This guest blog post is contributed by Boomerater, a free online resource for Baby Boomers helping you find everything from a wealth planner to trips with your grandkids. Seniors for Living contributes its senior housing properties to Boomerater’s local directories, including Maryland assisted living facilities, Michigan Alzheimer’s Care and more.

A new Q&A discussion from Boomerater’s forums appears here each Friday. In this week’s post, members discuss easy-to-use computer services to send pictures and emails.

Question: My dad has never taken to computers. He just isn’t interested in learning how to surf the web and thinks he’s too old to understand how to use a computer. Most of his children and grandchildren live a considerable distance from him and would like to send him pictures and emails. Does anyone know of a simple product that can do this without his having to be computer literate?

Reply #1 – You may want to check out the Hewlett-Packard printing mailbox with presto service. It prints emails and photos via the web and you don’t need a computer or Internet connection to use it – just a phone jack. You have to switch your phone line over to receive email, but you can preset what times of the day your phone will receive email. You can’t send email or pictures, just receive them, but it may work out for your dad.

Reply #2 - I suggest that you buy the PC, and install it for him with three simple instructions: Press this to turn it on, press here for email, and here for the Internet browswer. My 90-year-old computer illiterate auntie was presented by her son with this simple option and she just loves it. And he can always ring the grandkids to find out why something is not working.

Reply #3 - I would suggest this amazing service called Celery. The Celery is a fax machine that allows your father to email you without using a computer. What he would do is write you a letter, put it in the Celery machine and press send. He can also send pictures just by putting them through his device. Your family can even send him color pictures that will print out of the Celery machine in photo-quality. Another great feature of the Celery computerlless email system is that it requires no Internet connection. The Celery would plug into his existing phone line. This system is a great way for you and your family members to stay in touch with your father. Go to mycelery.com for more information.

Find out what others had to say about easy-to-use computers, or add your own suggestions on Boomerater.com.