Mom’s passion was photography but now she can’t use cameras

Dear Live Grand:

My mom, 83, has mild memory problems and moderate issues with eyes, hearing, and arthritic hands, yet she’s still quite agile for her age.  She’s been in assisted living for two years and is happy enough, though communal meals and occasional activities provide enough socializing. Her passion in the past was photography but now she can’t operate her older cameras because of her hands, and she’s confused by smaller digital ones. Cell phones are beyond her because they are complicated as well as too tiny for her fingers. This is a shame, really, because she’d love to be photographing the flowers in the beautiful yard around the facility or taking pictures of the other residents while they are involved in group activities. Would she be able to use a GrandPad camera? – LT

Dear LT:

Great question! The short answer is yes, a GrandPad could help your mom enjoy her passion for photography. We think it’s wonderful that you thought of this option.

The GrandPad is large enough for arthritic hands to hold comfortably yet not too heavy, and the camera app takes you through the process step by step.

This is how it works. Your mom would open the camera app and point her GrandPad toward her subject, then tap “Take Photo.” If the subject appears up-side-down, she’d rotate the camera which corrects the view.

She can take photos outside, of course, but also inside by using the flash option. Caution: She (or you) should probably talk to the management before taking photos of specific people in case there are restrictions.

If your mom’s never experienced the fun of taking a selfie, she could do that, too, and delight the family with an occasional surprise. She’d just tap the "Switch to Front Camera" button, then snap as usual.

After she snaps any photo, the tablet will freeze the frame for her to review, and then she can either delete it or save it to her “All Photos” album. Then she will be asked if she wants to share it with the family.

Another useful feature is that she could choose to record a voice description of the photo, which is fun for the family, of course, but also a nice reminder for her about the event or the people or place featured in the picture. To do that, after she is asked if she’d like to describe the picture, she’d tap “Yes,” then wait a moment until the countdown tells her to start speaking. She can delete her message and start again with “Restart Recording” or click “Send” if the recording suits her. Family members can listen from the companion app and even add their own comments. What a great way to create memories!

There are so many other things on the GrandPad that she’ll love once she has a tablet, including games, easy video chats, music, articles, and joining family Zoom calls. If you get her one, let us know how she’s doing with her photography!

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