Features that Make Cell Phones Accessible for Seniors

What makes a mobile phone suitable for user who is already 65 years or older? How can you tell if a cell phone will be a good fit for the needs of an elderly person? These are tow of the most common questions asked by people who are looking to purchase a phone for senior citizens.

But what are the answer to these questions? Well, let me give a few features that one should look at when shopping for a cell phone for a senior.

Large Buttons on a Spacious Keypad: a phone should have buttons that are easy to press and highly visible to users who might have weak eyes. There should by good separation between the buttons so that users can dial or compose messages by feel. One should also examine the backlighting of the buttons and see if the labels on the buttons are large enough to be read by elderly users.

Material used for Design: Senior citizens do not have the strongest of grips so a slippery phone will not be ideal. Look carefully at a phone that you are planning to buy and hold it in your hand. It should be comfortable to hold and come with a non-slip grip so that a senior-user will not drop it easily.

Adjustable Screen brightness and Fonts: Since most seniors have less than perfect eyesight, a buyer should pay attention to the display. It should be bright enough to illuminate the information on the screen. It should also have adjustable fonts so users can alter its size to fit their vision. A phone with a small display can still be good for seniors as long as its fonts are big enough to serve users with weak eyesight.

Presence of a Lanyard Pin: Some accessories that aid senior users may require a lanyard pin. For instance, straps and lanyard can allow users to use the phone without holding them. These accessories are useful for users who use canes or walking sticks.

Simple Overall Design: Arguing about the best design for senior users would be a waste of space. Instead, I'll just describe the attributes that one should look for when finding a phone for senior citizens. A phone should have a simple design that does not require complex movements when answering a call. A device with functions that require inching, twisting or rotation of the wrist may not be suited to seniors who have fragile joints.

That's it for the features that make a mobile phone accessible for elderly users. We hope that this information will help you as you search for a good handset for seniors.

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