Setting up iPhone for elderly parent with dementia

Hi Apple!

First: I don't know where we would be in relation to caring for elderly parents without technology.

That being said: I am 63 years old, and I have parents that were born in the 1930's. They have had iPhones, and we now have devices that are permanently locked because of memory problems for both my mother and father.

So... the fact that you do not have controls for senior citizens to use the iPhones that we, their children, purchase and set up, we only have the "set up for child" option. My 93 year old dad will likely be annoyed that he has lost his freedom of choice just because we cannot afford to keep replacing permanently locked devices when passwords are replaced and forgotten.

I am curious as to how the "set up for child" might affect the function of the devices I purchase for them.

Please, please, please help those of us who are trying so hard to keep our elderly parents connected, safe and allow us to care for them in a more efficient (and less insulting) manner.

I think I will return here to post an update if it does not work.

Except that Apple only has the “child” option and they won’t let me change my father’s DOB so this works. I even tried to chat with them to say I’m the legal guardian and zero options. They really need to change this because plenty of us are in charge of an aging parent who needs help and protection

if you’re still looking for solutions, try using Apples new Assistive Access setting. It changes how the home oven displays and allows you to put limitations on calls and texts. There’s no settings access in that mode, so they can’t change anything on their own. You can edit it by hitting the side button and entering a code. I’ve found it really useful with my dad.

I’m having trouble with this too. My mother-in-law has had an iPhone and iPad for some time so she wants to keep her current Apple ID. I’ve moved it under my family account but that doesn’t seem to help me unlock her phone when she’s locked herself out. (Her iPhone is currently in security lockout for the next 6 hours so ill go over to her house tomorrow morning to deal with it but I’m thinking I should remove her passcode all together but that seems unsafe as well. I would also like to keep her from changing her location settings so we can always find her or her phone when he looses it.

Hello,

Family Sharing should solve most of your issues: Set yourself as the Organizer/Parent and your elderly parent as a dependent:

Family Sharing - Apple

Good luck.

I’ve done this and can’t see how this solves anything at all. I can’t unlock her phone or ID from my account. The only thing it does is let her share our data and music.