Best E-Reader for bed-bound arthritis sufferer?

[Carnyx]

Originally Posted by speakingtohe

BTW I looked and all I could find in the way of ereader lending was the Oxford University library. I also looked up various agencies such as the arthritis society with no luck.

Helen,
I was just going through all the replies to finish making notes and realised I'd totally misunderstood what you said above when I originally replied. Sorry - I thought you meant The Oxford Uni library lent books for E-Readers, but I *think* that you meant that they lend actual E-Readers. Well I guess Oxford's a little too far from Birmingham, and honestly, I doubt they'd let a big thicko like me through the gates. Well found though! Thank you,
David.

[Carnyx]

Originally Posted by Joykins

The main ReadAssist website is apparently being revamped right now, though. It sounds like they may actually have more resources for disabled readers in particular, and can perhaps be contacted by email.

Ohhhhhhhh dear - I just found another I didn't reply to properly. Sorry Joykins. I think I was feeling a bit mesmerised by that stage.
That's a really good find as well. Sure some of it is restricted to blind folks, but there's also links to very relevant stuff which I've left open to read tomorrow.
Thank you and sorry for the half-arsed reply last time,
David.

[LuvReadin]

Originally Posted by kacir

Glad to hear that my difficulties were not caused by English not being my mother language ;-)

Audiobooks are great when complete concentration is possible - they're great on long journeys, when I can ignore everyone else, but it is surprising how much concentration is needed. I thought they'd be really good to take the boredom out of housework. Kind of worked, but the housework didn't get done - I spent too much time standing stock-still with a duster in hand!

[LuvReadin]

Originally Posted by Carnyx

Funnily enough, the hearing aid people are also putting a loop system in the flat. Apparently she's been watching TV on mute with subtitles as neighbours had complained about the noise, but she never even told anyone until the carer recently worked it out. Just tragic.

Unfortunately, a lot of old people don't feel they should make a fuss - they just adapt to a situation rather than asking for help. Sounds like the carer might have checked this out, but worth asking if the adaptations are being paid for by the council/NHS - I know of one old lady who spent over £11K on hearing aids, when the NHS would have supplied the exact same ones for nothing, and the council would have paid for a loop to go with them. A lot of the companies that advertise on TV just exploit people (don't get me started! )

Originally Posted by Carnyx

You could well be right there but she's as good as they come, so it wouldn't be for any bad reason. ...
e.g. I bought a very light weight pen that turned out to be no good, so after a bit of to'ing and fro'ing I was *right* on the verge of buying an expensive writing device yesterday, then I happened to mention there was a small metal part to it - immediately she rejected it because she cannot have metal in contact with her skin. I've been looking at this thing for weeks but I just wouldn't have considered that.- immediately she rejected it because she cannot have metal in contact with her skin. I've been looking at this thing for weeks but I just wouldn't have considered that.

Yes, you're probably right - even with the best of intentions, it's easy to make a mistake without the full facts. Oh, that's a nuisance - sounds like she has a nickel allergy. I've had it since I were a young 'un - can't wear anything other than silver or gold (good excuse, eh? ), although mine isn't as bad as hers sounds - I can handle things with metal in them (pens, scissors, cutlery etc), just as long as there isn't prolonged contact. There is a pretty simple way round it - just paint the metal part with a barrier. I use nail polish, but some people build up an allergy to that as well. An alternative is a dermatologist-approved product called Nickel Guard http://www.fruugo.co.uk/nickel-guard...oduct%2Bsearch

Originally Posted by Carnyx

Well I'd hope so too but, given that my local council is run by a convicted criminal, I seriously doubt that!Oh that'd be so funny if it weren't true.

Originally Posted by Carnyx

No seriously though, you make an excellent point. I would never have thought of that possibility in a million years. I will check it out.

Fingers crossed for you!

[Carnyx]

Originally Posted by LuvReadin

Unfortunately, a lot of old people don't feel they should make a fuss - they just adapt to a situation rather than asking for help. Sounds like the carer might have checked this out, but worth asking if the adaptations are being paid for by the council/NHS - I know of one old lady who spent over £11K on hearing aids, when the NHS would have supplied the exact same ones for nothing, and the council would have paid for a loop to go with them. A lot of the companies that advertise on TV just exploit people (don't get me started! )

No, unfortunately this poor lady's been brainwashed into thinking that she can't ask for anything off anyone, but it's getting better now that she's in good hands. It does make you wonder though just how many people there are like her throughought the world who are at the mercy of evil parasites, robbing them blind, making their lives worse when they hsould be making them better. Absolutely horrifying when you start to consider it.

Yes, you're probably right - even with the best of intentions, it's easy to make a mistake without the full facts. Oh, that's a nuisance - sounds like she has a nickel allergy. I've had it since I were a young 'un - can't wear anything other than silver or gold (good excuse, eh? ), although mine isn't as bad as hers sounds - I can handle things with metal in them (pens, scissors, cutlery etc), just as long as there isn't prolonged contact. There is a pretty simple way round it - just paint the metal part with a barrier. I use nail polish, but some people build up an allergy to that as well. An alternative is a dermatologist-approved product called Nickel Guard http://www.fruugo.co.uk/nickel-guard...oduct%2Bsearch

Oh what a conincidence. I'm sorry - that sounds very unpleasant. Good call with the Nickel Guard - simple but brilliant. I'll ask the carer if she's tried this next time I speak to her. Could work in conjunction with the writing aid I was looking at.
Thanks LuvReadin,
David.

