Remote controls. Please help me?

I copied the remotes on the flatbed copier of my HP printer scanner. On the copy I printed large clear instructions - ON, OFF, etc.

It didn’t work for my LO, who couldn’t make the connection between this instruction sheet and the actual remote. It might work for someone else.

I feel your pain. My father would screw up his remote on a weekly basis then call me at work demanding I run right over and fix it. I wrote down instructions on how to reprogram the remote (this was back when he lived on his own and was still with it) and he told me it was easier for me to do it. It wasn't easier for me. I learned to not jump when he did this. Messes up his remote on Monday, well I'll be there to take you shopping on Thursday so I will look at it then. What was he going to do until then??? I told him to watch the tv in his bedroom. Everything wsa always a crisis that needed to be fixed RIGHT NOW. Not for me it wasn't.

As my mother's dementia worsened, so did her ability to work ALL devices, no matter how simple. There were many nights I'd get a call from her saying "there's no voice" on the tv, or "the voice on the tv is screaming in another language." I enlisted my son's help and he wrote down what buttons NOT to press on the remote. Which was a futile attempt bc mom could not comprehend the instructions. She lived in Memory Care Assisted Living so "her girls" would solve the problem for her, thankfully.

FRom reading your profile, I think you're in over head caring for granny and trying to keep her at home, according to her wishes. Your health is suffering now and that's not okay. You kept granny home as long as possible and now it's become untenable for all concerned. Old age and disease rarely work out the way we'd like it to. If granny had the presence of mind to realize what you're going through, she'd undoubtedly tell you to place her. Dementia continues to worsen as time goes on, making in home care nearly impossible for most of us. Acknowledge your limitations and act accordingly.

Best of luck to you

Google voice activated televisions. Many new models have built in "voice remotes".

I got my mom The Flipper on Amazon. It worked pretty good for her.

Been there, done that back in 2016 when my in-laws were falling apart and I had to send my 2 nerdy sons over there literally every day to reprogram their remote.

Fast forward to 2023 and there may be a solution: use your mobile phone as a remote to control the tv by downloading an app. I've not done this but I'm hoping you at least won't have to reprogram the stupid remote and can get rid of it completely. You will now decide what she watches and when (and the volume), but it's better than anything else I can think of.

FYI my very elderly Aunt with mod/adv dementia liked reading the closed captions. Make sure your Granny watches light, happy shows. With dementia she can internalize what she sees on tv as "reality" (like crime and violence) and it can stress her out.

Another option is to just play Disney and Pixar movies for her. My Aunt watched them over and over, and enjoyed musicals. Moana and Ice Age were her favorites.

Good luck!

Gosh I wish I had a simple answer for you, but I don't. I had the same issue with my late husband who had vascular dementia, and I lost count as to how many times I had to call our cable company to help me figure out just exactly what he did to mess up our service by his confusion with their remote and by him continuing to just push on the different buttons trying to fix his mistake which of course only made things worse.
I even at one point got a Roku thinking that their smaller and less complicated remote would be easier, but it wasn't.
Sadly there comes a point when someone with a broken brain just can't grasp even the simplest of things and we as caregivers must just be patient with them.
It's hard I know, but please know that you're not alone.
There were times when I just had to take the remote away from my husband after putting on one of his favorite shows and because at that time he was completely bedridden, I didn't have to worry about him getting out of bed to try and find it. He wasn't always happy about it as he liked to channel surf during commercials, but for my own sanity I occasionally had to do it.
I hope someone will come along with a better answer for you, but again just know that you're not alone with your understandable frustration.