs above the bed within reach. Again I have had a look at some online, which are a variety of metal stands/tripods that lean/hang over the bed with a place to attach the E-Reader. There was also the bookseat though I'm not sure how practical that would be in this case. So I wondered if anyone has any suggestions on this, but don't worry if not as the E-Reader's my main concern at the moment.
Thank you for your time,
David.

CRussel · 02-10-2012, 05:48 PM

Interesting that you think the Touch would be better. I was actually going to suggest the Kindle Keyboard, or the Kindle Non-Touch. The navigation buttons are not hard to press, and there is less manual dexterity and fine motor control required, IMO.

Also note that the Kindle Keyboard model definitely has (somewhat limited) voice control and text to speech capabilities. I can't comment on later models, however, and whether they have the capabilities.

polly · 02-10-2012, 05:49 PM

For the reader, I would strongly recommend a touch screen. I have arthritis in my hands. Pushing a button to turn a page quickly becomes painful and really limits how I can hold the book. With my touchscreen, a touch anyplace on the right side will turn it.

You might see if you can find a library that provides electronic books. The Philadelphia library will sell you access for $35.00. If you want to pursue library books, you need to see what format is available to you. Kindle books are available now at US libraries, but I seem to remember reading that they aren't available overseas.

Since older eyes have a harder time seeing things, I would recommend that you get a model that has lighted covers. There are also book lights that clip on to the book or the cover, but these would probably be harder for her to turn on and off and more likely to slip off. With the Sony lighted cover, you simply lift the light up and swing it in to position over the book. When finished, push it back into its holder. It does a nice job of lighting the whole page easier.

I really like how my Sonys organize books, but the Kindles have lots of fans too. These days, I think it comes down to where you want to get your books. Speaking of books, have you noticed all the ones available here at MobileRead? Just click on this link and then click on "Full List HTML" to download a full list of all 18,000+ books available for free. These are older books out of copyright that have been proofed and formatted.

If someone has a computer to do the work, it's not that hard to move books over via cable. A reader will hold a whole library of books these days, so it's not like you'd have to do this after each book. With readers that take flash cards, such as the Sony T1, it's possible to put the books on the card at the computer and then put the card into the reader. If that carer has a computer at home and is willing, he or she could use a couple of flash cards. They would simply load the books on the card at home and take it to the patient's home periodically to swap out with the other card.

For the stand, there are cases made that are designed to prop the reader up at an angle. I don't know how much luck she'd have with one of those, especially if she's missing fine motor control to turn pages gracefully. I'm not familiar with specific stands that hang over the bed, but that sounds like it might be ideal for this person.

Carnyx · 02-10-2012, 07:32 PM

Thanks for the reply Charlie.
Well I guessed touchscreen might be better than buttons as less force required and I'd hoped it would provide a target larger area for someone lacking fine control, but I could be very wrong about that as I've not tried it out.
Very interesting that there is some voice recognition functionality available - I wasn't aware of that.
Thanks,
David.

FizzyWater · 02-10-2012, 08:04 PM

I'd be tempted to simply go with a netbook or laptop and install Dragon software for the voice commands.

Unless I misread your post, the person not only has pain from arthritis but is fairly weak (frail?)

Carnyx · 02-10-2012, 08:08 PM

Thanks for the reply Polly.
I appreciate all the information and recommendations you've provided there. It's interesting to hear the buttons vs touchscreen arthritis angle vis-a-vis the Sony. Did you have any other E-Readers before to the Sony?
I had considered the computer angle, but neither the carer nor the lady in question has a PC or anything like that, so that would just leave me. While I'd be happy to do the legwork, I'm not that close to them and it would introduce a delay and take control away from her. So *ideally* I was hoping to get a 3G device enabling her to download new books as and when she wants them. Sorry - I should really have mentioned that in the original post. However if a non-3G reader turned out to be the best choice in every other respect, then I'd consider going down that road.
She has control over the lighting in the room so I'll see how she gets on without a clip-on light to begin with, then will get one later if she needs it.
That's a good point about library access. I must find out if that is also an option here, as it could save her a lot of money.
Not sure if this is worth mentioning at this point but, given her bed-bound situation, I had been wondering about going the tablet route as it would give her internet access etc on top of books, but on further investigation I discvered that tablet's aren't so easy on the eyes, are heavy and battery life is comparatively low; plus of course there would be the inevitable PC-esque problems that would be avoided with a bespoke device like an E-Reader; and then there's the bigger learning curve for someone with no prior PC form. So I decided to keep it as simple as possible and stick to what I was asked to get - an E-Reader. If anyone thinks I'm wrong about that though and a tablet would be a better choice, then please pipe up.
Thanks again Polly,
David.

