Family wants to use Zoom to connect with parents during holidays
Dear Live Grand:
My parents, both in their 80s, live across the country from us. We’ve tried to convince them to move here but they aren’t ready. The distance complicates holidays since we don’t have enough vacation time to visit them and currently travel for them is risky. We’ve attempted family Zoom calls, but they have an old, basic computer and can’t even use that without problems. A neighbor helped in the past, but we don’t want to count on her being available. We’ve read that GrandPad’s offer Zoom access but how does it work? Would my parents be able to do this without the neighbor's help? – DR
Dear DR:
We’re excited about letting you know that with a GrandPad you could Zoom with your parents to your mutual hearts’ content. You’d also be able to enjoy easy video calls and a whole lot more.
The full Zoom experience is customized on GrandPad, so it’s easy. To join, your parents would simply tap an email with the Zoom meeting invitation and then tap Read Message. From there, they’d tap Join Meeting, then confirm entry, and that’s it. Once they’re in, they can touch the right arrow to see more participants in the grid view or touch the left arrow to return to the active speaker in full screen.
Now for more about the tablet that they (and you) would love! The family admin would set up their contacts, so they’d instinctively respond when someone’s picture appears on the screen. All that’s required of them is to tap Answer and voila! - they’re connected. Most people love video calls with older adults, but the audio alone is also a choice.
Your parents would soon discover that they could view the photos and videos that you upload so if you take a video of people doing something fun, they could see it, too. They could even view family images posted on Facebook if you choose that option.
They’d be able to enjoy the music of different eras and genres including classic rock, country, Christian, and holiday and even build their own Music Collection. With each easy-to-use app, they’d gain more confidence which would encourage them to try another.
The Games app is loaded with choices including card games like Poker and word games like crosswords, as well as memory challenges and just for fun games. They could watch a video explaining how to get started with the more complicated games.
To charge their GrandPad, they’d just lay it against the included cradle with no worry about cords. The tablet is comfortable to hold with large, uniquely colored icons, and clear, well-lit print. They’d also be able to increase text size whether reading articles within the article’s app or online.
Using a GrandPad helps older adults gain confidence with technology. In fact, it's possible that your parents may eventually consider owning two of them so they could play games at the same time or even listen to different music. Happy holidays to you all!
Live Grand is a weekly column brought to you by GrandPad — the simplest, safest tablet-based solution that helps reconnect families.
