Thanks for all the suggestions. I visited today with my tablet. I can get wifi about 50 ft. away. I hope a booster would work. But if not he will most likely be mobile enough that walking/taking him out to the elevators. There is a small sitting area there and the signal is strong. So that might work as well.
But the Kindle said "authentification problem". The nursing home gave me the password, and I entered it, but still couldn't connect.
Now what do I do?
Re: smart phones - need to keep this as cheap as possible. If I lose a kindle, who cares? If I lose a smartphone - I CARE! Not many people want to steal a Kindle :)