Trying to help my Dad!

comeonthetic

Folks,

My dad is 61 and was medically retired about 20 years ago. He receives income support of around £96, a top up cheque of about £11 as they say you need around £107 a week to live on. He also receives a monthly work pension of around £250 and mobility of around £200 a month. (all approximations from memory)

Anyway, getting to the point. My dad lives alone, about 4 miles away from me and about 20 miles from my brother. He only leaves the house on special occasions like grandchildrens birthdays etc when I pick him up and drop him off. Despite efforts by my brother and me to get him more active and go out more, he stubbornly declines. I have suggested in the past that he should invest in a computer and get online. He says he doesn't have the money and he wouldn't have a clue how to use one. Last year, every house in a scheme near to my dads received a brand new computer and a years free subscription to the internet. Is there anyone I could contact to see if my dad could get some sort of grant or help in some way to get him online and open his dull life up to the wonders of the world wide web?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Tic

Fran

Really you seem to need local services; perhaps a google search for local facilities using your town/city/village name to start? The Citizens Advice website can find the local CAB who would also be able to advise, or local disability centre etc.

sce37

Why not try taking him down to your library. Many provide free access to computers and the internet. Get him to try it out first to raise his interest.

Savvy_Sue

There are some people who will never be converted to the joys of the internet ... so you may just be on a loser here. However, getting him somewhere he can see the possibilities is likely to be the only way to do it. If he has particular interests then that may be a way in, but don't bank on it. Just getting him home computer is unlikely to do it.

My F-in-L believes that computers are useless or worse than useless. But then, he worked for an organisation which is barely recovering from flawed implementation of computers which never lived up to their promise and brought the service to the brink of disaster.

He doesn't understand them, and doesn't think he is capable of understanding them. He and M-in-L have done some introductory courses but I don't see a computer darkening their door any time soon.

Then there's the other problem: the completely incompetent user. Another senior member of my family uses email via an Email telephone. And at regular intervals the Inbox fills up, because you can only have 100 emails in ALL your boxes. I have explained this, and shown them how to delete old emails. Waste of time: someone has to go over and delete them because this information is not retained.

deedee_3

My Mum and Dad were always like that. Then they retired and brought a computer which they soon upgraded. They are now on broadband and are having the time of they're lives. Dad edits all his camcorder stuff on there, adds music, special effects the lot. They've used it to put all they're records onto DVD. They researched where they wanted to go on holiday. They send me photo's of my son. You name it they do it. So you never know. BTW they are 63.