Carnyx · 02-10-2012, 08:15 PM

Thanks for the reply Fizzy.
You must be psychic as I just made a comment about tablets in the last reply. I do think voice commands would be a great plus if they work well enough. I'm just a little concerned over the potential frustration a laptop/tablet could cause when it goes wrong - and they always do don't they - and technical assitance is required. It might take me a day or more to get to them, assuming I could fix the problem. I'd dearly love her to have internet access though. I'm wondering whether to sort the E-Reader out first, then smash open the piggy bank later on down the line for something like a tablet as well.
Thanks,
David.

Carnyx · 02-10-2012, 08:17 PM

I just realised my replies aren't appearing under the messages they're replying to - am I clicking on the wrong thing when I click the "quick reply icon?"

Rizla · 02-10-2012, 10:06 PM

Can the person read a paperback? If not, then I doubt they'll be able to read an e-reader. One possibility might be set up some kind of framework to support the reader so they need not hold it. Maybe something like this: http://www.table-mate.com/html/index.php

Alternatively the Kindle Keyboard does text to speech. There is also the possibility of audio-books.

CRussel · 02-11-2012, 01:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carnyx

I just realised my replies aren't appearing under the messages they're replying to - am I clicking on the wrong thing when I click the "quick reply icon?"

Click the Quote button. That will at least keep some continuity. This board software doesn't thread.

GA Russell · 02-11-2012, 03:12 AM

David, my first thought is that you should not get a device which automatically shifts from portrait to landscape mode when the device is turned. I can imagine that the bedridden person may want to read while lying on his side.

Barbara1955 · 02-11-2012, 03:21 AM

Kindle 3! Touch screens are a Pain! Esp if they are sensitive! Kindle 3 are lightweight & are not that hard to turn pages. Also with the ability to read the book for her she wont need to hold of turn the pages. I have arthritis & Kindle has made my world wider!

HarryT · 02-11-2012, 06:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carnyx

In terms of weight, contrast, ease of downloading books without a PC or WiFi, all roads *appear* to point to Kindle, but I was disappointed that the Kindle Touch isn't available in the UK, as I thought Touchscreen might be useful.

The Kindle Touch will probably be available in the UK very shortly, but I would agree with the suggestion that page turn buttons are going to be easier to use in the circumstances you describe.

Quote:

and I believe that, likewise, some books are also unavailable in the UK due to copyright issues.

No, it has absolutely nothing to do with copyright. Geographical restrictions are a matter of which "territory" a publisher is permitted to sell a book in as specified by the distribution rights they have from the author.

It's "swings and roundabouts" when it comes to book selection, though. You're right that some books which are available in the US aren't available in the UK, but the same is true in reverse. Eg, I'm currently reading Colin Dexter's "Inspector Morse" series on my Kindle, but some of these books are not available in the US. There's certainly no shortage of eBooks available in the UK.

LuvReadin · 02-11-2012, 09:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carnyx

That's a good point about library access. I must find out if that is also an option here, as it could save her a lot of money.

Just so you know - you won't be able to get library access in the UK with a Kindle. So if you want that, I'd say your best bets are the Kobo Touch or the Sony T1. I have a TI, and after some initial messing about to get it to work with Adobe Digital Editions, downloading library books is very easy and the selection isn't bad. The Sony is marginally lighter than the Kobo (168 vs 185g).

kacir · 02-11-2012, 09:53 AM

Nook Simple Touch reader is an interesting choice.
It has touch screen, so the user can touch the screen very, very lightly to turn the page.

Plus, there is [unofficial] way to connect an USB keybaord to Nook Simple Touch reader. I do not know how far the development is, because last time I looked a few weeks ago, it was very fresh news - just a rudimentary support.
You might want to look into that.
You could purchase a chep USB keyboard and hack it to a large, comfortable external controller for turning pages or selecting books. Or they could hire some hacker to make the controller, using electronics pulled from an USB keyboard.
http://www.the-digital-reader.com/20...se-a-keyboard/
http://forum.xda-developers.com/show...0#post21669750

