Need Advice: Laptop for Arthritic Mother

Laptop4Mom

Pain has separated my mother from the world she loves. Her pain forced her to retire early from a profession she loved: student research outreach. She is unbelievably passionate about American Colonial history (yes, we're a few of those damn colonists), and also loves my alma mater's (american) football team, heavy rock music, and kicking **** in general. While she is still quite apt at kicking ****, her ability to enjoy other passions has been cut off by her pain; I would like to give her a tool capable of giving some of that back.

I consider myself extraordinarily fortunate not to have arthritis. The flip side of the coin is that I can only understand a fraction of what life with her pain is like - that's where you can help. I need to know what I need to consider when building a laptop for her. Even if you aren't a technology wizard, you can be immensely helpful. I just need to know what part of normal laptop operation causes pain - or even better, what products you've used to mitigate the pain (successfully or otherwise).

Thank you very much. She gave me life and I'd like to return a little of the favor.

stickywicket

Hello and a warm welcome to the forum. I think I like your Mum :areindeer: and she has raised a kind, thoughtful daughter too.

I wish I could help but this is going to be tough simply because there is no one-size-fits-all arthritis. I don't even know which of your Mum's joints are affected and which cause her most pain.

Let me put it this way. I've had RA for over 50 years and consequent OA, As far as computers go, my wrists have fused themselves in the useful - straight - position and my fingers are all over the place but I can still type OK with a couple of them. I personally find I type best sitting at a desk on a proper computer keyboard. Although I can, and do occasionally, use a borrowed laptop I find the flat keyboard means I tend to press more keys than I'd wish :xmas_redface: Of course, if I were using it regularly, I could attach a keyboard.

I now have a small tablet which is useful because it's portable. I'm getting better at the touch keyboard but I still find I have quite a lot of typos. I initially - completely accidentally but oh so appropriately - told a friend I thought I had the 'erong gingers' (wrong fingers) for a touch keyboard. If your Mum has hand problems she might find a larger tablet heavy. I know I do. My husband has a larger one which also has a 'keyboard/lid'.

I think you'll get more replies if you re-post on the Living With Arthritis forum though it's very quiet on here in the run-up to Christmas. It'd help if you said where your Mum's problems lie. For my money there's nothing quite beats trying out as many different things as possible.

P.S. There is always Voice Operated Software but I think everyone hates it.

I hope Mum gets to kick **** again - as long as it's not mine and it doesn't hurt her leg

mellman01

Welcome to the forum, I love your post made me chuckle it did, as for laptops I have no problems with my hands, I do however use a Mac Book Pro and I love the bit of kit, the mouse function is very easy and you can do all sorts of stuff with it more than my old Accer laptop, its also doesn't spend a long time up dating the antivirus software, you can also get all sorts of apps that can help and theres even a free one for for anyone disabled and having keyboard problems its called one handed keyboard.