cell phones for seniors

While aging often brings experience, gratitude and perspective, it can also mean that living life on your own terms becomes more difficult as things you’re familiar with, like day-to-day routines, people you know, societal norms, you name it, begin to change. When that happens, a good way to meet the challenge is to embrace aging in place, and the many innovations that can help create new, familiar, everyday-easy routines, like smart lighting, smart Wi-Fi thermostats, smart locks, smart speakers, video doorbells, security cameras, smoke detectors, smart burners and much more. Accepting the fact of aging, and welcoming assistive technology, can help keep you from being limited in the ways that hearing aids and amplifiers can remedy, or reading glasses, or medical alert devices, or special needs telephones or phones for seniors.

 

When you’re looking for the best cell phone for seniors, a good place to start your search is by deciding what you want in a cell phone. Usually a cell phone for elderly folks specializes in simplicity and safety, offering senior citizens user-friendly features and a quick way to get assistance when it’s needed. If you’re simply looking for a phone that allows seniors to stay in touch with family and friends, and to use for emergencies, you can choose a phone that offers simple voice and little else. Most phones for seniors however, offer at least some upgraded features. You’ll likely want to check out the flip phones for seniors, that come with big, bright screens, cameras, high-quality speakers and two screens ideal for viewing text messages, photos and videos in full color. Or you can choose the best smartphone for seniors which offers the full smartphone experience, including a large screen with touch display, high-resolution cameras for photos and video, immersive stereo sound, Bluetooth capability, and access to the internet and email. If getting in touch with a live human operator at the touch of a button for health and safety services is important, you’ll want to be sure that feature is available on the phone you choose. Similarly, some phones for seniors have a feature that allows family members to check the location and status of the phone user. 

Another component in choosing the best cell phone for seniors is the carrier. You can choose a phone aligned with a specific carrier and pay the monthly charge as part of a long-term contract. You can also choose an unlocked smartphone, which allows you to select the carrier you want without locking yourself into a contract. If you purchase one of the unlocked phones for seniors, all you need is a SIM card from the carrier of your choice, which pops into your smartphone. You can also choose a prepaid cell phone like those from GreatCall or TRACFONE. Getting a prepaid phone eliminates the hassle of contracts, activation fees, overage charges, fees for changing carrier and termination fees, but it does open the door for running out of minutes unexpectedly. Another consideration when you’re browsing phones for seniors is how long the battery lasts, and the charging method for keeping it fully juiced. Some phones come with their own wall charger and cable, and for others you’ll want to get a cell phone charger or power adapter.