Cell phones for the elderly

[StevenA]

I'd like to get a cell phone for my elderly mother who is in failing health, and I'm thinking of getting one of those pay-as-you-go plans that doesn't require a long-term contract. Has anyone had any experience with these, and can you recommend any? Also, does anyone in the U.S. provide cell phones that are ddesigned for the elderly, i.e, large buttons and not a lot of bells and whistles? They have them in Korea and Japan (see links below), but I haven't seen anything like this offered by any U.S. providers.

LG’s cellphone for the elderly
http://www.engadget.com/entry/8165163305116838/

Kyocera’s cellphone for the elderly
http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000197021618/

[JBtampa]

the new children's phones look very easy to use. help/parent's keys are bold, no extra keys, etc. cingular has em, likely all will very soon.

[pilotbob]

Steven,

I have 5 Virgin Mobile pre-paid phones. I spend less a month on the 5 then I used to spend on two Alltell phones. They work on the Sprint network and are just as reliable as any other carriers phones.

Like you, we have them basically for emergencies or quick calls and not for casual conversation, so the minimum re-ups are more than enough minutes for all of them.

If you set up auto-matic "re-up" you can do as little as $15 every three months.

Hth,
BOb

[Floyd]

WIth my sprint flexible family plan I can get extra phones for $10/mo that share my minutes. Another advantage is that my mom can call me or my sister with the sprint cellphone without using any minutes, and she can call anyone else long distance, only using minutes. Eve and weekends are free.

[StevenA]

Bob,

That's exactly what I ended up doing. I got my mom a Virgin Mobile phone and set it up for the automatic re-ups ($20, not $15, every three months, but still pretty cheap). However, even with the largest phone that Virgin sells she still has trouble with the small buttons. Also, after spending over eighty years using regular land phones, things like the Send and End buttons are confusing to her. Consequently, she hardly ever uses it. I'm sure she is not the only elderly person who has trouble using cell phones. That's why I wish the phone companies would sell phones specifically designed for the elderly.

Steven

[ScottVaughn]

I found a cell phone for my 71 year old mother from a company called Just 5. It has to be one of the better ones that I looked at for her. She always had problems with small keypads but not with the Just 5 phone. It has large keys that are easy to press and the screen is very easy to see, too. I liked it because it is an unlocked phone that can be used with any service provider that uses SIM cards. We were able to take the SIM out of Mom's old phone and pop it into the Just 5 with no hassle. I also like the SOS button feature in the event that there is an emergency. Overall, it is a phone that my mother can use, and does use which is a blessing. I hope you all find this information useful. You can check out the Just 5 phone at www,just5.com.

[CANDY76MAN]

Jitterbug!