Coding as a hobby for the elderly?

#discuss #teaching

My Grandpa is a relatively intelligent man, he used to design circuits and has always enjoyed maths but his bones are giving up on him and he struggles to move up stairs anymore. Mentally this really gets to him, only a few years ago he would always be busy with an odd job and now he has to watch everyone else do these things for him. He basically just talks to my Grandma or watches TV.

I think programming would be something he could really throw himself into and enjoy, whether creating art through it or creating useful things for himself but I know people struggle to learn things as they grow older and I feel he'd find it frustrating if he didnt pick it up with relative ease. It could actually make his confidence worse if he struggles with it.

So heres my question:

What language would be the best for something like this? And what tools do people reccommend?

Python is good for learning but it often simplifies things in such a way they actually become harder to explain logically if you're wanting to think about it from a low level perspective rather than a "oh the computer just does that" perspective, for instance self in classes.
Javascript requires you to learn html and css too and needs you to be willing to forgo alot of early understanding through the logic of "oh the browser just does that"
C++ is incredibly complex even if logical and is difficult to achieve much with without alot of experience, and linking libraries would not be fun for someone with little experience with computers

Writing this out it feels a little silly but I genuinely do feel that this could be a real confidence boost for alot of elderly people, I know for a fact my Grandpa isnt the only elderly person feeling this way about themselves who has all the nescessary skills to learn to code. I'm intrested to know what other people think about this idea, if they have any experiences related to it or maybe if there are any elderly coders who only recently started out there?

Tldr; many elderly people feel useless as their bodies weaken. I think programming could be a good solution to this, something productive that doesnt require physical strength.

What are good languages to learn?
Whats a good tool for them to use to teach themselves?
Would an elderly brain take to learning something new easily enough to make it enjoyable?
Is it good for them physically to find hobbies where they dont move regularly?