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It has been a long-held idea that the older people get, the less in touch with technology they become. There are many reasons that this can be the case, with the excitement of new tech usually being most appealing to the younger crowds. However, this doesn’t mean that seniors can’t reap the benefits that technology has to offer. Tablets, especially, offer a plethora of services that seniors can use.
What Are Some Tablet Functions That Could Benefit Seniors?
A tablet consolidates the functions of several tools that seniors could use. Tablets can be used to take quick notes during a conversation or while watching TV or to pass notes along to a loved one. Tablets can be used for calendaring important events, as well as scheduling alarm reminders for regular things such as medications. With the right accounts, tablets grant grandparents access to their little ones across entire continents at all times of the day.
Tablets can even make reading an option for someone with impaired vision. E-readers allow for fonts to be magnified, unlike books. Tablets can even read the text aloud to a person.
There’s also the mental stimulation. Tablets can bring brain teasing games to the hands of anyone, prolonging cognitive function. Games that usually require partners, such as Gin Rummy, can be played on tablets that make it easy to find other partners online. There are also apps that offer the digital equivalent of paint-by-numbers for those who long to be creative.
Tablets also offer voice assistants. For those who have issues with typing, an assistant can be activated to perform tasks for the user. Saying “[activation name], please set an alarm for 5:00 PM” will make this happen without having to point and click on icons and numbers.
Let’s cover some basics to help find the easiest tablets for seniors to use to maximize their benefits.
What Should You Look for in a Tablet for a Senior?
Tablets are easily customizable to adapt to the needs of the senior.
If a senior has poor vision, a larger screen will be more desirable. This is because tablets allow for a zoom feature to make everything larger, but small screens can keep large items from being easy to view in a single screen.
Tablets tend to be pretty fragile. If a senior has issues with muscle or motor control, drop and shatter resistance can be a desired trait. While protective covers can often be purchased for a tablet, children’s tablets are designed with accidents in mind.
Some seniors are actually quite tech savvy. These seniors may wish to have as many apps as their device can hold. In these cases, a large memory could be the priority.
What is the Difference Between a Tablet and an iPad?
Tablets are a mobile device in general. An iPad is an Apple-produced product, their brand of a tablet. Because of this, the differences between them tend to be because of Apple-specific features in their iPad.
Tablet-Specific Features
Tablets tend to be powered by Android. Because of this, they sync well with PC and Android mobile phones. A lot of the apps that are available for Android tablets have a PC compatible app. This allows for apps to be put on a tablet that can be easily monitored by a family that uses a PC. Unlike iPad, tablets allow for third-party apps to be installed.
There are several brands of tablets available – Kindle Fire, Samsung Galaxy, and several other top electronic brands that produce tablets, each with its own perks and advantages. Tablets tend to be more affordable than iPads because of the market competition.
iPad-Specific Features
Apple’s operating systems tend to be more powerful and intuitive than other operating systems. Apple products have an innate ability to communicate well with one another, making iPads and iPhones and Apple computers communicate with one another seamlessly.
iPads, however, have 100% internal storage – there is nothing that can be done to increase the memory. If you run low on space, you will have to remove items rather than add memory.
What is the Easiest to Use iPad for Seniors?
The Apple iPad Pro 9.7 is one of Apple’s most affordable tablets that seniors can also use the Apple Pencil or official keyboard cover rather than rely on the touch screen. Crisp display helps keep images from losing clarity when enlarged.
Apple’s simplicity and user-friendly nature make the 9.7 intuitive enough to simplify it for those who are more technologically-challenged.
What is the Easiest Tablet for Seniors?
The Kindle Fire is an affordable Amazon tablet that is available in 8” and 10” HD screens. THese are big enough to appreciate larger icons and text for those with vision problems. Amazon is a quality product, which offers the virtual assistant Alexa. Alexa allows for voice control over features, minimizing the need to read and type.
Screen protectors and cover cases can be purchased to keep the device safe from drops and press-on nails. Keypads can be added for those who prefer to use buttons over tapping on a screen.
Other Features to Consider
In addition to the physical components and user-friendliness, there are aspects to consider when buying a tablet for a senior. For example:
- Quality Camera. If the senior uses the tablet to video chat with loved ones, it will be important for the device to broadcast a clear picture. Also, the tablet can be used to take pictures for the senior to view later.
- Battery Life. Even if the senior won’t be traveling with the tablet, it can be inconvenient to have to frequently plug in a tablet that is being frequently used.
Whether you plan on caregiving for the rest of your senior’s life or only for a short while, it’s never too early to look into finding a senior community. Our senior advisors are eager to help you find the perfect senior community!
