How to set up an iPad for a senior
NB I’ve started collecting guides and hints for getting seniors (and anyone non-technical in fact) online easily and effectively at www.thetechhelper.com — but there were a few pieces, like this, I couldn’t find so wrote myself…
It’s generally accepted that Apple’s iPad is (if you can afford it) the best choice for keeping in touch with elderly and untechnical friends and relatives. It’s easy to use, has a vast range of apps available and boasts great battery life.
This makes it the perfect device for seniors and anyone who struggles with technology (although there are cheaper alternatives — see here for a discussion of what they are).
To make life easier for everyone, the initial setup of the iPad is crucial — otherwise it can be overwhelming. If you can, set it it all up beforehand, even if that means getting it delivered to you and sending it on once setup is complete.
These steps will also work on an iPhone, which may be a more affordable option (especially as you probably have older phones lying around). However, the bigger screen of an iPad is often worth paying the extra for.
ERASE AND UPDATE YOUR DEVICE
The instructions here all relate to the latest version of iOS, so make sure you update the iPad to this. You’ll be getting all the latest security updates and enhancements as well.
Updating is simple, go to Settings > General, then tap software update, and download and install. If you need more help, Apple has an easy to understand guide.
If you need more in depth instructions, Wikihow has a good guide with easy to follow pictures here.
If you’re reusing an older iPad or iPhone, they also have a guide to wiping it clean of all your own data and settings so you can start with a fresh ‘out of the box’ iPad.
If you hit any problems, AppleInsider has a decent video tutorial explaining all this, and some of the pitfalls here.
CHOOSE YOUR APPS
Be really careful what you download — usually a game or two, a banking app and a videoconferencing app (and FaceTime is usually the best option as it’s so simple).
Video and music streaming apps are also a must — and it’s worth taking the time to to set them up with favourite stations, shows and movies.
Messaging is a tricky one, and really depends on the person. Even email can be a step too far for many people — perhaps suggest just using iMessage instead.
It’s also worth investigating streaming fitness apps to keep people active. CNET has a good roundup of them here. One good option is Peloton, which currently has a 90 day trial period. It’s best known for its connected spin bike, but the app offers a huge number of other activities, complete with an overly enthusiastic instructor to guide you through them. There’s yoga, stretching and basic cardio along with more advanced workouts.
The NHS (Britain’s National Health Service) is also a goldmine of information and even has its own virtual workouts here. It’s also got a good guide to fitness for seniors here. Healthline also has some senior workouts here.
Grocery shopping is another great use of a tablet at the moment, and you can download and set it up with favourite items already in the app.
Medical apps are also particularly useful, and in particular something like a medication reminder app. Healthline has a list of the best ones here.
SET UP CONTACTS
Setting up a small number of contacts such as close family and friends is a good idea.
It’s also worth calling/messaging each of them, so that when the app is opened, there are messages ready and waiting to restart the conversation.
In iMessage, it’s also worth enabling the Show Contact Photos option so that everyone’s faces in Messages are shown.
USE THE ACCESSIBILITY SETTINGS
Apple has built a whole host of accessibility settings into the iPAds, and you can tweak them depending on the needs of the user.
These range from everything from making the text size larger, to voice control.
You can invert colors, reduce white point, enable grayscale, or choose from a range of color filters to support different forms of color blindness or other vision challenges.
Apple has a great, easy to understand overview of all these features, and how to set them up.
To get to the settings, go into the Settings menu on the iPad, then Accessibility.
TWEAK THE TEXT SIZE
The one you’ll almost certainly want to use is Display and Text Size, which you can find in the accessibility menu.
There are several options here, from making all the text bold, to making text larger across the system. This is hugely useful, and it’s even worth (if possible) going through a few different sizes with your user to find the best one.
If reading the text is still a problem, there are a host of other features you can try, from the built in screen magnifier (Zoom in the accessibility menu) to Speak Screen, which you can use to read your email, iMessages, web pages, and books.
To use this, turn on Speak Screen and swipe down from the top of the screen with two fingers, or just tell Siri to Speak Screen and have all the content on the page read back to you.
If that’s not enough, VoiceOver is a gesture-based screen reader that Apple has developed to let people use an iPad if they can’t see the screen at all.
For more details, Apple has an easy to understand guide.
REARRANGE THE HOME SCREEN
Once you’ve set up the accessibility features and downloaded the apps you need, rearranging the apps on the home screen to keep them to a minimum is critical — otherwise it can be too overwhelming to know what to press.
If you’re not sure how to move apps, Apple has a good guide here.
Move everything you don’t need into a folder and move it to the second screen of the homepage to hide it.
On the homescreen, rename the apps to make them simpler if you need to.
Also make sure the most used apps are in the dock so they’re easily to find.
DECLUTTER THE DOCK
The dock at the bottom of the screen displays suggested and recent apps along with those that you put there yourself. To make life simpler disabling the feature would be a good idea. Here’s how:
- Open the Settings
- Tap Multitasking & Dock.
- Turn off the toggle for Show Suggested and Recent Apps from green to white.
SET UP FAMILY SHARING
Apple’s Family Sharing can be a godsend, making it easy for up to six family members to share App Store purchases and Apple subscriptions, including an iCloud storage plan without having to share an Apple ID. You can also set up permissions remotely with Screen Time, and approve spending and downloads.
Apple’s own guide to using it is great, read it here — and predictably they’ve even made a video to explain it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6vZd14FsJ4
ACCESSORIES
A stylus can often be a great add on for users who aren’t used to a touchscreen or struggle with one.
While the Apple Pencil is pretty pricey at $99 (and that’s the cheapest version), a lower cost alternative might be worth a look. The Logitech Crayon is a particularly good alternative — it’s a bit thicker and bulkier, making it easier to hold.
It may well also be worth investing in a case and a stand — while iPads are fairly sturdy, they probably will get dropped/knocked over a little.
Amazon has a decent stand that’s really cheap -you can grab one here.
CHARGING
It’s worth setting up charging points, complete with long cables, not only next to the bed but next to a favourite chair.
