Appropriate Cellphone Plans for Senior Citizens

Seniors need special phones for emergency and communication purposes. While the right handset is important for a senior’s use, the appropriate plan or coverage is just as essential. A senior citizen will have specific needs and uses for a cell phone, so it is important to consider these in determining the right cell phone plan for a senior’s use. The following are some pointers to keep in mind:

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Getting a Cell Phone Plan for Seniors

Getting a cell phone plan for your senior loved one is not as easy as it may seem. Unlike other services, you may be obliged to enter into a contract, which could last up to three years, depending on the service provider and the type of plan you’re getting. Before entering into a long term contract, therefore, you must make sure the plan meets the communication needs of the senior.

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A Guide to Cellphone Plans for Seniors

Most of today's mobile phone packages factor in download minutes to cater to users who love to download apps, mp3s, and other files to their phones. However, such a feature is something that many seniors do not need. With the high costs of cell phone subscriptions these days, seniors do not have to pay for a feature that they won't likely use anyway.

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Choosing Cellphones for an Elderly Loved One

No matter how often smartphone technology churns in a new feature, you have no problem keeping up because you've always been a techie. Unfortunately, this is not the same for your grandmother. Your beloved grandma's eyesight has been on decline for years, and now, she can't even tell the difference between numbers and letters on her current cellphone's keypad, much less know how to take advantage of the latest cell phone features.

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Safety for Seniors

Given the chance, most seniors would rather age in their homes than move to retirement facilities. After all, why leave behind a house filled with a life’s worth of memories? Their children, on the other hand, are right to worry about them given their advanced age. Fortunately, there are things you can do to ensure that they remain safe even while they live independently:

Simple Home Modifications

Things you used to take for granted can become real hazards now that your parents are older—take stairs for example, which can become slip and fall hazards. To prevent such accidents, you can install additional lighting (preferably automated) and handrails on both sides of the stairs.

Guard Against Crimes

The elderly are easy targets for criminals, so make sure that the doors in your parents’ home have sturdy deadbolts that can’t be easily pried. Furthermore, consider installing a burglar alarm to alert authorities of attempted break-ins.

Cellphones for Safety

Some cellphone models have emergency monitoring services built into them. When your parents have medical emergencies or if they feel threatened, they simply press a button and a response agent will call 911 for them.

People say that life is cyclical, and this may indeed be true. In the same way your parents use to fret about you when you were young, you now find yourself worrying about your parents’ well-being in return. Hopefully, the tips about will help alleviate the anxieties you have.

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The Vital Features any Emergency Phone Should have

Whether you have to leave your 78-year-old Mom alone or with her assigned carer, it is important to instill a sense of security even if you’re not with her – something to assure you that she’ll be able to call for help when needed. Fortunately, cell phones designed for users like senior citizens are already in the market.

Before picking out a phone for your elder, know the most critical features a senior citizen-specific phone should have:

• Large Keypads. Impressive as touchpads are, they are not always needed in mobile phones. This is especially true when you take into consideration the fact that seniors will be the ones using the cellphone. Remember, their fingers may no longer be as nimble as they were, and so could not navigate touchpads as smoothly as you would. Also, make sure their phone has a one-click function. The point is to find a phone that’s most ergonomic for them so they won’t have to expend much-needed energy unnecessarily so.
• Battery life. The phone’s battery should endure longer time periods, even days at a time. In the event that there’s a power outage and your senior Mom needs aid, she can reach for her phone without the fear of it running on empty.
• Wide Network Coverage. The main purpose of the mobile phone is to establish communication easier. If coverage is faulty, then the device only defeats that very purpose. To confirm this, you can ask for assistance from your provider.

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Choosing a Cellphone Plan for Seniors

Just because you’re moving far from your elderly parents (or they might be the ones moving), it shouldn’t mean that you have to lose communication. There are after all, a wide variety of cellphones designed especially for comfortable and practical use by senior citizens. When you buy them a phone though, don’t forget to take the plan into consideration. Here are some tips for choosing phone plans for seniors:

Type of Service

You should choose a cellphone plan based on the frequency by which it will be used. Some plans, for instance, have rates that vary depending on the time of the calls. If you typically are on the phone with your elderly folks throughout the day, therefore, and only sparsely at night, choose a service that offers affordable day rates.

Company

Next, look into plan providers – each one will vary in the quality of service that they could offer you based on location (since certain providers might have better signal in one community compared to another). You should know your home calling area and compare provider roaming rates for when the calls come from outside the area.

Contract

It’s important for you to know the length of your plan’s contract, and whether or not there’s a “break free” clause that you could make use of in case you want to opt out of the plan in the middle of your contract period. Some companies provide this option, but with a hefty termination fee.

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