Does he have to log in when it boots?
Yes, as my Mother was also alive, and had a user, when I set it up.
One reason I like to leave well-alone is that, if any changes are made, it can lead to an association in the mind of an extreme non-techie of these changes with any other behavioural differences, no matter how unrelated.
For example, if (say) AOL change their webmail GUI next week, the reasoning may be that it only happened since I changed the login, and the conclusion is that my change needs to be reversed as he prefered the old AOL GUI.
I'm actually highly impresssed by how competent he, and other people of his ilk, have become. Tesco online grocery shopping has become the norm for Dad, for example, and that's a real life-line when winter's doing its worst.