Has anyone found a way to help LO with TV controls remotely? I know there are old discussions. Surely there are new solutions in 2023.

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PennyBob Asked October 2023

Has anyone found a way to help LO with TV controls remotely? I know there are old discussions. Surely there are new solutions in 2023.

So my LO has a Samsung smart TV. There is Wi-Fi in the home and the Samsung TV can be connected. Right now, she is viewing on straight cable. I need to be able to, from a different location, turned her TV off and on; adjust volume, and surf channels.

Logitech had what looked to be promising technology, but they’ve apparently discontinued it.

Any suggestions? I sure do miss radio shack.

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score 2 · Answer 1

Thanks for all the suggestions! I had purchased a Samsung smart TV, but had never sat down, and actually looked at all the options. I ended up purchasing a smart things hub and adding the TV to the account. I can sit anywhere in the world with Internet access and access her TV. I’ve been able to successfully turn it off and on, adjust the volume, change the channel, and even initiate a Netflix video for her to watch through my account. it’s especially helpful when her cousins call her and they can’t hear because of the volume of the TV. They will text me I’ll hop on and turn the volume down, it has worked out great. Her struggles with the remote are not consistent. Sometimes it’s because she’s using the cordless phone to try to change channels. Entertainment at its best.

OH! The Ring cameras I have set up allow me to ‘see’ what I’m doing with the remote.

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That's great info! Thanks for sharing it.

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score 1 · Answer 2

As far as I can see the Logitech Harmony Hub is still being sold. Broadlink makes similar products: smart hubs with IR capability.

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I guess it was discontinued but you can still buy them used.

This article discusses potential replacements:

https://www.makeuseof.com/logitech-harmony-hub-replacements/

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score 1 · Answer 3

PennyBob: Google YouTube videos on your query. OR contact Samsung customer service, who should be able to advise you on the TV wireless fiber optic connectivity.

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score 1 · Answer 4

Dad uses the Flipper Big Button remote. On off, channel, volume, that's it.

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I bought one for my mom. Seemed like a good solution, but she never uses it.

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score 1 · Answer 5

If she has a regular TV with a remote, be sure the remote can 'see' clearly to the eye on the TV; my mom repeatedly thought her TV was broken but repair folks never found anything. Turns out she was trying to turn on the TV across her kitchen table but was not holding the remote high enough for clear signaling to the TV! Raised the TV, no more issues. Sometimes it's simple fixes. She had her favorite shows and as she declined more she really only watched one, The Golden Girls.

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score 1 · Answer 6

We bought a Roku TV for my husband when he moved into Memory Care. My son took all of the apps off of it except for VUDU. We then bought about 10 movies that my husband liked to watch and those were the only options.

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This is probably your best bet…wipe everything except the bare minimum. Is the problem that they can’t see to control?

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score 2 · Answer 7

Get Alexa or Echo Dot and program it to turn on your mother’s TV to her specific news or shows. You can program it to turn on and off all lights too. All your mother will say is, “Alexa, turn on the TV to the news” or something like that, and she will tell Alexa to turn off the TV when she’s done watching it. She will have to remember that the name is “Alexa” or it’s not going to respond as I have seen so many older folks calling it different names. LOL.

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Sounds simple...in my case, my wife who has virtually no memory, couldn't remember the name... or what to say to it, and would likely throw the tablet in the trash when she didn't know what it was! She can't operate a tuner of any kind. I turn her TV on to spaghetti westerns which run constantly. She can't remember that she saw them before, and they don't have much plot to follow which is good because she can't concentrate on long movie plots! ...or short ones! As someone previously mentioned, one day at a time and every day is Groundhog Day!

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score 1 · Answer 8

We've been using the "Geek Squad" through Best Buy and they're very patient with those of us who aren't tech savvy.

