Advice for elderly parent, to access audiobooks.

[MaidinDevon]

Hi All

I am hoping you guys can advise. Basically, my Mum is no longer able to operate her TV or radio etc. She has carers 4 times daily. She ahs some dementia and cognitive problems.

Her heath needs have recently changed, and she will need agency carers at bedtime, as we can't support her. She will have to be got ready much earlier than is her preference (10-11pm). I hate the idea of her stuck in bed with nothing to occupy her mind. On the other hand, she gets very distressed if gruesome or graphic violence comes on.

We are investing in a new smart TV, which carers can operate on her behalf, she watches ITV3 all day long, except for the soaps!
However, i found a Lord Peter Wimsey audiobook on Youtube, and she loved it.

I would like to be able to build up a library of audiobooks, of novels she is very familiar with. Largely Dorothy L Sayers, and Agatha Christie.

How do i find these, free/or very cheap, and can we set up a way for carers to leave one playing, say in ghe evening and to turn off after a couple of hours. Can i download them onto a USB.

Also would be good to set up a playlist of music she likes. Again i would like to be able to leave it playing.

Would Spotify be the best app?

With regard to the TV, Richer sounds have suggested that LG have a very user friendly system, that multiple carers can learn to use!

 

[Langtoftlad]

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[Hollyberry]

BBC Radio 4 Extra has lots of old radio programmes on every day which can be downloaded. At the moment there’s also a Miss Marple serialised — seems to be hours of it. Everything can be downloaded via BBC Sounds but not sure of the easiest way your mum could play them. Would an Alexa help ?

 

[Riverbankannie]

You, or Mum’s library will have an audio book system which will be free. However you might have to download for her and she needs a device to listen on.
There is a need for smart radios like smart TVs that are internet connected, or is that just an Alexa?
Most audio apps have a sleep timer.

 

[Minxy]

Not sure if it is useful but when my hubby's Mum was in hospital he got her an MP3 player and put loads of her favourite music on it so she could listen to it whenever she wanted ... apparently she used to burst out into song forgetting where she was!

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[Happy Jim]

How about a Sonos device, you can set it up with an app then add Alexa voice control to it, add in a Spotify account and set up playlists, it’s got Audiobook and Audible as add ins (not used them but look like subscription services with tons of free books).

Then the carer can talk to Alexa or leave an old smart phone as app controller for it

Rgds
Jim

 

[Stealaway]

Any amount cheap as chips.
All mine are copied to a memory stick I can play in the van.
A simple player and some head phone could do the trick for her. As long as she can skip the tracks she doesn't want.

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[Wellington]

Audible is brilliant. (I know it isn’t free) it will also work with Alexa, which has two benefits. The first is that she can talk to it, and it’s fairly straightforward. The second is you can control it remotely if need be, if you set it up for her with the app (assuming an app will be beyond her) It’s very straightforward ‘Alexa, read ‘war and Peace’. Alexa. Stop reading in one hour’ if she can remember it’s name, its fairly natural to talk to. She can ask it weather and news and other stuff if she likes, or things like ‘Alexa, play Jazz’. And you can see what she said to it if she’s having difficulty.

the little speakers (‘dots‘ for anyone unfamiliar with her Ladyship) are £50 but are nearly always discounted to half price on amazon prime day (usually in July) and Black Friday in November. you'd probably need to get wifi for her too, but then if she has a smart tv, that will also expand her range of options for things to entertain her

The other major benefit is that you can add smart home devices for her gradually If they work. A light bulb or two would be helpful in winter, I imagine and in an emergency she can call someone on it with very little set up. You can also set routines for alarms or music or whatever. I think there is great potential for independence gains with these technologies, and I love to see them used to help.