The key here is a more robust universal remote. My wife still says the MX-500 that I bought in 2003 was the best upgrade we ever bought for the home theater, although the MX-700 that I later upgraded to is also very popular. Either a Home Theater Master MX remote or a Harmony will allow you to make the system much easier for your wife to operate. A MX-500 may still be available for around $80, so it's not necessarily a drastic expense.