Cell Phones for Arthritic Seniors

I was surfing the web foe news and updates on cell phones for seniors when I stumbled upon an interesting blog post. Russel Shaw of ZDNet.Com wrote about an interesting experience while spending a Thanksgiving holiday weekend in the home of a senior citizen with arthritic hands.

Shaw narrated that the elderly lady's daughter and brother-in-law signed her up for a cell phone plan, and bought her a cell phone. After exploring her new cell phone, the senior made an interesting comment. She said:

“Don’t the people who make these cellphones realize that these tiny keys are very difficult for older users with arthritic hands?”

This experience led ZDNet blogger to emphasized the need for larger-keyed cellphones for arthritis sufferers. Clearly, there is a need for large button cell phones for seniors.

Well, I made a post on large button cell phones for seniors last month. I gave some examples of handsets that would be ideal cell phones for arthritic seniors. These handsets have wide keypads with large buttons.

I pointed out that the Jitterbug, UTStarcom Coupe 8630, and Sanyo SCP 7050 are good choices for mobile phones for the elderly because of their special buttons and keypad. There is no doubt that these phones will be useful for a senior citizen suffering from arthritis.

One of the visitors also suggested that the Nokia 6085h from Consumer Cellular also sports a large keypad. It is also important to mention that Consumer Cellular offers inexpensive plans for casual users beginning at just $10 a month.

There are cellphones for arthritic seniors in the market but they are few in number. With the exception of the Jitterbug J, no other large button cell phones for seniors have been released. This probably due to the fact that manufacturers are paying more attention to younger users.

That's it for this post on large button cell phones for seniors suffering from arthritis. Tune in to this blog for more news and updates on mobile phones for senor citizens.

Large Button Cell Phones for Seniors

The keypad and it's buttons is a major factor for selecting a good mobile phone for a senior user. The elderly are not overly concerned about stylish handsets with their flat keypads and cramped buttons. They prefer a phone with a simple keypad configuration with large and widely-spaced buttons.

Let's look at a few large button cell phones for seniors and do a quick review of their easy-to-use keypads.

The Jitterbug is a premier cell phone for elderly users. And as expected its keypad and buttons are really fir for senior users. Here's what Cnet.com has to say with the keypad on these large button cell phones for seniors:

The usability of the keypad is where this phone really shines. There is a dedicated On/Off button, as well as large Yes and No buttons, along with two simple arrow keys in the middle to scroll through lists. The number keys are similarly large and amazingly tactile, making it very easy to dial by feel if you so choose. Using this phone couldn't be easier.

The keypad on large button cell phones for seniors may not look pretty but nothing can beat them when it comes to usability.

The UTStarcom Coupe 8630 also belongs to large button cell phones for seniors. The buttons are large and widely spaced so one can easily dial a number. This phone also has a dedicated 911 button which allows a user to call for emergency with a single touch of a button.

Some large button cell phones have keypads made out of special material that makes them ideal for elderly users. For example, the navigation and alphanumeric buttons on the Sanyo SCP 7050 are coated with a special material that gives them a a bubble like texture. Seniors can navigate the phone easily and dial numbers by feel due to this substance.

I would also like to mention that the lighting behind the buttons is an important factor. Size is not enough. A phone's buttons should also have good background light to allow a user to distinguish a particular key in low light conditions.

Large button cell phones are great for senior citizens. However, it takes more than just large buttons to make a good handset for senior users. The large button cell phones for seniors should also have a good display, a simple interface and other characteristics to be ideal for one's grandparents.