I'm a long time lurker, first time poster. My grandparents are in their mid-80's and are having a hard time managing the complexities of a modern A/V system. I've tried a few different setups and somehow things inevitably end up out of sync somewhere and they call one of us for help.
I've tried a URC RF10 and that ended up with more buttons (and more buttons that were remapped so they didn't do what the label said) than they could handle, they ended up just finding the device's original remotes and using them in tandem with the power on/input switching macros I programmed into the RF10. I have since simplified their system somewhat as they now have an A/V receiver that can handle video switching and conversion, so only one device switches inputs now. When I helped them make that change, I also stopped using the RF10 since it was pretty pointless. Their current setup is to use their standard silver Comcast remote for most things, and to pull out the receiver's remote or DVD player's remote when appropriate. With Yamaha's easy to see and easy to use Scene buttons they can handle the input switching fairly easily now. However the power commands still seem to get missed, especially for their Samsung plasma TV.
I have been thinking that a Harmony would be good for them because of the activity based paradigm and the nice Help feature that can ask them what device isn't on, and re-send the power command, etc. The big snag is that all the wand style Harmonys have too many buttons, many of which are also just too small in size. I've been considering the Harmony 1100, since it has a decent sized touch screen that is in color. However, I'm not sure about it. I think they'd like more hard buttons than just volume and channel up/down. The general critera for people in their 80's are easy to see buttons and an easy to understand layout. In the past I've done quite a bit research on remotes and remote for senior citizens specifically. The so-called senior remotes out there are a joke since they offer no advanced funtionality just large buttons.
The other consideration is of course cost, as retired folk who still tend to have a depression era attitude about money, convincing them to spend $300 (the cost of the Harmony 1100) on a remote is a bit of a hard sell, but if they knew it could stop most of all of their A/V remote headaches they are potentially open to it.