02-10-2012, 05:03 PM	#1
Carnyx Zealot Posts: 109 Karma: 30462 Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Birmingham England Device: none	Best E-Reader for bed-bound arthritis sufferer? Hello all, I've been asked to source an E-Reader for a Rheumatoid Arthritis sufferer in England. They're advanced in years, bed-bound, very withered(I believe they've also suffered a bone withering disease), but have some movement in their head/neck/upper body/arms. I don't possess an E-Reader and know very little about arthritis or accessibility issues, so I'm really punching above my weight here. I have spent a fair old chunk of time trying to research this on the WWW, and while it's given me some background knowledge on E-Readers, I've found it very difficult gleaning which E-Reader's best for such a user. In terms of weight, contrast, ease of downloading books without a PC or WiFi, all roads appear to point to Kindle, but I was disappointed that the Kindle Touch isn't available in the UK, as I thought Touchscreen might be useful. From my research, it appears that some E-Readers that are available in the US are not available in the UK, and I believe that, likewise, some books are also unavailable in the UK due to copyright issues. I emailed Amazon and Barnes & Noble explaining the situation, and asking what benefits their E-Readers might offer somebody in this position. To my surprise, both sent unhelpful automated replies. However I gathered from the B&N auto reply that they don't sell the Nook in the UK so I've provisionally crossed that off the list. I don't want to miss any important considerations and pick the wrong one, so I thought that I'd put the question to the experts on this forum. Is anybody here in a position to make any recommendations on the best E-Reader to go for? On a separate note, the carer who asked me to look into this is also considering getting a stand to hold the device so that it hangs above the bed within reach. Again I have had a look at some online, which are a variety of metal stands/tripods that lean/hang over the bed with a place to attach the E-Reader. There was also the bookseat though I'm not sure how practical that would be in this case. So I wondered if anyone has any suggestions on this, but don't worry if not as the E-Reader's my main concern at the moment. Thank you for your time, David. Last edited by Carnyx; 02-10-2012 at 05:06 PM.

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02-10-2012, 05:48 PM	#2
CRussel (he/him/his) Posts: 12,160 Karma: 79742714 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Sunshine Coast, BC Device: Oasis (Gen3),Paperwhite (Gen10), Voyage, Paperwhite(orig), Fire HD 8	Interesting that you think the Touch would be better. I was actually going to suggest the Kindle Keyboard, or the Kindle Non-Touch. The navigation buttons are not hard to press, and there is less manual dexterity and fine motor control required, IMO. Also note that the Kindle Keyboard model definitely has (somewhat limited) voice control and text to speech capabilities. I can't comment on later models, however, and whether they have the capabilities.

02-10-2012, 05:49 PM	#3
polly Evangelist Posts: 454 Karma: 270240 Join Date: Aug 2009 Device: Sony PRS 650, PocketBook 360, Astak PocketPro (RIP), Tungsten T3	For the reader, I would strongly recommend a touch screen. I have arthritis in my hands. Pushing a button to turn a page quickly becomes painful and really limits how I can hold the book. With my touchscreen, a touch anyplace on the right side will turn it. You might see if you can find a library that provides electronic books. The Philadelphia library will sell you access for $35.00. If you want to pursue library books, you need to see what format is available to you. Kindle books are available now at US libraries, but I seem to remember reading that they aren't available overseas. Since older eyes have a harder time seeing things, I would recommend that you get a model that has lighted covers. There are also book lights that clip on to the book or the cover, but these would probably be harder for her to turn on and off and more likely to slip off. With the Sony lighted cover, you simply lift the light up and swing it in to position over the book. When finished, push it back into its holder. It does a nice job of lighting the whole page easier. I really like how my Sonys organize books, but the Kindles have lots of fans too. These days, I think it comes down to where you want to get your books. Speaking of books, have you noticed all the ones available here at MobileRead? Just click on this link and then click on "Full List HTML" to download a full list of all 18,000+ books available for free. These are older books out of copyright that have been proofed and formatted. If someone has a computer to do the work, it's not that hard to move books over via cable. A reader will hold a whole library of books these days, so it's not like you'd have to do this after each book. With readers that take flash cards, such as the Sony T1, it's possible to put the books on the card at the computer and then put the card into the reader. If that carer has a computer at home and is willing, he or she could use a couple of flash cards. They would simply load the books on the card at home and take it to the patient's home periodically to swap out with the other card. For the stand, there are cases made that are designed to prop the reader up at an angle. I don't know how much luck she'd have with one of those, especially if she's missing fine motor control to turn pages gracefully. I'm not familiar with specific stands that hang over the bed, but that sounds like it might be ideal for this person.

02-10-2012, 07:32 PM	#4
Carnyx Zealot Posts: 109 Karma: 30462 Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Birmingham England Device: none	Thanks for the reply Charlie. Well I guessed touchscreen might be better than buttons as less force required and I'd hoped it would provide a target larger area for someone lacking fine control, but I could be very wrong about that as I've not tried it out. Very interesting that there is some voice recognition functionality available - I wasn't aware of that. Thanks, David.

02-10-2012, 08:04 PM	#5
FizzyWater You kids get off my lawn! Posts: 4,220 Karma: 73492664 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Columbus, Ohio Device: Oasis 2 and Libra H2O and half a dozen older models I can't let go of	I'd be tempted to simply go with a netbook or laptop and install Dragon software for the voice commands. Unless I misread your post, the person not only has pain from arthritis but is fairly weak (frail?)

