subject: Senior Phone: Who Needs One? [print this page] With the population in general living a lot longer and people retiring earlier to make room for the next generation, there has never been a time in history when senior phone equipment has been more necessary.
Also, with our mobile society, more and more people live far away from their senior loved ones. Sons and daughters take jobs thousands of miles away from mom and dad in many cases and they just want the security of knowing they can get in touch with them any time they want, night or day. Not having this can be very disconcerting for the kids. They had the feeling they should be responsible for mom and dad but they don't know how to make them responsive when they can't reach them. They're used to being in the more subservient role of a child rather than having to tell her parents something to do. This makes it very awkward for anyone having to tell a person at this stage of life what they should and shouldn't do.
Who needs a senior phone? 2 groups of people need this type of phone for their daily use...
People who have trouble with the small buttons and tiny numbers on traditional phones. This is the majority of people over 65, or senior citizens. These folks have much worse eyesight and less manual dexterity than the rest of the population and therefore have a real problem with phones with tiny buttons. The buttons on a senior phone are much larger and are very hard to not be able to read.
People who have loved ones who are seniors and who will not use a cell phone for the elderly because it is something new. There are many people that are a good bit older than 65 that just simply will not use a conventional cell phone. They're intimidated by the process of starting something new at this age and they won't even try. Therefore, anything done for either their convenience or for safety will have to be modified to make them want to use it.
In conclusion, the people who use cell phones for seniors products are those who want convenience of a cell phone without the hassles. Also, retirees typically just want a plan that will get them exactly what they need and no more. This generation is typically not going to cruise the Internet on their phone. So, all they want is a simple product that gets them the minimum requirements for communication, safety, and to get their kids off their backs.
