Telephones for seniors are quite an important part of managing the health care and safety of the elderly. In addition, for people that live alone and do not have a rich outdoor social life, telephones are the main windows to promote social exchanges. Thus is really important that your beloved have a good access to them.
And here is the question: why do you (or your beloved) need special telephones for seniors? Isn’t that enough to use the regular phones? Well, maybe it is. But here are a few questions you want to ask yourself to orient your decision about buying specific telephones for seniors.
Telephones for seniors: Do we need one?
1) Does your loved one have hearing troubles?
As we age, it is very common that we suffer from untreated (or badly treated) hearing troubles. If this is the case of your loved ones, you may need telephones for seniors that will speak to them at a volume that helps them. This includes:
- ringing at a high volume;
- speaking the voice at a volume which is loud enough to help them clearly following the conversation.
It is a matter of safety, but also of quality of life. If you lose half of the conversation with your friend, you’ll enjoy it to a lesser degree, and thus make it less often. This simple hearing problem can then reduce the amount of time you spend chatting with people, possibly causing a progressive social isolation.
2) Does your loved one have visual troubles?
Most of older adults wear eyeglasses, but sometimes, even after this correction, their visual acuity is reduced. This may be due to eye pathologies, such as cataracts, which wait to be treated. The visual troubles may impair their ability to see the numbers that they have to dial, especially if the keys are small, or too crowded with unnecessary information (e.g., small letters that you use to send text messages). In case you or your loved one experience permanent or transitory visual troubles, you may want to have telephones for seniors:
- with big keys;
- containing only the relevant information;
- big keys do also help people with motor troubles (e.g., tremors) to dial the numbers more easily.
3) Does your loved one have memory troubles?
Memory troubles are very common in older people, especially if they have Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders. Number sequences such as telephone numbers are tricky to memorize. What is worse, due to memory or aphasic problems, your beloved may start to forget (or to take much time to retrieve) also people’s names, thus making the phonebook almost useless. But most of older people do recognize their beloved faces immediately. If this is the case of your beloved, telephones for seniors have been designed called call picture care phones, with pictures that can be placed on each button.
Telephones for seniors: a few examples
If you have the feeling that your beloved meet some of these criteria, and that cannot communicate with you if they are using a substandard phone, then you may want to select specific telephones for seniors.
Here are a couple of examples of telephones for seniors that you can find online and that may fix some of their troubles:
Telephones for seniors #1: Clarity Amplified Photo Phone
The Clarity Amplified Photo Phone is a lovely device you may set up in a senior’s home at any time. You will find it quite simple to set up once you have it out of the box. The user manual for the phone helps you teach a senior how to use the phone. The phone has a few different features, and you may use the features quite easily after the phone is installed.
- The phone has a slot for several pictures that ensure quick dialing;
- The pictures may slip into the slots when the speed dial is planned;
- You may put in as many numbers as you like. The elderly loved one using the phone may pick up the receiver, press the picture and the phone will dial itself;
- The phone has especially large buttons that are easy to dial, and they give a clear view of each number;
- The phone is not any larger than a traditional unit, and it may be installed on any desk or table.
You must ensure you have selected a phone that will serve your family well, and each phone you choose must be simple to use. The Clarity Amplified Photo Phone will help you keep a senior in touch with the rest of the family, and you will avoid missed calls or missed connections.
Telephones for seniors #2: AT&T Corded Phone With Display And Answering System
This phone is a lovely compromise for all those who wish to keep in touch with family, and it is a special phone that may be programmed with no trouble.
- The phone will take messages; it is quite important that people with sensory and cognitive imparment have a phone that will take their messages, and which can be easily spoken;
- it has larger buttons that are easy for seniors to use;
- You may install the phone anywhere, and it is simple to reach when you are looking for a phone that will fit in a senior’s home. You can for instance place the phone on a table or desk in an elderly loved one’s home.
Remember, it is important to ask your beloved’s opinion before getting the phone! As there are on the market different models with similar functionalities and features, it is a good idea to ask them which phone they prefer. And you may show them the AT&T model, among others.
Conclusions
If your beloved has hearing, vision or cognitive troubles, you may purchase a telephone for seniors that will assist them. The phones you place in their homes must have larger buttons, better displays and an array of options that make them easier to use. You will remain in touch with your senior loved ones, and you will know they are quite safe because they have the phone in their home.
Purchasing one of these phones, or any other similar telephones for seniors you can find online and in stores, will help you safeguard a member of you family, and you will show them how to operate the phone when they are alone. The phone is designed to ensure their safety, and you may set it up for them when you make your purchase. And remember, it is not only a matter of safety: having an easy access to a home telephone can improve people’s quality of life, in an easy (and cheap) way!
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