02-10-2012, 08:08 PM	#6
Carnyx Zealot Posts: 109 Karma: 30462 Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Birmingham England Device: none	Thanks for the reply Polly. I appreciate all the information and recommendations you've provided there. It's interesting to hear the buttons vs touchscreen arthritis angle vis-a-vis the Sony. Did you have any other E-Readers before to the Sony? I had considered the computer angle, but neither the carer nor the lady in question has a PC or anything like that, so that would just leave me. While I'd be happy to do the legwork, I'm not that close to them and it would introduce a delay and take control away from her. So ideally I was hoping to get a 3G device enabling her to download new books as and when she wants them. Sorry - I should really have mentioned that in the original post. However if a non-3G reader turned out to be the best choice in every other respect, then I'd consider going down that road. She has control over the lighting in the room so I'll see how she gets on without a clip-on light to begin with, then will get one later if she needs it. That's a good point about library access. I must find out if that is also an option here, as it could save her a lot of money. Not sure if this is worth mentioning at this point but, given her bed-bound situation, I had been wondering about going the tablet route as it would give her internet access etc on top of books, but on further investigation I discvered that tablet's aren't so easy on the eyes, are heavy and battery life is comparatively low; plus of course there would be the inevitable PC-esque problems that would be avoided with a bespoke device like an E-Reader; and then there's the bigger learning curve for someone with no prior PC form. So I decided to keep it as simple as possible and stick to what I was asked to get - an E-Reader. If anyone thinks I'm wrong about that though and a tablet would be a better choice, then please pipe up. Thanks again Polly, David.

02-10-2012, 08:15 PM	#7
Carnyx Zealot Posts: 109 Karma: 30462 Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Birmingham England Device: none	Thanks for the reply Fizzy. You must be psychic as I just made a comment about tablets in the last reply. I do think voice commands would be a great plus if they work well enough. I'm just a little concerned over the potential frustration a laptop/tablet could cause when it goes wrong - and they always do don't they - and technical assitance is required. It might take me a day or more to get to them, assuming I could fix the problem. I'd dearly love her to have internet access though. I'm wondering whether to sort the E-Reader out first, then smash open the piggy bank later on down the line for something like a tablet as well. Thanks, David.

02-10-2012, 08:17 PM	#8
Carnyx Zealot Posts: 109 Karma: 30462 Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Birmingham England Device: none	I just realised my replies aren't appearing under the messages they're replying to - am I clicking on the wrong thing when I click the "quick reply icon?"

02-10-2012, 10:06 PM	#9
Rizla Member Retired Posts: 3,183 Karma: 11721895 Join Date: Nov 2010 Device: Nook STR (rooted) & Sony T2	Can the person read a paperback? If not, then I doubt they'll be able to read an e-reader. One possibility might be set up some kind of framework to support the reader so they need not hold it. Maybe something like this: http://www.table-mate.com/html/index.php Alternatively the Kindle Keyboard does text to speech. There is also the possibility of audio-books.

02-11-2012, 03:12 AM	#11
GA Russell Montreal wins Grey Cup! Posts: 7,583 Karma: 31484197 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Raleigh, NC Device: Paperwhite, Kindles 10 & 4 and jetBook Lite	David, my first thought is that you should not get a device which automatically shifts from portrait to landscape mode when the device is turned. I can imagine that the bedridden person may want to read while lying on his side.

02-11-2012, 03:21 AM	#12
Barbara1955 Non-Techy Posts: 4,454 Karma: 15499273 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: WV---USA Device: Samsung Cell Phone & Amazon Fires & Kobo eReaders	Kindle 3! Touch screens are a Pain! Esp if they are sensitive! Kindle 3 are lightweight & are not that hard to turn pages. Also with the ability to read the book for her she wont need to hold of turn the pages. I have arthritis & Kindle has made my world wider!

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02-11-2012, 09:53 AM	#15
kacir Wizard Posts: 3,450 Karma: 10484861 Join Date: May 2006 Device: PocketBook 360, before it was Sony Reader, cassiopeia A-20	Nook Simple Touch reader is an interesting choice. It has touch screen, so the user can touch the screen very, very lightly to turn the page. Plus, there is [unofficial] way to connect an USB keybaord to Nook Simple Touch reader. I do not know how far the development is, because last time I looked a few weeks ago, it was very fresh news - just a rudimentary support. You might want to look into that. You could purchase a chep USB keyboard and hack it to a large, comfortable external controller for turning pages or selecting books. Or they could hire some hacker to make the controller, using electronics pulled from an USB keyboard. http://www.the-digital-reader.com/20...se-a-keyboard/ http://forum.xda-developers.com/show...0#post21669750