Need advice for 10" tablet basics - Alzheimer's use

[JAW2004]

I am looking to buy a 10" tablet for my father-in-law. 85 yrs old, Alzheimer's is starting to advance & I've read some interesting research about iPads being used with patients to just help provide cognitive stimulation & hopefully slow the decline.

As I really don't know how 'successful' this experiment will be, I don't want to spend $$$$ on something that may collect more dust than anything. But, I also don't want to buy something and then find out it won't run what I want it to run or is terribly complicated.

I'd like to be able to run Pandora, or else a basic music player. It's o.k. if I have to load the music to a SD card, but it'd be nice to have an internet option.

I'd like some simple games, e.g. Memory or other simple visual games. I've heard Koi Pond (iPad) is good with Alzheimer's patients, and I've found some similar things in Android Market.

I'd like to have a program that he can touch & open to see snapshots of family and familiar things.

Maybe a simple reader program that we can adjust the size of the type, or else the ability to d/l the Kindle & Nook reading software.

I've never really made the mental transition from laptop/desktop specs to what tablets need....What are the basics I should look for? Is it best to make sure it's running Android 4.0? Or is it easy enough to root & upgrade?

I'm not expecting a great need for LOTS of browsing, but at least adequate enough to download apps, etc... He doesn't have the attention to watch a movie, but maybe short videos..10-15 minutes in length.

Not seeing a real need for word processing or complex processing needs. Maybe email would be nice if it's easy enough to access. I don't see him ever writing out a response.

Skype might be nice..just so he could see familiar faces.

I've read elsewhere that sometimes Android apps don't work on tablets...is there something specific I need to watch for to make sure there isn't a problem?

Any brands to stay away from?

Thanks so much!

Jane

 

[D-U-R-X]

I am looking to buy a 10" tablet for my father-in-law. 85 yrs old, Alzheimer's is starting to advance & I've read some interesting research about iPads being used with patients to just help provide cognitive stimulation & hopefully slow the decline.

As I really don't know how 'successful' this experiment will be, I don't want to spend $$$$ on something that may collect more dust than anything. But, I also don't want to buy something and then find out it won't run what I want it to run or is terribly complicated.

Jane - I can't tell you which tablet to buy, as I only have experience with mine (Acer A500). Something I considered when I bought my tablet was how much support I could get on here, but then this was as I knew I wanted to root my tablet and install custom ROM's. Rooting isn't always necessary and I think that you would find that it wasn't needed for your father-in-law.

I would suggest going for a brand that you recognize, rather than a no-name branded tablet. Although there are some cheap deals available, they are often cheap for a reason - it is worth spending a little more (I'm not talking thousands) and getting something that works/is compatible with Google Play (I know some of the cheap Chinese brands often do not have access).

I'd like to be able to run Pandora, or else a basic music player. It's o.k. if I have to load the music to a SD card, but it'd be nice to have an internet option.

I'm not familiar with Pandora, but you should be able to put songs on an SD card/the tablet's internal memory... I also use Tune In Radio on my tablet, which is internet radio.

I'd like some simple games, e.g. Memory or other simple visual games. I've heard Koi Pond (iPad) is good with Alzheimer's patients, and I've found some similar things in Android Market.

It sounds like you know what you're looking for there then

I'd like to have a program that he can touch & open to see snapshots of family and familiar things.

I think most tablets have a gallary, where you can view photos stored on the tablet. It may even have a "picture frame" style widget (I'm sure you could download one if not), which would allow you to do what you want.

Maybe a simple reader program that we can adjust the size of the type, or else the ability to d/l the Kindle & Nook reading software.

I've not used it, but there is a kindle app, which I'm told is quite good.

I've never really made the mental transition from laptop/desktop specs to what tablets need....What are the basics I should look for? Is it best to make sure it's running Android 4.0? Or is it easy enough to root & upgrade?

