I'm looking for a universal tv remote control that is compatible with cable tv services, including record/play functions, for a 94yo with dementia. The regular remote control that he's used to using has become too difficult for him - he gets the buttons mixed up, and has trouble placing his fingertip on the correct button. The "accessible" remote controls that I've found online have too few functions. The ideal remote control would have haptic cues, effective colour-coding, icons instead of words wherever possible, and no extraneous buttons. Keywords I have already used include "accessible", "dementia", "dementia friendly", "assistive", "assistive technology", and have come up with bupkus.
I am also exercising tremendous self-restraint by not including my own rant about the terrible design of every single remote control in existence - they don't even work for fully-abled people! And the designs that are passed off as "accessible" are not worth the time to consider.
The catch—and it’s an important one—is that Flipper deliberately eliminates many of the functions this person says he needs. In particular, it’s designed around simplified channel/volume/power control rather than being a full DVR remote. So I wouldn’t buy it without first establishing exactly which cable/DVR system he’s using.
2. The old Philips SRU4208WM/17 is
surprisingly
close
This is the one that caught my attention.
Philips SRU4208WM/17 information
Philips made a Big Button Universal Remote specifically intended for cable/set-top boxes, and unlike many dementia-oriented remotes, it retained the full DVR transport controls: Play, Stop, Fast Forward, etc. It also had large buttons. Philips says it was designed for advanced cable-box operation.
Unfortunately, Philips lists it as discontinued. But I think this is worth pursuing as a used/refurbished/old-stock item. It may actually be closer to the request than many of the current “accessible” products.
3. An old RCA big-button DVR remote may be another good avenue
There’s also the RCA RCR4258N, an older 4-device big-button universal remote. Its layout includes:
Record • Play • Stop • Pause • Reverse • Forward
along with cable/DVR, volume, channel, Guide, Menu, navigation and numeric controls.
That’s much closer to the requested functionality than the usual dementia remotes. The problem again is age and availability, and it still has considerably more buttons than I’d want for someone with dementia.
4. If the cable service is Xfinity, there’s a particularly interesting answer
If this person has Xfinity, I’d investigate the Xfinity Large Button Voice Remote before buying anything else.
Comcast specifically designed it for people with disabilities. It has large buttons, voice control, and—interestingly given the original poster’s request—haptic vibration. Comcast says the remote provides haptic feedback during setup.
Voice control could potentially eliminate a lot of the button-finding problem altogether: “Play,” “pause,” “record,” “channel 7,” etc., depending on what the particular Xfinity system supports.
The limitation is obvious: it’s not a universal remote. It’s a solution if the person’s cable provider is Xfinity.
5. There is one company I’d contact directly rather than just shopping
RJ Cooper & Associates makes specialized TV controllers for people with disabilities.
RJ Cooper TV Controller
This is interesting because they explicitly say that if someone needs more detailed big-button access—including Guide, DVR, Volume, etc.—they can build/configure a solution with additional controls. Their basic controller is essentially a large physical interface for IR television/cable functions.
That strikes me as potentially much more aligned with the actual problem than another generic Amazon/Amazon-style “senior remote.”
And I think there’s a better strategy hiding in the question
The poster is actually asking for something more specific than a “dementia remote.”
They’re looking for:
large tactile buttons + physical differentiation + color coding + icons + DVR controls + cable-box compatibility + no unnecessary controls.
That’s a fairly specialized human-interface problem.
I’d therefore look at remotes designed for people with visual/motor disabilities, rather than continuing to search for “dementia remote.” The latter category has become a marketing term for “we removed most of the buttons.” That’s not the same thing.
And there’s another possibility I’d seriously consider: modify an existing good remote rather than finding the mythical perfect one. A full-function DVR remote with a sensible physical layout can potentially be made easier to navigate.
I haven't tried anything like this and we are close to it with a loved one. Not sure if the voice commands will "stick".
For awhile we wrote the remote instructions down on a pad of paper for my mother who suffered from dementia. And for a very short while she was able to watch tv. Until she'd call screaming that the tv people were talking in another language. So then we taped off certain buttons so she knew NOT to press them. Until she did and all hell broke loose.
Oftentimes I'd call the desk at the Memory Care and ask one of the aides to go into her room and help mom with the remote. It was always short lived until the next problem arose.
I don't believe a remote exists that will usable for very long with a dementia patient. Soon enough my mother even stopped reading her beloved People magazine I had her subscribed to. I'd go over to visit and there'd be snow on the tv and she'd just be sitting there. It's all very sad and heartbreaking.
I wish you good luck in solving this issue. Should you manage to, please come back and let us know the secret.