Older finger on keyboard

Older finger on keyboard: a reader asks…

Hi Chris, I’m helping my father with his desktop PC. He’s older and has lost a lot of feeling in his fingers. He’s having trouble with the standard keyboard that came with the computer, can’t tell if he’s pushed a key or not. Any suggestions?

Why don’t you go retro? The older mechanical keyboards took a lot more work to type on (think Selectric typewriters) than today’s keyboards which have micro-switches under the keys. In your case, I’d suggest getting a gamer’s keyboard. They are full-size keys, with mechanical switches. You have to really press down a long ways compared to a regular keyboard. Here are some options:

1. 

   At the lower end of the spectrum, you can get a gaming keyboard like this one for about $70 from Amazon.com. While it has some fancy LED lighting, it has true mechanical keys, and includes a number keypad. While you might find the lighting distracting, your father may actually like it as it can make it easier to see and identify specific keys. The lighting is controllable, with multiple dimming levels as well as how often the colors change. What I like about this one is that the frame is sliver and the keycaps are black – good contrast so the keys are easier to see than when the frame and keycaps match. The keyboard is a little noisy though, but then it’s a lower cost than you’ll pay for more premium gaming keyboards.

2. 

   Spend a little more and get a little more. for about $120 you can get this Corsair gaming keyboard from Best Buy. It offers silent key travel. Mechanical keyboards are much louder to use than modern keyboards and that can be annoying. It has the same LED backlighting for the keys, although the software that comes with it allows you to assign a color to each key – this can be great to help your father figure out which key is which. It also comes with an integral palm rest.

Of course, you can spend a lot more money than these options above, gaming keyboards can easily sell for hundreds of dollars.

One problem that some people have with typing on keyboards is if they never learned to touch-type. Two finger typers can have an occupational hazard – the knuckles of other fingers may accidentally hit keys in addition to the fingers your father is using to type. The same features of a mechanical keyboard can help prevent this from happening. That’s because there are two features in mechanical keyboards that make inadvertent key presses harder to do:

1. Key travel distance: measured in millimeters, mechanical keyboards generally have a travel distance much greater than that of standard keyboards.
2. Force required: measured in grams, mechanical keyboards usually require more force to actuate than standard keyboards.

You might have been thinking about voice control capability to help you father, so he could dictate to the computer instead of typing on a keyboard. Software such as Dragon Naturally Speaking are great for adding voice control to a computer system, but my experience has been that most seniors have real trouble using such software as using it is rather complicated in terms of what words to use for what command functions, etc. These programs are a long way away from being really helpful, particularly to the senior set. It’s a great idea, but the maturity of the software isn’t quite there yet. I’ve been excited about the advances of Siri, Amazon Echo and other voice-control capabilities, but anyone who’s tried them can tell you their tales of frustration trying to be understood.

That said, in some cases it may be worth using voice control. This includes people with physical disabilities and for senior citizens who are still sharp of mind and able to learn new things. If your father falls into either of these categories, it might be worth giving voice control a try.

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