Home Care in Buford GA
You might feel like you could not live without your mobile device, but the reality is that most seniors either do not have a cell phone at all, or do not know how to properly use all of the features of their mobile device. While some seniors have little need for a cell phone, choosing one for your parents that addresses their tech-savviness and empowers them to use it properly so that they can maintain more independence and create greater safety and security in your home care journey with them.
Choosing the right mobile device for your aging loved ones will depend on their specific limitations, their budget, and how much they intend to use the phone, but some features that you should look for may include:
- Large buttons. Some buttons on today’s mobile devices are incredibly tiny. This makes them not only difficult to see properly, but challenging to press with precision, especially for seniors with joint pain or stiffness such as is associated with arthritis. Look for phones with large buttons that are clearly marked and easy to press so that your parents can actually utilize the phone successfully.
- High volume. Your seniors are not going to get much use out of their phone if they cannot hear the person on the other end of the call. Look for phones that have high earpiece volume and loud volume that translates over to the speakerphone or Bluetooth capability. This makes it possible for your seniors to communicate clearly and confidently whether they are holding their phone or using it hands-free. Make sure that they know how to modify the volume so that they can adjust it as needed.
- Emergency button. Often referred to as an SOS button, this type of button is fantastic for seniors who may experience a medical emergency or get lost and need to contact you or their in home health care services provider promptly. The SOS button allows you to program a specific emergency number so that all the senior has to do is press that button and it will immediately connect to the emergency contact. This eliminates the need for them to remember a phone number, go through the contacts to find a phone number, or type in a variety of numbers. This can also be extremely beneficial if your seniors experience an emergency that makes it so that they are not able to use their phones or are unable to communicate with a person trying to help them. If the helper opens the phone, he will see the SOS button and be able to call for emergency help easily.
- Customizable plans. Cell phone plans can be extremely expensive, which can be a waste of money if your seniors are not going to use their phones often. Look for phones with customizable plans that start at a low price point so that you can keep their budget intact. Especially beneficial are phones that do not have contracts and allow you to change your plan depending on their needs so that you can experiment and find the one that is right for them.