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score 1 · Answer 9

That remote issue is a troublesome one. I dealt with it with my mom for years and it only gets worse as she is 99 and and in hospice--with okay memory but bad executive functioning and eyesight-- typical of many elderly who otherwise function relatively well at home, not a sign of needing memory care or an institution. I admire you for helping her stay home as long as possible, and as long as you can tolerate it. As much work as it was keeping my mother at her home, I preferred it to the costly AL/ hospice situation she is in now (I refuse to put her in a Medicaid SNF), and wish she could have died at home, it just was not possible in the end.
Anyway--to your question: Right now, my mother has a Amazon Fire smart TV running only cable channels from the AL she is in, because she simply can't handle the interface on a smart TV (which would give her access to Netflix etc but she is long past that stage).
But even getting her to use remote was impossible at some point. So....without physically being there, I found no solution to helping her switch channels, etc., other than getting her a big, simple remote from Amazon that I programmed to work with her Fire TV. That way it only has simple channel numbers, and large buttons for volume and off / on (and I marked the on/off button with nail polish. She can manage this, just it tends to suddenly deprogram so I got 3 of them so at least one of them would work until I got in the next day.
The other "solution"--which I hoped would work but does not really unless she is willing to try voice commands--was have her use the voice feature with a Fire TV cube... but she simply couldn't handle it. If you do use Amazon Fire TV cube, she can use voice to turn it off and on, without having to press a button. But I found seniors have as much problem with using voice commands as they do with buttons. Also: You are supposed to be able to switch channels by voice but I never got it to work properly.
Unfortunately, other than getting the TV programmed to work with a simple universal, programmable big button remote (GE has one on Amazon, but I also see there is something called a Flipper with simple up down channel buttons, just my mother gets confused without numbers for channels), I found no solution to help her and switch things remotely.
One more thing that helps me in general though--I gave her an Echo Show device next to her chair and I use the "Drop in" feature where I can drop in without her having to figure out how to answer my call, and I can see her and direct her through things. It is cumbersome but an alternative, if she is able to be talked through things while watching you. The Echo Show drop-in feature has saved me immensely, as she couldn't handle answering video calls (and again, still managed at home many years quiet well).
And no I don't work for Amazon, lol...
And finally yes, this should be a safe space for us to ask questions and not get advice we didn't ask for. No one knows our exact situation or our motivations and it is up to us to take care of ourselves and our loved ones however we think best. You asked a specific question, and you deserve to have that and only that addressed. Best of luck to you... You sound like a caring person.

PS: I just saw on an other post someone recommended subscribing to a service like Hulu or YouTube or Sling with a live stream of channels, installing it on a laptop in her home, then attaching laptop to her TV via HDMI, and then you can run the streaming service remotely with a remote desktop service like Google.

Helpful Answer (1)

Thank you!! It’s a new adventure every day, isn’t it?

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score 1 · Answer 10

https://www.agingcare.com/questions/waiting-for-the-shoes-to-drop-any-suggestions-475973.htm

This is your first post from July 2022. Is the situation the same? Mom living in her home and you going out of town, I guess, for your job. And a sister you cannot count on? If your Mom can no longer use a remote, she should no longer be alone at all. You were worried last year because Sister felt you could be charged with elder abuse when u left town. Mom will not get better. You really need to find a place for her. She is now 24/7 care. If you can't be there 24/7, Mom can't afford an aide, then she needs to be placed in Memory care or LTC with Medicaid helping to pay for her care.

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You know, I suspect we all reach out when we are feeling a bit overwhelmed. We take in the information shared and apply it to our various situations.

I don’t ask questions frequently on here. I have consulted with her doctors and an elder care attorney. It is what it is. She will not be on Medicaid and I’m going to try to help her maintain a sense of ‘independence’ to the degree that she can for as long as I am able.

She’s amazing at so many things. When we hit a snag, I try figure a way around it.

Never do I ever read a request for information made ‘in the moment’ and go back in the person’s history to point out previous questions. If I have helpful information or can echo concerns, I voice that. This disease evolves. Three steps back and 4 forward one day and the reverse the next day. It’s a rollercoaster.

Thank you for your evaluation. It wasn’t helpful for the question asked. Her television remote control skills come and go. I want a contingency plan to assist if I happen to be out of pocket when she’s off the mark a bit.

Do I get frustrated and distraught? You betcha! Damn me for thinking this was a space in which we could express that and get a bit of empathy, compassion and a few helpful suggestions. What works today didn’t work yesterday and might not work tomorrow, but it very well might work next week.

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score 2 · Answer 11

Contact Samsung Customer Support and ask them to connect you with a tech person.

Or, search on YouTube for tutorials.

If you are on Nextdoor.com you should make this query in your community and you might get a very detailed answer.

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