Very, very easy to use radio/CD player?

Posted by: Paul Hutchings on 02 January 2006

My Grandad will be going into permanent residential or nursing care in the future so we're thinking ahead to things that he will need.

He currently has an old Hitachi midi-system which tbh sounds bloody good but it's too big to take, and he struggles to remember how to operate it due to dementia.

I'll head to Currys/Comet at some point to check out what's available but in the meantime I'm after any suggestions on the best combination of small and incredibly simple to use.

Something like the previous model Bose wave radio looked ideal, the one with the buttons on the top, but they are very expensive - ease of use is probably more important than sound quality tbh, no point the sound being there if he can't remember where the "on" button is.

TIA,
Paul

Posted on: 02 January 2006 by garyi

You want some of the offerings from Tivoli surely?

Posted on: 02 January 2006 by Paul Hutchings

Hmm.. I do have a Tivoli Model One on the desk at work and tbh if I were just after a radio I'm sure I could find something suitable for a lot less.

Actually I've just looked and remembered that I have in my wardrobe an old Roberts R600 radio - obviously no CD but it's a good old fashioned radio of the sort that someone my Grandads age will be familiar with.

Cheers,
Paul

Posted on: 02 January 2006 by garyi

Or you could flog it to me for a tenner, I really want an old roberts

Posted on: 03 January 2006 by Paul Hutchings

quote:
Originally posted by garyi:
Or you could flog it to me for a tenner, I really want an old roberts

eBay?

Tried it last night and wasn't impressed until I realised the PP9 battery must be about ten years old (I'm not exaggerating).

Grabbed the nearest mains adaptor that looked sensible and the thing sounds bloody fantastic IMHO. I've no idea of course if the current ones are as good though, didn't Roberts get taken over so they're now made in China or somewhere?

Paul

Posted on: 03 January 2006 by Guido Fawkes

My father has a Roberts CD Radio, which he finds easy to use.

You can download the user guide to see if it is a candidate. It costs £60 or thereabouts.

Posted on: 03 January 2006 by Paul Hutchings

Thanks for that - to be honest I can rule that out just looking at the photo. In an ideal world someone would make a brick that didn't cost the earth that simply had bloody big "Play Music" and "Stop Music" buttons on it!

I think the Roberts is the way to go, there's no CD player but that may not be the end of the world - the way I see it better to have a radio that will be used than a CD/Radio that won't because he can't operate it.

I feel slightly awkward the way these posts may come across - I'm not suggesting my Grandad is stupid, if anyone here has dealt with dementia you'll hopefully know where I'm coming from.

Paul

Posted on: 03 January 2006 by Derek Wright

Paul - been thru a similar process with parents and m in law

Keep it simple
be prepared to see it not used and possibly mislaid. The new new location may take a while to get used to.

Posted on: 04 January 2006 by David McN

From experience with my father I would suggest that you look at the Royal National Institute for the Blind equipment. Substantial solid models, very simple controls highlighted in yellow. My father could operate the radio and tape recorder when he had dementia and was partially sighted. Prices reasonable but sound quality only average.
David

Posted on: 05 January 2006 by Paul Hutchings

Thanks David, the Roberts came to me via a Great Aunt who had it from the RNIB.

We've had a phone call today and he's moving on Monday as a room has become free where we wanted for him, so "Plan A" is stick with the Roberts, and see how it goes and then think about CD's - it probably goes without saying that there will be more important things to take care off immediately after he moves.

Thanks all,
Paul