apple pencil touse when facetiming

Hi

My mum has just had her voice box removed and is unable to speak. I wanted to know if she used an ipad to face time could she use the apple pencil to write what she wants to say to her caller?

Mum is 86 and does not currently own any mobile phones or other technology, so we need to keep everything simple.

I would appreciate any advice or suggestions that you have. 😕