Considerations When Buying Cell Phones for Seniors

When your folks are getting older and you are often feeling that nagging discomfort in your chest that tells you to check up on them, it might be time to buy them a phone so you can keep tabs on them. However, with today’s wide range of phone options, how do you really know which one to buy them?

Back to Basics

Even if your elderly parents are still perfectly capable of learning today’s complex cell phone technology, chances are they won’t need as many features as you do. Hence, snazzy advanced models will only end up wasted on them. This is why you should get them models that are as simple as can be, with only the features they really need.

The Plan

Do you know that there are specialized phone plans designed specifically for seniors? These typically come with efficient phones for the elderly and features like unlimited calls as well as special senior citizen discounts. Choose the best plan that you think will be the most cost-efficient for their communication needs.

Emergency Features

Sometimes, you might feel it’s not enough to be able to call your parents any time of day. You need to know they have the means to take care of themselves when you’re not checking in. Hence, it’s best that you give them phones with appropriate emergency features like an easy-to-access 911 button. Some providers of phones for seniors even have their own emergency hotline to give aid to the elderly should anything happen.

What Makes a Cell Phone Excellent for the Elderly?

Your trusty iPhone might be fine and dandy for you, but the elderly members of your family likely won’t appreciate the touch-screen technology, front camera function, and game apps as much as you do. Inversely, your grandma has needs regarding cell phones that you might not relate to, as well. Thankfully, certain types of phones can provide for these.

Large Keypads

Who needs massive, bulky, and space-hogging keypads, right? Well, your parents or grandparents who might be experiencing the first stages of Parkinson’s disease as well as visual problems might. Indeed, the elderly would find it a lot easier to compose text messages or dial a number if they had to do it using a keypad that’s as big and visible as can be.

Voice Activation

Some phones take phone calls one step higher by having a voice activation system. This feature allows seniors to simply say the name of the person they want to call. The voice system then looks for the name in the phone list and sets up a call connection.

Hearing Aid Compatibility

Another factor that could make your conventional smartphone quite difficult for the elderly to use is its most basic function: making calls. Seniors suffering from a degree of hearing loss often rely on hearing aids, but the incompatibility of these equipment with many phones could be quite troublesome. This is why many phones for the elderly today are equipped with hearing aid compatibility.