Whats a good phone for an elderly person?

Muahahaha

Parents Noikia phone is beyond its last legs and needs replacing. Theyve never had a smartphone before and are a bit of a luddite so I need something that is easy to navigate and use and has big symbols for the hard of sight. They dont text or browse the internet so calls only. Id prefer something with a physical home button like the iPhone 4 had but I dont think any manufacturer makes them anymore?

Would also like to hear recommendations on non smart phones with physical buttons as thats what they are used to. Another consideration is it being dropped which will happen so maybe Im better to stay away from smartphones with big screens? Or are there fully cased covers on the market that protect them well from being dropped?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058245652/whats-a-good-phone-for-an-elderly-person

Pretty much every phone is these days. Increase the size of the font in the settings and then use any of the elderly-friendly launchers (e.g. this one or this one).

Fogmatic

A Doro phone might fit the bill. Some (like our network provider) lump them in under Smarphones, but I'd call them Picturephones, early 2000s style; calls, texts; camera with very low pixel count (though surprisingly sharp considering, if sent to a device with a better screen; they do have Bluetooth), and a small amount of memory to suit. Quite tough (and clamshell type), not much to go wrong. My husband's used them for years; only had to replace the first one when he managed to fry it by standing with back pocket too close to the fire, and the second one when the camera eventually failed (as he's keen on having one handy).

There are other makes around that would suit, especially if the budget would stretch (we just didn't look into them once Doro came up, and turned out to be widely available and inexpensive). I found "Tough" and "rugged" the best keywords for our original searches.

Muahahaha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119054206#Comment_119054206

Thanks I had come across that company Doro who market phones as being for the elderly. But I didnt really like the clamshell design as it means the screen is quite small and dont think my parent would like it. Must go back and see if they make any regular sized phones with bigger screens, my budget is about 150ish

Saint_Mel

Another vote for the Doro. Just got my mother in law another one last week after her other one eventually died after many years of service.

Its the only phone she can manage. Screen a little smaller but you can make the text bigger

TheRona

My mother-in-law used to have a Doro, and it was fine for making phone calls etc, but once we switched her to a smart phone (a Huawei P Smart, I think), there was no way we would get her going back to the Doro. She loved being able to receive pictures via Whatsapp and even do video calls with the grandchildren.

As mentioned above, just make it friendly enough for the user, and what they're capable of. For my mother-in-law, I used a launcher that had all the icons locked in place so she couldn't move them, and all of her kids could be called by tapping on an icon with their image on the home screen. There's loads you can do to make a smart phone user friendly for an older person.

Muahahaha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119055961#Comment_119055961

I dont suppose the Huawei had a physical home button by any chance? Id like to get a basic smartphone but am afraid if there isnt a home button they'd find it too hard to use. Sounds trivial I know but just think they'd need a physical button to start it up but I cant recall phones like that since the iPhone 4. Will definitely look to putting a launcher on it to simplify things for them.

TheRona

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119056176#Comment_119056176

No, in this case it was double-tap the screen to turn it on (which admittedly took her a while to get used to) and then she knew that if she ever got stuck on something she wasn't sure about, she could tap on the home icon at the bottom of the screen to go back to her home screen.

It really does depend on which phone you decide to go for. Some would have a fingerprint scanner on the back, and they use that to turn on the phone. If they won't be using the phone to make payments or access bank accounts, you can pretty much remove security to make it as easy as possible for them to access everything.

Just looking online there, the Doro 8050 is like a standard Android phone, with a physical home button. Might be the best of both worlds.

https://www.doro.com/en-ie/shop/mobile-devices/smart-phones/doro-8050-f53dbc72/

Muahahaha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119056385#Comment_119056385

Thanks I hadnt come across that model. It looks exactly what Im after with the home button but out of budget at 280, Im wary of spending a chunk in case it gets dropped (likely) and I have to replace it again. Will get one of those Ottorbox covers which might help but their Nokia phone has been dropped loads of time, the thing is strapped together with sellotape at the moment!

TheRona

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119056648#Comment_119056648

I didn't look at the price, but it's only €50 at Vodafone (reduced from €100 if you switch and save). What network are they on?

Muahahaha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119056937#Comment_119056937

Thanks, I hadnt realised the networks sell Doro and just went to their site where it is 280. Im not sure what network they are on but think it might be vodafone. If it is I have a spare 48 sim lying somewhere so could probably buy the phone for 50 euro on the switch and save deal and then swap the sim out for their own one after it arrives.

Im wondering though could a phone of 6.6 inches be too big for their hands. Bearing in mind they are coming from a Nokia 105 which is tiny in comparison. I think something around the size of the iPhone 4 would be better for them as it is not too bulky and could be held by an elderly person in one hand whereas getting up to 7 inches takes a bit more manual dexterity which they no longer have. I could source an old iPhone 4 but dont really want to give them a used phone that probably has a very short battery life.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119057051#Comment_119057051

How on Earth were they using a Nokia 105 if they are hard of sight?! 😄

The bigger the phone, the better for the elderly because 1) they will be able to see things better on a bigger screen and 2) they will be more likely to use two hands when using it and therefore will be less prone to dropping it.