Soundbars aren't ideal, but they're better than the onboard audio in the smart TV I got my mom a few years back. She sits about 15 feet away from the tv, and has to crank the volume way past distortion just to hear it. It isn't the sexiest solution, but she's old and just flat out wouldn't appreciate anything better.
http://www.amazon.com/LG-Electronics-LAS551H-Sound-Model/dp/B00TIAY248/ref=sr_1_10?s=aht&ie=UTF8&qid=1449167612&sr=1-10&refinements=p_n_feature_keywords_browse-bin%3A4796981011