You can get WIFI only or 3G (4G?) tablets. If your father-in-law has an internet connection, then a WIFI one would suffice (that's all I've got)... with a 3G one, you need a data plan. If you want to use things like skype, then you would need a front facing camera. You wouldn't have to have Android 4.0, but it could be likely that the tablet may be getting it anyway through an OTA update... your best bet would be to chedck the sub-forums for any tablets you are interested in. Rooting is different from one tablet to the next... most seem fairly easy to root but, unless you are comfortable with doing it, it is not a necessity.

I'm not expecting a great need for LOTS of browsing, but at least adequate enough to download apps, etc... He doesn't have the attention to watch a movie, but maybe short videos..10-15 minutes in length.

It would depend on your connection to the net, but most tablets can manage to do what you want.

Not seeing a real need for word processing or complex processing needs. Maybe email would be nice if it's easy enough to access. I don't see him ever writing out a response.

You can set up a G-mail widget, so that it would be one touch from the homescreen to get in to the mail app.

Skype might be nice..just so he could see familiar faces.

You would need to check compatibility, but as long as the tablet has a front facing camera, then it would be the same as using Skype on a computer. You can even have the tablet remember the login details, so all he has to do is touch the Skype logo to open and log in

I've read elsewhere that sometimes Android apps don't work on tablets...is there something specific I need to watch for to make sure there isn't a problem?

With the introduction of Android 4.0, there should be less and less apps that don't work on a tablet... you would certainly be able to find apps for all of the needs you have described.

Any brands to stay away from?

Cheap, no-name brands that seem like a really good deal... other than that, I can't really advise on what to buy. When I was looking for my tablet, I spent a lot of time looking for the right deal on Ebay. I managed to pick up a "returned to store" 32GB A500 for

 

[breadnatty08]

DURX summed it up very well. I've had two 10" Android tablets and I'd strongly recommend one that has 4.0 as Honeycomb is a real downer.
Honestly, if his memory is going downhill quickly, I'd recommend an iPad. They're very simple to operate but he can still play some challenging and memory strengthening games.

 

[AntimonyER]

I think I would have to concur with the iPad recommendation, Android tablet support just isn't to the level yet of the iPad yet, plus I think the Alzheimer's research has all been done using the iPad, so you know you will be able to get the same experience for your father-in-law. But if that is out of your budget, you might want to look at the Toshiba Thrive. It is a little bulkier and has a very grippy texture, which may be better in your case.

Anyways, my thoughts are with your family, my grandmother passed away in November from Alzheimer's, so I understand what you are going through.

 

[jerofld]

I only wanted to add to a few points:

Pandora works perfectly fine on tablets. I use Pandora on my tablet on a regular basis.

Google Books and Kindle's reader both do exactly what you want. Google TTS (text to speach) will even read the books out loud. If audio books are something you would be interested, I recommend Audible. It's a little more expensive per book in the bookstore, but the media player Audible has is by far the best experience I've ever had with audio books.

Skype works for the tablet I have experience with (the Acer A500) and I'm sure it works with others.

Gmail has widgets that make it so you don't even have to open the app to see email messages. You can have it available right on the homescreen. I'll post a picture, if you want, of what it looks like.

 

[JAW2004]

Thanks to everyone for the input. It has been very helpful. While I know iPads have been the interface for the research, I just can't budget that, and the studies have been using very simple programs which I know can be duplicated on an Android tablet. While I've rooted my phones before, I think I'll go ahead and 'spring' for ICS on a tablet, so that's one less issue I'll have to deal with.

 

[D-U-R-X]

Glad that we've been able to answer some of your questions... be sure to check in the sub-forum of the tablet you end up going for, should you need anything

 

[JAW2004]

Cheap, no-name brands that seem like a really good deal... other than that, I can't really advise on what to buy. When I was looking for my tablet, I spent a lot of time looking for the right deal on Ebay. I managed to pick up a "returned to store" 32GB A500 for

 

[breadnatty08]

If you're springing for an ICS tablet, I highly recommend the TF 300t. It's very similar to my Transformer Prime but a little cheaper.