Lewis Emerson wrote:
>I've tried to get her interested in getting the computer out to the nursing
>home to use again (it'd made such a tremendous difference in her life
>earlier), but she seems not interested.  I know that she's afraid that it'd
>be stolen from, and that it might be awkward to use her desktop machine
>from a bed or a wheelchair, but I'm trying to think of some way.....

I'm sorry to hear that your relative has been placed in a nursing home. I
suspect she may be depressed about the loss of independence she had before
becoming ill. 

I commend you for trying to help. It is admirable of you. I will try to shed
some light on the situation here.

As for taking her computer to her in the nursing home that may not be
possible due to the restrictions facilities have about bringing anything
electrical from home. The State and Federal Government not to mention the
accreditation board may have restrictions prevent you from doing this. It
all has to do with electrical leakage and the type of plugs required by the
hospital. The plugs they use are not your every day in home kind. Please
check with them first if you will. There may have been a thread here at
PCBuild about that or something similar. I can't remember right now but I
think it was a cell phone the hospital wouldn't allow.

As for the desktop vs. laptop that is a toss up. Let's suppose you can bring
her computer into the facility. You made mention of the screen size and not
being able to see the fonts and such. A larger inexpensive LCD in the
neighborhood of 17"-19" would do well. As for being able to use it in a
wheelchair, how was she using it at home? They do have wheelchairs with desk
arms and or removable arms. If she is a paraplegic then she might have a
wheelchair with removable sides for side transfers and such into bed and to
bathe. These chairs fit under tables and such to assist the patient in being
able to eat with the rest of the family.

The other consideration would be online connection so she can continue
communicating with the outside world. Again that is a sticky wicket in the
hospital arena. Is there a place to connect? Does the hospital have a
wireless network and if so, will they let her tap into it? 

As for the security of the system, a desktop would be more secure than a
lap. They have security systems that are good these days to make sure
computers don't grow legs and walk away. Wire straps connected directly to
the hardware. They even have alarm systems if that is a consideration.

The information provided here should help you to accomplish the task at hand
and hopefully reach your goal. Being confined is one thing but being
confined in a nursing home is un-nerving for those who led a rather active
life.

Sincerely,

Frank Suszka
netTek Computers
[log in to unmask]



---
avast! Antivirus: Outbound message clean.
Virus Database (VPS): 0621-2, 05/23/2006
Tested on: 5/23/2006 19:53:12
avast! - copyright (c) 1988-2006 ALWIL Software.
http://www.avast.com

                         PCBUILD's List Owners:
                      Bob Wright<[log in to unmask]>
                       Drew Dunn<[log in to unmask]>