Specially Adapted Cell Phones Make Life Better for Seniors

If you have an elderly friend or relative for whom you'd like to do something special, look no further than a cell phone designed specifically with the needs of senior citizens in mind. Cell phones with buttons, amplified sound, and innovative safety features bring peace of mind to those who give and receive the cell phone.

Research shows that about one-third of people in the United States between the ages of 65 and 74 have hearing problems; by the time they reach 85 one-half of Americans have hearing loss. Hearing loss makes it much harder for people to communicate, especially over the phone where body language, lip movement, and other clues are absent. It's easy for even well meaning friends to start ignoring people who don't hear well, or to think they are confused or difficult. And how sad it is when grandchildren and great grandchildren don't want to talk to their grandparents over the phone because the elders don't hear what they are saying.

If you want to help someone with hearing loss you can face the person when you speak and talk clearly and at a reasonable speed. If you need to repeat what you said, use different words. Reduce background noise and sit or stand in good lighting. And, buy them a telephone or cell phone that amplifies sound. Amplified cell phones make sounds louder and can even improve sound quality.

About 3.5 million people over the age of 40 experience vision loss and more than 6.5 million Americans have severe visual impairment. With the aging of the baby boomers these numbers are expected to double. While some decline in vision is a normal part of aging, more serious problems that affect sight also occur with age. Loss of vision can make everyday tasks more difficult or even impossible, especially for seniors who are faced with other health challenges. Various assistive devices, including special telephones, make life easier for people with limited vision. Cell phones with larger buttons and better displays are designed for seniors. Many even have voice-activation systems which by-pass functions that require sight.

In addition to adaptations to help people with limited vision or hearing, cell phones designed for seniors have other helpful features. With just one press on an emergency button, phones send out an alarm to alert others that help is needed. The SOS button also initiates calls to a series of pre-set phone numbers in order to reach friends and family. Cell phones for seniors typically have a built in flashlight that works whether or not the phone is turned on.

Convenience features include an easy connection to live support that can help with use of the cell phone. Easy-to-use menus and navigation take away much of the difficulty seniors-who were not raised in the age of technology-have using cell phones. Most actions can be completed with one or two clicks.

Twenty-one percent of Americans surveyed said vision loss was their greatest fear and three percent said deafness. While medicine does its best to prevent and treat hearing and vision loss, technology is making life better for people via cell phones that are adapted to the needs of aging people.

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About the Author

+Chris Robertson is a published author of Majon International. All Rights Reserved. Copyright 2011 (Wed Feb 17 2010) Majon International. Majon International is one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing and internet advertising companies on the web. Visit their main business resource internet marketing web site at: http://www.majon.com