They have the Flipper TV remotes at Amazon. My mother has one. It was simple to set up, so you can turn the TV and cable box on with a single button. It is no frills -- just volume, channels, mute, and power. The buttons are big so she can see what she's doing. The only problem she has with it is she tends to not point it at the TV when she powers on or off. That can get the TV and cable box out of sync -- one off and the other on. It can be corrected by turning the set off and on three times (or I use the "big remote" to bring them back in sync).
On amazon name is 'Tek Pal Remote Control - TEK' Description: only 6 buttons to use, palm-sizd with large lighted buttons - $19.99 . I got this for my mother with dementia and macular degeneration. There is only an ON button with channels UP + DOWN and sound UP + DOWN. Can't designate a specific channel with entering numbers, however, with the age, eyesight and mental attention problems - my Mom was beyond it anyway - it caused stress - so I just leave her main channel on and she avoids upset and feels in control again.
The Flipper is great. It has only five buttons : Power, volume up, volume down, channel up, channel down. (In actuality it has lots of other buttons hidden under a nearly invisible sliding panel on the lower half of it. We never let Dad see us slide that part open, and in a year he never discovered it. Before we bought this, Dad would press every button on the remote, totally messing it up (and always denying it, of course) My husband was constantly having to fix that thing..So don't let then see that feature.
My parents have the FLIPPER and yes, it's supposed to work with any cable company. NO...it is NOT part of your cable company. It is a private company remote for the elderly and children. We did have some difficulty getting it programmed to start with, but then we have 'elderly' helping 'elderly' in my situation.....I am 70, my parents are 89 and 93....and those trying to help me were over 50! My more 'techie' brother in law, had no trouble when we got him involved. And my parents had the same trouble with it....and Mom still does....understanding that you do not hold the remote pointing up in the air in front of your face while you look for the button!! You find the button that way if you need to, but when you push the button, it must point at THE BOX....not the TV, itself! She still has days when she doesn't get it. But it's a good sturdy remote and works well.
I have the Flipper for my Mom, too. She has the same issue of getting the box and the TV out of sync with each other. The other issue we've noticed is that there is quite a long delay when changing channels. It's really not an unreasonable delay, but for my 86 year-old, impatient mother, it causes her to push the button again, and again, and again.... And that gets it all messed up! Another good thing about the Flipper is that you can program which channels are available. I suggest keeping them to a minimum because when you change channels you actually scroll through all the available channels till you get to the one you want. That combined with the previously mentioned issue of the delay, can be a bit frustrating.
For my mom, I got her Sonys kids remote control, the RM -KZ1. @ Target under $15. It's bright green & holds 7 channels which you program in, battery compartment locks too, so no more opening & messing with batteries
Will these remotes work with any cable company? Does anyone know this? I have tried to ask the provider for her cable network, but they say most on the market will not work with her set-up.
I have actually discovered a new product which solves this problem as well. It is not a new remote, but it is a cover that fits on the remote you already have. Button Blocker is a cover that snaps onto the remote control, and covers the less needed buttons. This in turn, prevents the user from pressing any wrong buttons that would mess up the tv. You can only press the most necessary buttons on the remote control, like guide, volume, mute, and power. And, apparently, they now have a glow in the dark model available, which is useful for anyone who loses the remote control. Even better- is that there is no need to program a new remote with the box, the tv, etc.
AWESOME - with the onset of the recent digital upgrade - the other remote as been unusable - I will look up button blocker and REALLY appreciate you sharing this information!
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