I think the OP has his mind set on an upright. No disrespect at all to him, but for a 90-year old homeowner and/or housekeeper, I would stick with the lightest option, maybe even a basic upright with attachments from a big box store like someone mentioned. I can't see his great-grandfather shelling out $400+ on a fancy vacuum cleaner to clean a two bedroom home, a majority of which has wood floors and a few area rugs. If he wants to spend more money, get an Oreck upright and a lightweight canister for above floor cleaning. Again, I'm not sure why so many have it in their mind that they have to have a new vacuum. I can't see this making a lot of sense for an individual of advanced years, as in the case of the OP's great grandfather. I went in to my local Oreck store yesterday, and their used machines were spotless. You could barely tell they were previously used.