When it comes to choosing a cell phone for a senior there are so many different options to take into consideration. Seniors need to have a phone that is easy:
•    Easy for them to use
•    Easy for them to see and
•    Easy for them to hear
The cell phones of today come in wide varieties with all sorts of different features like internet accessibility, cameras, GPS systems and much more.
Most of the seniors are going to benefit the most with a cell phone that is simple to operate. Just make sure that you take a look at the senior and the situation and their likes and dislikes and make sure that you pick the phone that’ll best fit their needs. If you’re not sure exactly what that means the following will help you get some of the information to help you make sure that you know of as well as pick the best features for the senior in your life.

Supersize It

You should plan on getting a phone which is large which will help with ease of use on reading the display and also to be able to read and use the keypad. The keypads themselves need to be bright in order to ensure it can be read no matter the lighting conditions. You should make sure that the phone you’re getting is very well lit and has larger numbers. If the senior you’re purchasing for is hard of hearing than you should make sure that you get them a phone which is easy to hear. You should think about the features that you’d want to make the phone easier to use if you were in their position.

Voice Activation

There are a ton of cell phones that are going to give the options for making phone calls through nothing more than just having to say the person’s name. For the arthritic or otherwise have a hard time to dial senior this is something that will make their phone calls a breeze. You can program in all of their phonebook and they’ll just have to press one button and say the name of whoever they want to call. Be patient as they learn the voice activation and speed dialing features as sometimes it can be a tad tricky for someone that’s not used to technology and even more so if they’re technophobic.

Considering Prepaid

Take a look at some of the prepaid phone options. This would be good for the senior that doesn’t need to make a lot of calls. You’ll find that the plans are really simple and are fairly inexpensive with a lot of plans starting out at as little as $10. This would be a really good option for the senior that doesn’t want a phone for anything more than emergencies. You should also check out the AARP and AAA options when choosing the cell phone for the senior citizen.

Cell Phone Design with the senior in Mind

One of the most popular senior cell phones comes from Jitterbug and is the Jitterbug J. This is a phone that has a keypad with very large numbers and font sizes which make it easy for the senior to use. It’s simple for them to see, hear and use and these are the most basic of features that you should be looking for when you’re selecting a cell phone for the senior. You should make sure that you look through all of the different cell phones and cell phone options of not just Jitterbug but other carriers as well before you make your final decision.

Single Touch 911 – New or Recycled

Another great option and one that you need to look for is a cell phone that has a call feature for 911. This is going to make it quick and easy for the senior to call in an emergency.
You also have the option of recycling an old cell phone that would still be able to call 911. National law mandates that any cell phone with or without service has to be able to call 911. You can recycle one of your old phones to the senior you’re looking to give a cell phone to. Although they’re not going to be able to make any further calls but the access to 911 if an emergency happens is an amazing outlet. You should program speed dial number 1 to be the 911 number so they can quickly call in an emergency.

Easy To Use Charger

There are a lot of phones that have charges that aren’t so easy to get the base into the charger or you have to work with the really small plug-in USB port. This is something that’s hard for many seniors to be able to manipulate. When you’re searching for a cell phone for the senior you should make sure that you’re finding one that’s easy for them to be able to use and is designed with the senior in mind.

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1. Top Senior Citizen Cell Phones
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4. How to Select an Appropriate Senior Cell Phone
5. Senior Citizen Cell Phones: Finding One
6. Senior Citizens Aren’t Big Cell Phone Users, Even In Emergencies – Yet
7. Cell Phones for the senior in Your Life, Choosing the Right One
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Tags: cell phones for seniors

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 30th, 2010 at 3:26 pm and is filed under cell phones for seniors. 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.