Chromebook Notebook, good for Baby Boomers?

You cannot install anything on a Chromebook besides Chrome extensions. Whether there is an extension that works for Facebook's video chat with Chrome, I am unaware, but there are other alternatives to Skype if he's using a Chromebook (Google+ Hangouts, Google Chat, a number of other future extensions using the new ability to connect a computer's camera and mic without extra applications...).

As far as viruses and stuff, it's not likely he'll be as disturbed by the extra bloatware you'd have to install on a regular computer to keep them from screwing up the whole experience, and to restore a Chromebook, you merely have to read simple instructions and load the latest version from a USB (if it gets destroyed too badly). Chromebooks are like a browser in a computer. There are only web-based applications running on it, and you can basically run it over with a truck without losing anything if synchronization is set up to your Google account.

In all, Chromebooks are great for people who never need third-party programs (card reader programs software for banks, advanced photo editing or document/spreadsheet editing programs, programming IDEs, etc.) to live their lives. If you run the stable channel, you'll probably not have to worry about how the virus came in and hid the start menu icons, etc...