How To Purchase A Cell Phone For A Senior Citizen

The cell phone is an important tool for the senior citizen that is self-sufficient

. The want to live on their own is something that a senior is going to want to be if there is a possibility of being independent. I know I'll want to be independent for as long as possible.

The problem with living on their own is the fact that if an accident happens the senior must have an outlet. When it comes down to it you should make sure that the senior in your life purchase a cell phone or you purchase one for them. The fact of the matter is purchasing a cell phone for a senior is a lot different than if you were purchasing one for a teenager. The reason for this is that both the needs and the requirements are different. The following will talk about how to purchase not just a cell phone, but the right cell phone for the senior in your life.

Thinking about Beneficial Features

You know your senior the best so think about the features that they would want. For most seniors the things like text messaging and the photo messaging are out but not for all of them. Some of the non technophobic seniors love to get the picture messages of the grandkids and are willing to learn a new trick. For the most part you might find that the senior is technophobic and wants the no frills with extremely easy options.

Regardless of if you're looking for any additional features or not you'll want to make sure that the cell phone you're purchasing has large buttons. A simple fact of getting older is the eyesight is always one of the things to go and that's where the large buttons are going to come into play making sure that the phone buttons can be read clearly.

Hearing and the Dial Tone

If the senior you're purchasing the phone for utilizes hearing aids you'll need to ensure that the phone that you're purchasing is compatible with the hearing aids. Since this is a more specialized requirement not every phone is going to have this capability. Even so there are a lot of carriers that will be able to accommodate to the needs through the special phones that they carry.

Another thing that the senior will like is a dial tone as they are used to that and they are used to the landline. The traditional thing is that you don't have the dial tone on the cell phone like what you'll get on the landline. In order for most seniors to know that the phone is working you should make sure that you're finding a phone that has a dial tone feature.

Prepaid and Other Plan Options

Another consideration is what type of plan or plan option you're going to work with. You have the option for a prepaid cell phone plan or you also have the options to get a small plan for them or just add them as an extra line to your current cell phone plan. The important thing is that you're making sure that there is an outlet for the senior in your life to make a phone call should there be an emergency no matter where they might be. The cell phone is going to give them emergency access in places where the landline can't follow or help. Having an emergency outlet is the key and if the senior in your life is extremely technophobic and will only use it for emergency purposes that's where the prepaid phone is going to be the best and the cheapest option. On the other hand if the senior in your life is going to want to use the phone more often and use some of the added features that you can get, such as, picture messaging than you should look into getting a basic cell phone plan for them. One other good possibility would be to do an additional line to your current plan. You'll be able to do that with almost all carriers and for just about $10 a month and they'll just take from your bucket of minutes. This also gives you the added benefits of the mobile to mobile calling. Not only is this going to save a lot of money it'll also give an outlet for open communication and sharing with texts of the grandkids, etc... if they are a little more technologically savoir-faire. The one thing is that you're not going to find this option with a lot of the prepaid options and if you do they'll be extremely expensive. This is something that can help you with your decision making process. You, more than anyone else, knows the senior you are purchasing for more than anyone else possibly could. You're the one that will be able to take all of the options into account and make the best decision for you and the senior in your life.

Final Thoughts

There is one final thing that should be discussed and it is just as if not more important than the rest. That is to ensure that the phone that you're getting is simple enough for understanding while still allowing for them to have everything that they want and everything that they need. Finally, when it comes to a senior there are three different S's for you to keep in your mind when making your decisions. Simple enough for the senior to understand, simple enough for the senior to use and simple enough to contact emergency personnel quickly if something comes up.

by: Jonathon Edwards

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