I don't ever use mine (Logitech G5) because it not only has side-to-side actions, but many times when i try to middle click, the wheel will scroll. I know this is probably my own coordination, but I find I really have to press it perfectly perpendicularly. Maybe there have been improvements in middle-click technology in the past few years.
If she can use a computer and browse the web, she can learn to use the mouse she owns.
[Note: props to your grandma]
Edit: Wait, maybe you're referring to a mouse that has the wheel but the wheel isn't a button? In that case, the GP could have said "right click, open image" rather than "middle click". Same thing.
- my grandma, who has a scroll wheel in the middle of her mouse