Share this article on social media!
It has been a long-held idea that the older people get, the less in touch with technology they become. There are many reasons that this can be the case, with the excitement of new tech usually being most appealing to the younger crowds. However, this doesn’t mean that seniors can’t reap the benefits that technology has to offer. Tablets, especially, offer a plethora of services that seniors can use.
What Are Some Tablet Functions That Could Benefit Seniors?
A tablet consolidates the functions of several tools that seniors could use. Tablets can be used to take quick notes during a conversation or while watching TV or to pass notes along to a loved one. Tablets can be used for calendaring important events, as well as scheduling alarm reminders for regular things such as medications. With the right accounts, tablets grant grandparents access to their little ones across entire continents at all times of the day.
Tablets can even make reading an option for someone with impaired vision. E-readers allow for fonts to be magnified, unlike books. Tablets can even read the text aloud to a person.
There’s also the mental stimulation. Tablets can bring brain teasing games to the hands of anyone, prolonging cognitive function. Games that usually require partners, such as Gin Rummy, can be played on tablets that make it easy to find other partners online. There are also apps that offer the digital equivalent of paint-by-numbers for those who long to be creative.
Tablets also offer voice assistants. For those who have issues with typing, an assistant can be activated to perform tasks for the user. Saying “[activation name], please set an alarm for 5:00 PM” will make this happen without having to point and click on icons and numbers.
Let’s cover some basics to help find the easiest tablets for seniors to use to maximize their benefits.
What Should You Look for in a Tablet for a Senior?
Tablets are easily customizable to adapt to the needs of the senior.
If a senior has poor vision, a larger screen will be more desirable. This is because tablets allow for a zoom feature to make everything larger, but small screens can keep large items from being easy to view in a single screen.
Tablets tend to be pretty fragile. If a senior has issues with muscle or motor control, drop and shatter resistance can be a desired trait. While protective covers can often be purchased for a tablet, children’s tablets are designed with accidents in mind.
Some seniors are actually quite tech savvy. These seniors may wish to have as many apps as their device can hold. In these cases, a large memory could be the priority.
What is the Difference Between a Tablet and an iPad?
Tablets are a mobile device in general. An iPad is an Apple-produced product, their brand of a tablet. Because of this, the differences between them tend to be because of Apple-specific features in their iPad.
Tablet-Specific Features
Tablets tend to be powered by Android. Because of this, they sync well with PC and Android mobile phones. A lot of the apps that are available for Android tablets have a PC compatible app. This allows for apps to be put on a tablet that can be easily monitored by a family that uses a PC. Unlike iPad, tablets allow for third-party apps to be installed.
There are several brands of tablets available – Kindle Fire, Samsung Galaxy, and several other top electronic brands that produce tablets, each with its own perks and advantages. Tablets tend to be more affordable than iPads because of the market competition.
iPad-Specific Features
Apple’s operating systems tend to be more powerful and intuitive than other operating systems. Apple products have an innate ability to communicate well with one another, making iPads and iPhones and Apple computers communicate with one another seamlessly.
iPads, however, have 100% internal storage – there is nothing that can be done to increase the memory. If you run low on space, you will have to remove items rather than add memory.
What is the Easiest to Use iPad for Seniors?
The Apple iPad Pro 9.7 is one of Apple’s most affordable tablets that seniors can also use the Apple Pencil or official keyboard cover rather than rely on the touch screen. Crisp display helps keep images from losing clarity when enlarged.
Apple’s simplicity and user-friendly nature make the 9.7 intuitive enough to simplify it for those who are more technologically-challenged.
What is the Easiest Tablet for Seniors?
The Kindle Fire is an affordable Amazon tablet that is available in 8” and 10” HD screens. THese are big enough to appreciate larger icons and text for those with vision problems. Amazon is a quality product, which offers the virtual assistant Alexa. Alexa allows for voice control over features, minimizing the need to read and type.
Screen protectors and cover cases can be purchased to keep the device safe from drops and press-on nails. Keypads can be added for those who prefer to use buttons over tapping on a screen.
Other Features to Consider
In addition to the physical components and user-friendliness, there are aspects to consider when buying a tablet for a senior. For example:
- Quality Camera. If the senior uses the tablet to video chat with loved ones, it will be important for the device to broadcast a clear picture. Also, the tablet can be used to take pictures for the senior to view later.
- Battery Life. Even if the senior won’t be traveling with the tablet, it can be inconvenient to have to frequently plug in a tablet that is being frequently used.
Whether you plan on caregiving for the rest of your senior’s life or only for a short while, it’s never too early to look into finding a senior community. Our senior advisors are eager to help you find the perfect senior community!