[LuvReadin]

Originally Posted by Carnyx

No, unfortunately this poor lady's been brainwashed into thinking that she can't ask for anything off anyone, but it's getting better now that she's in good hands. It does make you wonder though just how many people there are like her throughought the world who are at the mercy of evil parasites, robbing them blind, making their lives worse when they hsould be making them better. Absolutely horrifying when you start to consider it.

It's a sad indictment of society - old people are seen as a soft touch.

Originally Posted by Carnyx

Oh what a conincidence. I'm sorry - that sounds very unpleasant. Good call with the Nickel Guard - simple but brilliant. I'll ask the carer if she's tried this next time I speak to her. Could work in conjunction with the writing aid I was looking at..

You'd be surprised how common it is, especially now that so many people have piercings. TBH, it doesn't bother me much at all - I've had it for so long that I hardly even think about it; I just whip out the nail polish automatically whenever I buy something like a watch (even if the main metal is gold/silver, the actual cover on the back won't be). It's rather annoying when I see a nice piece of jewellery and find it's nickel, but heigh-ho - could be worse!

[JSWolf]

I like the idea of a LARGE screen HDTV (1080p) with a computer connected to it for the monitor. That would give a large screen to read on and the computer can be controlled via a mouse or voice. I think this would be best for this person.

[Carnyx]

Originally Posted by LuvReadin

It's a sad indictment of society - old people are seen as a soft touch.

I agree - it's insane how badly we treat older people when we're all destined to become older people! Well if we're lucky anyway.

You'd be surprised how common it is, especially now that so many people have piercings. TBH, it doesn't bother me much at all - I've had it for so long that I hardly even think about it; I just whip out the nail polish automatically whenever I buy something like a watch (even if the main metal is gold/silver, the actual cover on the back won't be). It's rather annoying when I see a nice piece of jewellery and find it's nickel, but heigh-ho - could be worse!

Well it sounds like a complication you could well do without. That combined with rheumatoid arthritis & bone withering is just taking the ... michael. Someone up there has a bad sense of humour.
Thanks,
David.

[Carnyx]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I like the idea of a LARGE screen HDTV (1080p) with a computer connected to it for the monitor. That would give a large screen to read on and the computer can be controlled via a mouse or voice. I think this would be best for this person.

Thanks for the reply JSWolf,
This is the kind of thing that kept flashing through my mind throughout this whole thing. That's the kind of set up she *should* have really.
It opens up a few cans of worms though:

- cost
- how would she switch the computer on/off
- how much could realistically be accomplished with voice control, and how much would be manual
- would she be able to switch between TV and PC without outside intervention
- are the learning curves too much for an elderly person who's not used computers before

Somebody mentioned Dragon voice recognition earlier in the thread so I wondered about that in conjunction with a tablet.
Anyway it all seemed a bit ambitious in the end, so we decided to stick to the E-Reader for the moment and see how she gets on with that. If that works out OK, maybe we'll look at a computer/tablet afterwards.
Thanks for the idea,
David.

[Joykins]

It's not necessary to cycle computer power on/off too often anyway. I used to leave my work computer on for weeks at a time with no ill effects.

[ProfCrash]

Except that it is highly energy inefficient and will run up the energy bills. I am sure that no one at her home wants that. And the TV is likely to have some type of hum or glow to it when left on.

I hate that they won't let us turn off computers at work. It is unnecessarily;ly wasteful.

[Carnyx]

Originally Posted by Joykins

It's not necessary to cycle computer power on/off too often anyway. I used to leave my work computer on for weeks at a time with no ill effects.

Good point - it's not absolutely necessary to shut down. I used to do the same at work, sometimes for weeks, much to the lament of my old bosses and colleagues. Still I somehow always *magically* remember to shut the PC down at home - maybe something to do with the electricity bill!?
Seriosusly though, if I were setting up a PC for a new user I would encourage them to shut it down when not in use(for more than say 1 hour) for a few reasons: money, noise, safety, viruses/bots, dust sucked in by fans. Plus from my experience, the longer a PCs left on the stranger it will act.
Here's some more about it:
http://www.helium.com/items/641838-w...n-the-computer
Thanks,
David.

[Carnyx]

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

Except that it is highly energy inefficient and will run up the energy bills. I am sure that no one at her home wants that. And the TV is likely to have some type of hum or glow to it when left on.

I hate that they won't let us turn off computers at work. It is unnecessarily;ly wasteful.

They won't let you? Wow, shutting down PCs has become an obsession in IT departments throughout the UK. That's it - I'm coming to work there.
Thanks,
David.

[Beryll Snyder]

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

I am sure that no one at her home wants that. .

And I am wondering what the persion in question wants.
Meanwhile we have more than 200 posts - deliberating every possible and impossible angle what the person might need.

[Shopaholic]

Originally Posted by Joykins

It's not necessary to cycle computer power on/off too often anyway. I used to leave my work computer on for weeks at a time with no ill effects.

My hubby's cousin just killed her laptop by not turning it off. She fried the motherboard by overheating it. I don't think she had the thing for a year & she killed it.