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Tara123 Posted October 2021

Enjoyable shared activities.....Anyone else find Smart TVs with Netflix and Youtube a Godsend for elderly relatives?

My 88 year old father has been a film buff all his life, and also loves a variety of music - Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Junior etc.
He lives in an annexe next door to us (Mum (90) recently went into a nursing home with dementia) and joins us every evening for meals. Afterwards, we often watch box sets that my husband and I enjoy too.
At the moment we are re-watching all the seasons of Downton Abbey and loving it! Tonight, during a break when I had to do something on the computer, I found him a documentary on Sky Arts about James Cagney, which he loves, and he sat engrossed watching it with my husband.
Sometimes during the day if he comes in for lunch, afterwards I put on Dean Martin's greatest hits while I potter around.
Dad also has a similar TV, so he can watch his favourite things on his own too. It means he is never bored, and the long winter afternoons fly in for him.
Thought it might be worth mentioning for other carers, who find it hard to pass the time with homebound elderly people It has made life much more pleasant and relaxing for me and my husband.
The programmes also give us something to chat about as this can be something housebound people struggle with, when they don't have the stimulation of getting out and about.

SnoopyLove Oct 2021
Having easy access to YouTube on our big TV has been great. My dad loves to watch his church’s regular service and bible study, college football highlights, virtual hikes (Stan Mills, wildlife artist and master hiker, creates beautiful, relaxing videos primarily in Yellowstone area) and live cams that show us what’s going on over at the coast or far away up in Katmai, Alaska NP, etc.

It is definitely a great way to help keep someone who can’t read or do much themselves entertained.

vegaslady Oct 2021
I agree. Cable TV (with YouTube) and the internet have so much to offer in the way of entertainment and informative programming that Covid lockdowns don't seem so bad. We have voice remote controls for the TV sets and that is wonderful too. Quicker and less awkward than dealing with hand controls can become more difficult with aging or disabilities. This type of technology and adaptive equipment can really be gamechangers.

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