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I can hear my mother via a remote camera feed but she can't hear me, neither via the camera nor her phone. She has dementia and can't operate her phone to read normal SMS messages. Basically I need to be able to have a conversation with her, such that I "text" and she "reads", via this as yet unknown device, while she "talks" and I "listen", via the camera. She has an NBN broadband internet connection.

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pugin51, welcome to the forum. There comes a time when us seniors just can't deal with modern technology that has too many steps to complete. I know for myself, I can master any software on the Internet, but I truly hate my cellphone. I am writing this on my tried and true desk top computer.


Sometimes we need to go back to basics that had worked for many decades in the past, the landline telephone. Ok, we don't get to see that person on a screen, but that didn't stop our great-grandparents and great-grandaunts/uncles from communicating with each other on a regular basis. Heck, I remember back in the 1970's and 1980's hand writing weekly letters to my parents, who lived out-of-state.


Plus landline telephones can save us seniors $$$ in the long run. My landline phones are a decade old and still does the job perfectly, no constant updating or re-charging :)
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Reply to freqflyer
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First question I have is...Does your mom have dementia?
the reason I ask is if she has dementia can she read and understand the written word?
If she does not have dementia and can read and understand the written word then you can display text messages on a Smart TV screen. I would imagine that the printing could be made as large as needed.
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Reply to Grandma1954
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With dementia, even if you could manage a system like you mentioned, it doesn't mean she'll be able to participate in a conversation. Comprehension is an issue, and also understanding why she is seeing words on a large screen, and recognize who is communicating with her. When my Aunt with adv dementia was sundowning, we'd put up all sorts of signs assuring her she was in her own home, showing her pictures of her in the same home, putting her address on a large poster... to no avail. She didn't comprehend the content of the posters, she didn't even know to look at the posters in the first place even though they were right in front of her.

I wish you success in finding something that works, just saying you should have tempered expectations and don't invest too much time and money on a fix that, even if it works, it may only work briefly.

You can contact organizations for hearing impaired/deaf people and they may be able to give you some ideas on how they do it.
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Reply to Geaton777
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