# iPad Sources Refurbished/Used? for stroke patient



## Tam (Jan 7, 2010)

Our office manager's husband will soon be coming home from rehab after having a severe stroke. He has regained an amazing amount of physical skills, but his speech and communication skills are slower to come back and he will always have some aphasia issues. The therapists have suggested that the family get him an iPad because there are now quite a lot of apps that he can use for assistive communication and for speech therapy. Finances will be an ongoing issue for this family, as he is only 55, will be on disability, and will possibly never be able to return to work. 

We would like to help them with obtaining an iPad. I asked her to find out whether the therapists recommend WiFi only or 3G. They already told her the 64GB would be best to hold as many useful apps and programs as possible. I would like to use the money wisely and get a refurbished or good used one if it would save a bit, as I feel like we should use the money wisely - as they will have many needs down the road.

Does anyone have any ideas about where to proceed to get as much bang for the buck as possible?


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## kay_dee (May 24, 2009)

The Apple site has refurbs, but you may want to try your local Best Buy. They usually have open box buys that can save you some money as well—that's how we've gotten our iPads. My husband is also dealing with stroke and sight issues as a result of brain surgery last year and downloads a lot of accessibility apps. He has a 32GB iPad and it's more than enough room for the apps and audio files he uses.


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## VictoriaP (Mar 1, 2009)

AT&T sometimes has refurbished iPads, and for less than Apple's price.  I picked one up on a screaming deal earlier this year, opting to get the 3G finally as I needed access during some lengthy medical treatments.  I saved nearly $200 over the new price.

But I would disagree with the need for a 64 GB.  Most apps don't take nearly enough space to justify that expense.  The only reason to go that high is if there's a need to load a LOT of video and audio on it.

I have a 16 GB with over 100 apps, and it's still only half full.  My husband has a 32, with more apps and a few movies--he still has space.  Neither of us would wish for a larger model.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Woot.com had a fairly good deal on 3G AT&T first generation ipads awhile ago, but you never can tell when/if that will happen again.

For the purpose you describe, I can conceive of needing a fair amount of space for audio and video for different applications.  Video in particular takes up a lot of space.  Especially since the therapists, who presumably have his interest at heart and understand financial issues, recommended 64 gig.  You don't get the full storage listed, as the operating system takes up some space.  I believe on the first generation, the 16 gig ipad actually had about 11 or 12 gig available for use.


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## Sharon Red (Jul 23, 2011)

I wish I could help find one for you but if I see one, you will be the first to know.


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## Holly (Mar 8, 2011)

My thoughts go out to him.  My husband had a relatively large stroke four years ago that affected him cognitively/speech.  Tell them not to lose hope.  Contrary to statistics, most of the recovery took place after the 6-12 month time frame.  He had to learn very basic concepts over again.  He still has a deficit giving multi-level explanations but for daily living he is fine.  Word substitutions initially were a problem.  He did return to work but not at 100% capacity.  He worked for a wonderful company who generously made allowances to alter his workload.  I got him a Nindtendo DS to help his recovery but it wasn't that helpful.  The eye-training program helped some.  Brain-age skill program was a failure at that time.  There are good websites to help stroke patients as well.  

New learning can be a problem for stroke patients so he may need help with an iPad initally but it is worth a try.  If there is Wifi in the home...that is all he will need.  Someone will correct me if I'm wrong but I do not believe the iPad's 3G is free as it is with the kindle.  There is a cost to the data transfer similar to the apple phone.  It could be free in the US but not in Canada.  I would hesitate to recommend a used one since the battery may soon need replacing if it is the first version.  This is upwards of a hundred dollars.  If weight is a factor, an ipad2 may be easier to lift.  He would need a good tough case to prevent damage with falls.  There are some really good wall mounts or table mounts that I would consider depending on mobility and other issues.


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## derekgentry (Jul 8, 2010)

Very sorry to hear about your co-workers husband. My grandmother recently suffered a major stroke, and I can see how the iPad would be a useful tool in this situation—she has enjoyed mine when I've visited.

I would second the idea that, if cost is any issue, you could go with 32 GB and be fine for this purpose. I would also say that the WiFi only model would be the way to go—to me, the 3G version isn't a good deal unless you're using it for business and are constantly on the go with it.

Good luck!


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