My 95 year old mother wants to play games like solitaire and majong and read news articles. So a minimum user. Needs to have the capability to attach a regular keyboard, mouse and monitor so at least three USB ports? She has Wi-Fi. Her old computer is a desktop about 15 years old. Want a laptop so it's fairly portable.
She's sharp as a tack. And with some instruction will be able to figure it out.
An iPad is easy to navigate and if necessary a keyboard can be used. The iPad worked well for us. Just make sure you buy a really good case for it. We had to replace my mother's twice when she dropped it
I don’t think that you should invest in a Mac for someone with light use and a short lifespan. You can get a laptop for under $400. I spent about $200.