Optimize laptop for the elderly

GM. My grandmother is 72 years old, a few months ago brought the laptop with installed Ubuntu. To simplify removed all the panels and set the dock a La the Mac icons need software to "poke and earn". Well, the fonts are more exposed, of course. In the end, the bottom was 5 push buttons — chess, browser, Skype, video, off. Just to impossible. Took a week time for training, after which the grandmother began quite independently to be rummaged on the Internet. For the safety from virusni not fear, for Linux, and all sorts of terrible Windows from antivirals aren't hanging out. Now several times a week to communicate via video through Skype, sometimes asks if something is unclear.
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From Windows, in my opinion, very busy interface, and it cannot be changed in a simple way. A complicated interface is a long and difficult training. Pity the elderly people, not ship them a bunch of menus and buttons.

The main font a little more to do. It would be nice to record short clips than to use, so you can always look at and remember.

I think you should try to send the tablet.
It is more intuitive.
Tactile is the usual method of interaction (even before birth).
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We did a little research on this topic.
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Remember how someone first time takes a mouse?
To tachpadom on a laptop and can't get used to.
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You can try a cheap Chinese Android.
To watch online and to write letters enough.
If the version of Android is 2.1 and Skype will work.

Well, I think the omission of the comp is more of an emergency event. So on button. they will not lose) Videos can be recorded from the monitor for programs that they are likely to use. You can also put the open files in one click, and instead increased the font you can just make the resolution smaller, that and the font was large and the icons were big on the desktop.

in Control Panel\\Appearance and Personalization\\Display put 150% — to better see the icons and text
and try to teach how to run mail, Skype and the fact that most often they will do.

For Skype on Linux has been observed discharges a stored password, the decision — at every boot to restore ~/.Skype from backup before grand-the user gets into the system. Probably to Win, too, is applicable.

Most importantly put on laptop Teamviewer to if anything just to help and show how to do something.