Mobile phone companies are recognizing that elderly people have special needs. As more baby boomers begin to suffer from age-related diseases and accidents, seniors will be the fastest growing segment of the aging population. It's important to understand these needs and how to meet them. Not all elderly people find modern technology particularly challenging, but for those who do, assistance is at hand.
The three primary considerations when shopping for mobile phones for elderly are: speed dial buttons, extra features, and ease of use. Speed dial buttons are very important to seniors because it allows them to quickly input just the number they want to call. Extra features such as caller ID and message alerts are also imperative. Users should make sure that their mobile phones are able to dial multiple telephone numbers at once and that they don't get caught out by busy signal lines.
Ease of use is another key factor when selecting a mobile phone for elderly. Most elderly people have difficulty getting around their home. They may have trouble navigating stairs and they often can't operate the larger, fully-orientated buttons on mobiles like smart phones. For this reason, phones for senior users should provide easy viewing of caller ID, an easily visible "power" button, and an easily read" SOS button". The user can then focus on actual pressing of the buttons, which means less strain on the eyes and joints.
Some elderly users require mobile apps that are capable of sending instant text messages. The ability to send text messages from a mobile phone to another mobile phone is a very convenient feature for many seniors who don't have anyone to rely on in case of an emergency. Fortunately, most of the leading mobile apps providers offer mobile apps with of button functionality.
If you want to keep your senior loved one's company during the evenings and weekends, consider getting a mobile phone equipped with multi-tasking functions such as voice dialing, caller ID, weather alerts, Wikipedia notes, and a large font on the big buttons. A large font can be very distracting if you have poor eyesight and you don't want to strain seeing the small numbers on the screen. You can have your favourite contact, news reader or Wikipedia editor pre-loaded on your device and launch your day with ease. This will help make sure you always know what's happening with your family and loved ones.
Another feature for smartphone apps for elderly people is being able to check their email directly from their smartphones. Most elderly people suffer from arthritis and other age-related problems that make it difficult to use computer keyboards. To solve this problem, smartphone applications developers have developed a variety of smartphone keyboard apps. This means that any senior can type on their smartphones instead of using a pen. It also means that they can type messages and updates to friends and family right from their fingertips.
If your elderly loved ones want to keep in touch with you but are not too keen on using digital keyboards, there are a lot of other options available. One popular option is to get them a "keyboard" or "touch screen" like mobiles for older people. This is an enhanced version of a normal phone that has a large, high touch-screen display. The advantage of this is that it offers greater accuracy, especially if the senior's fingers are not as steady as they once were. Another big advantage is that they can answer calls using a speaker. This can be helpful in the case of emergencies as well as giving them a louder voice to talk to if needed.
If you want to ensure your elderly loved ones always have easy viewing of their photographs, have a camera phone with a large, clear display. These days there are several camera phones that have large, clear screens that are very eye-catching and easy to read. These can be especially handy in emergency situations where it may be difficult for them to see. You can even get them one that has video capabilities so they can capture any emergency situation and watch it on a large LCD screen.