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Cell Phones for Seniors

When it comes to our own cell phones, we want them flashy and functional with as many bells and whistles that’ll fit comfortably into our pockets. But senior citizens have a different set of needs when it comes to cell phones. For senior citizens, being able to download Ciara MP3s or receive push notifications from Twitter aren’t top priorities – but working well with hearing aids, having an easy to read screen and dial pad and a navigable contact list are. When choosing the best cell phones for seniors, keep the following criteria in mind.

Free Cell Phones for Seniors

The easiest place to start when choosing cell phones for seniors is pricing. Seniors may have a tendency to lose their phones or simply never use them unless there’s an emergency. Because of this, you won’t want to pay a penny more than is necessary on your senior-friendly cell phone. And with that in mind, no price beats free.

Some of the top free cell phones are:

Samsung Knack U310 (Verizon)
Nokia 2720 (T-Mobile, also available from AT&T)
Pantech Breeze C520 (AT&T)
Motorola i776w (Sprint/Nextel)

While not all free cell phones are what you might call a “basic cell phone,” (for example, you can get a free BlackBerry Curve or BlackBerry Bold from AT&T), these four phones were hand-picked as some of the easiest free cell phones to use, which makes them very senior friendly.

Large Dialpad and Simple Menus

The Samsung Knack (mentioned above) is a great phone for seniors because of its large dialpad. The menus area easy to navigate as well and there are a few choice features, such as voice dialing. Another feature to look for is a phone with adjustable text size, such as the LG Lotus LX600.

GPS-Enabled

GPS phones will help senior citizens find their way while driving as well as help emergency response teams locate them if they are unable to answer the phone. Cell phone plans also come with handy features such as FamilyMap (AT&T), Family Locator (Verizon) and Mobile Locator (Sprint/Nextel) which let you quickly and easily find errant family members (whether it’s junior or grandpa).

Simple free phones with GPS include:

Nokia 6350 (AT&T)
BlackBerry Pearl (AT&T)
Motorola Rokr (T-Mobile)

Hearing Aid Compatible

If your senior family member has a hearing aid, you’ll also want to make sure that the phone does not cause any interference with their digital hearing aids or cochlear implants. While most cell phones will work with hearing aids, the following phones are marked as excellent hearing aid compatible (HAC) cell phones for seniors:

You can also pick up a TTY cell phone (i.e a text phone) such as the Sanyo SCP-3810, the LG VX5400 or the Verizon Wireless Escapade. Many of the phones listed in this article are also TTY/TDD enabled.

Senior Cell Phone Plans

Cellular service providers offer special pricings and cell phone plans for senior citizens that are more manageable and cost-effective for retired and aging individuals. The AT&T Senior Nation Plan is a great cell phone plan for seniors with packages as low as 200 minutes. You may also be able to get discounts for AARP membership, military veteran status and other associations.

Keeping in touch loved ones, friends and family is high on the list of importance for most senior citizens. Make it easy and affordable for them by getting them the perfect cell phone designed for seniors.

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Tags: cell phone plans for senior citizens, cell phones for seniors, free cell phones

This entry was posted on Monday, December 14th, 2009 at 2:54 pm by Jack Busch and is filed under Cell phone plans. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

4 Responses to “Cell Phones for Seniors”

Keith Says:
December 15th, 2009 at 5:07 pm
Two more great cell phones for seniors are the Doro PhoneEasy 345 and 410 available through national cellular provider Consumer Cellular, a company I work with. These are both hearing-aid compatible and feature large bright screens with large, non-slick buttons for easy dialing. They also include some more advanced features such as FM radios, games and texting capabilities. Best of all, the phones are relatively inexpensive. The candy-bar style 345 runs for $40 while the flip-style 410 goes for $50. For any reason, you cancel within the first 30 minutes or 30 days of use, whichever comes first, to receive a full refund. Consumer Cellular will even pay the shipping costs on the phone.
Eugenie Thrapp Says:
April 14th, 2010 at 8:11 pm
I have a MOTO W259 and have to recharge often even if I’m only carrying it and have not used it. Not really happy about this.
Mary Ann J. Says:
May 25th, 2010 at 1:11 am
I certainly agree that Just5 phone is equally competitive with Doro. The truth is that, I would even claim that Just5 phone is a more reliable phone than this one. Unlike Doro, Just5 phone has already proven the quality of the products they have introduced in the market to provide the seniors with a more competitive communication lifestyle. This brand has been bestowed a year ago with the EFFIE reward for the best brand with new name. In addition to that, there are now a number of feedbacks that are written by the consumers about this phone to prove their satisfaction for having this phone.

So, I would say that Just5 phone is more worthy of the old folks’ trust.

http://www.Just5.com
Odolyn Says:
October 28th, 2010 at 7:06 pm
I’ve never heard about Just5, but recently have heard abut the new senior value cell phone by tracfone. It’s a senior-friendly phone with all the features they want and need for a super affordable price. The phone costs just $20 at Kmart and the monthly plan is only $7, which is exactly what we need in this bad economy. Now, about the phone, it features oversized lighted keys and large text and screen, 911 emergency location assist and, to top it off, it’s even hearing aid compatible! Definitely a must this holidays season! though I think it might be a bit limited to offer just for seniors. I’m just 57 and already need a phone like this one because my vision’s shot! A true contender!