Organising Wi-Fi in a nursing home for the non-techy

[KatyMac]

My mum has just been admitted to a nursing home - she is an uber un-techy person and her phone is a brick that only stakes calls and she can't text to save her life

Just sending in her computer won't help as the manager has to go up with her phone's hotspot to make it work

So super easy solutions?

I am somewhat stressed with the whole locking her up for 2 weeks in case she has covid while she is on end of life care so nothing that involves anyone going into the home or significant tech input please?

Could you send in a tablet with a sim card? Then she could Skype / facetime. That's what happens in my Grans care home but it's the staff who have one they take round

A wifi dongle and a tablet/smart phone?

If she is untechy would she be better with just a landline phone. Do the rooms have phone lines.

Tablet with a SIM card - right tell me more about this

Could I buy it, get it sent to me and I set up her email and Skype with family addresses and then send it to her? What set up would the home have to do

Not all tablets accept a sim card which is why a wifi dongle might work better

So I need to buy 2 things - I can do that - is the process still the same tho' I buy and set up then post?

I she can use her computer and you could deliver it what about buying her a mobile dongle? Once the password is entered the first time,which you could do at home first before delivering, it will connect automatically.

I'm assuming there isn't anywhere I can buy and have they set it up and send straight to her?

Just get a tablet with a SIM card. Check with your mobile phone provider most have deals where you can pay for it monthly as part of your contract.

So her computer and a mobile dongle?
How do I get them to talk to each other? I suppose her neighbour could post her laptop to me and do it that way?

What ever I do will have to be up front cost or rolling monthly contract cos after she dies there isn't anyone who can afford to pay the bill until after probate

IKve messaged a computer co that I used when I lived by my mum

I reckon he would set it up (if mum's neighbour delivered it to him) and deliver it to the home

Now I just need ideas to suggest to him

In honesty if she is untechy I would avoid a computer. iPads are probably the easiest to use, and on music magpie you can get a reconditioned older model with warranty for cheap. It would need a sim really if there is no WiFi in the care home, that works essentially like a phone SIM. The advantage with an iPad is that I bet the carers can easily use it (it works just like an iPhone essentially), which means they won't be spending time learning how to use it in order to help her. They come preloaded with the facetime app if you have apple products, or something like Skype can be downloaded from the app store. You could create an account even and then hand her or the care staff the login details, so it's ready to go.

Does the home not have something to use so they initiate the call to you at agreed times? Might be worth an ask. I know a few in our area have this set up.

She has her own laptop that she uses for the bank and emails and asda orders - if I can get that to work all the better so looking down the dongle route I think

I imagine techy guy (who I just remembered existed) can put some fairly big icons on the screens saying skype/photos/dd's dance class/YouTube (maybe) so she can watch them

@BloodyWorried yes but the home iPad, a member of staff and the managers personal phone goes up 2 flights of stairs then the member of staff gets m
Barrieredd up and goes into her - it hardly seems fair and that's for the next 10 days after which the barrier protection goes but the rest remains

IT guy is lending up a mobile broadband and setting up her computer for easy of access - fingers crossed it all works out OK

Thanks everyone for listening to me stress about it all and for all the help you gave me

All sorted we went for wireless broadband

Thanks everyone for helping me work out what to ask for