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[John Schalk]

I tried going to the local Xfinity store to get a large button remote, but the young man working there didn't know what I was talking about.  I brought up the webpage for it and he clicked around on some links and we both learned that I needed to contact Comcast's "accessibility help line" to request the large button remote.  Yesterday I called and spoke to Lisa who was very helpful.  They are shipping me a large button remote that she is sure will work with Dad's cable box at no cost.  Note, it is tied to my Comcast account so this probably would've been harder if I wasn't a Comcast customer too.  I've attached a picture of Dad's cable box, which is screwed to the wall at the same height as the electrical outlets and such.

[Debbie Dunkley]

97 is one heck of an age to attain. Bless him....sounds like you are looking after him as you should.
Just a suggestion for the arthritis if you haven't already tried it. We use turmeric which is fantastic for all kinds of joint stiffness, aches and pains. See if it helps him.
We try to avoid OTC meds or prescription meds whenever possible.

About 3 years ago Chris started to notice pain in his hands after an hour or 2 of playing bass. Someone suggested a spoonful of mustard and at a show he grabbed some from a table, took it and no pain that night. Well we realized it is the turmeric in the mustard that did the trick. I had already developed a hot drink full of nutrients and natural remedies a couple of years before that which we were already drinking so I started to add turmeric to the drink.
I make him a nice big mug before every show and it has made a huge difference to him. In fact if he forgets or we are short on time - he feels the difference in his hands that night.
Anyway I realize he doesn't have arthritis like your dad but I figured I'd mention it.

[Cailen Waddell]

I don't suppose there's any chance of DIYing something?

I'm thinking of a reasonably tough plastic shell that houses the original remote, with 5 buttons which are wired into the original circuitry:

On/Off
Volume up,
Volume down,
Channel up,
Channel down.

The choice of button would be up to you, but you could probably have anything you like. Bit of work with a dremel tool and a soldering iron, might only take an afternoon once you've got the parts together.

Thinking about it, I'd love to have a remote with a big red button to press to switch everything on/off.

Hmmmmm...

Chris

This essentially exists in amazon:
Flipper Big Button Remote for 2 Devices - Seniors https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002GR1YZ0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_f4xjCb0Q65NTJ

My mother has some early onset dementia (which she would be mortified to know I’m discussing with anyone - luckily she doesn’t internet) we are experimenting with remote options now....  fun times


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[Rob Spence]

This essentially exists in amazon:
Flipper Big Button Remote for 2 Devices - Seniors https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002GR1YZ0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_f4xjCb0Q65NTJ

My mother has some early onset dementia (which she would be mortified to know I’m discussing with anyone - luckily she doesn’t internet) we are experimenting with remote options now....  fun times


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

He doesn’t have line of sight to the cable box and the existing remote appears to be RF.

I wonder if an IR repeater would work?



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[Cailen Waddell]

He doesn’t have line of sight to the cable box and the existing remote appears to be RF.

I wonder if an IR repeater would work?



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Fair point.  My parents don’t either.  I have them a Logitech harmony setup for them that I can remote into from my phone and fix things...  but I’m wondering if there is an easier way with an IR repeater as well...


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[John Schalk]

The xFinity big button remote came last week and I took it over to Dad's apartment on Sunday.  I waited to put the batteries in it until I was at Dad's place because the rep that I spoke to on the phone told me that the remote would sync up with the first cable box that it "found", and at first I thought that it was going to be just that simple. 

Out of the box, the remote would change the channels and the volume, but it would not power off the TV set.  I went through the steps that are listed on the back of the remote to program it for a given TV, but that produced indifferent results.  I could get channels or volume, but not both   Next, I pulled up the full list of TV codes from Comcast's website for Dad's LG TV and tried each one in turn, but with the same result.  In the process, I also tried changing the cable box brand for the remote using the A, B, C, & D keys, but that only made things worse.  Eventually I found the code to reset the remote (981, I think) and got back to where I started.

At this point I handed the remote over to Dad to try from his easy chair and that didn't go great.  The buttons do require some effort to push and, as large as they are, I don't think Dad can read the labels.  But it wasn't even working that well for him, so I finally decide to shift the TV and TV stand (a 2 drawer chest) to the right to expose his wall mounted cable box.  This seemed to work, but I can't figure out why.  I cannot find any IR window on the cable box, but the remote was working better for me when I was on the couch versus Dad's chair, so I believe it needs line of sight to the box.   I now suspect that some of my issues with programming it may have been related to the remote not seeing the cable box rather than not having the right TV codes.

I left the remote with Dad and I will ask him how he likes it later this week.  It would seem that there may not be a good answer for a 97 year old parent who needs cataract surgery!  At least the xFinity big button remote doesn't cost anything to try.

[ProSoundWeb Community]