I was once against a smart phone just like my mom simply because I didn't want to be carrying an expensive phone, and frankly I didn't need it.
I only got the Blackberry so I could tether when I was at customers houses with dial up (WTF! how can you have a home business on dial up!). Meanwhile, my moms dumb phone without camera started becoming an issue, so despite her reservations I got her one with a camera. It was the best flip Virgin had at the time. She found she liked the camera, but still didn't want a smart phone. I started looking at the Intercept for faster speeds and I was told Android had better apps (it didn't at the time and other than games, still doesn't), but kept putting it off, the BB was working well, then the Optimus came out and I jumped on it.
Not long after I got the Android my mom asked me one night if the Blackberry could get her internet access at work (tether), and I said yes, so she immediately jumped on it. Surprised the heck out of me! Even after she got the Blackberry, she hated the idea of a smartphone, she just wanted a dumbphone with tethering. Then her co-workers saw she had a Blackberry and started texting her. By the end of the first week she was texting more in a day than she had in the last 4 years of owning a cell phone.
She loves the Blackberry, she uses it for music streaming, pictures, tethering and texting way too much. I don't think it has dawned on her just how much of a smartphone she actually uses or how much she would miss it. She still is opposed to a touchscreeen, but I'm working on her. LOL.
You have to go in baby steps sometimes. Throwing her onto an Android from her no-camera dumbphone would have been a disaster, it's too large of a step. The Blackberry is pretty simple to adjust to, and from there, it's still a big step to touchscreen Android, but not too bad. At least you know more of what to expect. I won't go back to a dumbphone at this point, and neither will she, not that I would let her even if she wanted too.