Seven small things that help someone take to their player.
None of them takes long, and they don't all need doing at once. Setting up is the easy part; these are what make the player part of the day. There is no right pace.
1. Give it a home
A stand beside their chair, with the charger left plugged in. The player is then always charged and always in the same place, which matters a great deal to someone who can't see well.
2. Keep the player on the screen
A stray touch can close the player or open something else, which is unsettling for anyone who can't easily find the way back. You can set the tablet so the player is the only thing it shows. It takes about two minutes, once.
- iPad or iPhone: Guided Access. Settings → Accessibility → Guided Access → on. Open the player, press the top or Home button three times quickly, and tap Start.
- Android: app pinning. Settings → Security → App pinning → on. Open the player, open the recent-apps view, tap the player's icon at the top of its card, then Pin.
- Amazon Fire: Screen Pinning. Settings → Security & Privacy → Screen Pinning → on, then pin the player from the recent-apps view in the same way. Some Fire tablets call it App Pinning, and a few don't have it. If yours doesn't, keep the player's tile alone on the home screen.
3. Have a stylus handy
If they press the button and nothing happens, it is the screen, not them. A touchscreen needs a little warmth and moisture in the fingertip. My grandmother Ruth found the screen didn't react to her finger, because her circulation is poor. A stylus gets round it. In our family it is called the dobber.
Any "touchscreen stylus" with a soft rubber tip will do. They cost a few pounds, and a chunky one is easier to hold. Tying it to the stand keeps it from wandering.
4. Make it easy to hear
When listening takes effort it is tiring, and it is natural to put the player down. You only need the one of these that fits.
- Hearing aids. Many Bluetooth hearing aids connect straight to a tablet, so the book plays directly into them. On an iPad: Settings → Accessibility → Hearing Devices (not the ordinary Bluetooth list). On an Android tablet: Settings → Connected devices → Pair new device. An Amazon Fire generally can't send sound straight to hearing aids, so use a speaker, or the hearing-aid maker's own clip-on streamer.
- A speaker. A tablet's own speaker is fine in a quiet room. In a care home or a busy house, a small plug-in or Bluetooth speaker beside the chair is much clearer.
- A slower reading. Some narrators rattle along. On the Player tab of your family page, "Reading speed of the books" can be set a little slower. The voice that announces each book can be changed there too.
5. Leave a first message
A story is lovely. A familiar voice is lovelier still. On the Voice notes tab of your family page you can record a message. It doesn't need to be clever, and you don't need to like the sound of your own voice. Twenty seconds about lunch, the dog, or the fact that you are coming on Sunday is exactly right.
When a message is waiting, the big button on the player turns green. The message plays first, then the story carries on. Your family page shows when it has been heard.
6. Bring in the family
You don't have to do this alone. On the Family tab you can add brothers, sisters and grandchildren. Each gets a short note on Sunday: what was listened to, who left a message, and a gentle reminder if it has gone quiet. A message a week from each of you is plenty.
7. Try it together a few times
One go is rarely enough for anyone. Sit together, let them press the big button, listen for five minutes, then press it again to stop. Three different days in the first week is a lovely start. If a carer or another relative does one of them, that counts just as much.
Still stuck?
Write to hello@readingtoruth.com and a person answers, usually the same day. No question is too small. The set-up guide has every step for each kind of device.
With warm wishes,
Tara