I'm trying to help my 93-year-old mother use her TV from a distance. She has some dementia, so even familiar tasks can become confusing, and changing the setup or teaching her new controls may be difficult. I'd like to be able to turn the TV on, change inputs or channels, and otherwise help operate it remotely over the internet. I've heard that dedicated services can do this, but I'd prefer to avoid subscription-based options if possible. Her current TV is old and starting to fail, so I'm open to replacing it with a newer model if that would provide a reliable solution. Has anyone found a simple setup that works well in this situation?
3 Answers
If you choose a Google TV, TeamViewer QuickSupport may be another possibility for remote assistance. It could let you help with the device without relying entirely on her to navigate menus, though you’d want to verify exactly which TV controls it supports before buying anything.
That sounds worth investigating, although I’m worried that even a small change could be difficult for her. At her age and with dementia, familiar controls are much easier than learning a completely new system.
One relatively simple option is a Chromecast or Google TV device. If it’s connected to her Wi-Fi, you can control casting and some playback functions from an Android phone or tablet using Google Home. It may work best if you configure everything in advance, since she would still need a familiar and straightforward way to use the TV.
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