Smartphones for seniors are standard smartphones that have additional features intended to facilitate use by older folks.
Those additional features are designed to address issues such as poor eyesight, hearing loss, arthritis and more.
Below, our health and wellness experts have compiled their list of the most important benefits of smartphones for seniors.
11 Benefits Of Smartphones For Seniors
If you have heard about smartphones for seniors but are unsure whether one is right for you, consider the following benefits.
1: Smartphones for seniors typically have a larger screen.
This makes them easier to read than the smartphones most other people use. The average smartphone screen these days can have dozens of icons crammed onto it, some of which are so small that even young people with excellent eyesight have a hard time making them out. Smartphones designed with seniors in mind have brighter screens than most with the icons on those screens both larger and placed further apart.
2: Smartphones for seniors usually emphasize voice activation.
This enables the user to call someone without having to type in a name. Same goes for text messaging. This makes it much easier to contact people if the user has misplaced their glasses. To make a phone call they simply activate the mic (typically via the ‘Google Now’ app) and say who they want to call. Or they can say they want to call a specific number. Sending a message is pretty much the same thing. The user speaks into the phone via the appropriate app and says, for instance, “Text Chrissy. Are you coming for dinner?” Or whatever message they want to send.
3: Smartphones for seniors allow them to feel more connected to the larger world.
Feelings of isolation are a common problem for seniors (1). As people age their family members and friends – in other words all the people they shared their formative experiences with – begin to die off. This creates a deep sense of isolation and feelings of loneliness. A smartphone can help a senior citizen stay connected to the people in his or her life and fend off those feelings of loneliness.
4: Smartphones for seniors make it easy for them to call a taxi.
Anyone who has ever called for a taxi knows the dispatchers often talk fast and sometimes mumble. It can be difficult to know if they heard your address properly. Or, if they heard you at all. Today, however, we have a plethora of taxi-booking smartphone apps that make calling for a ride a walk in the park. In some cases it’s as easy as opening the app, pressing ‘order’ (or something equivalent) and waiting for the taxi to arrive. In most cases the app also lets the user see exactly where the cab is at any given time. So there’s no wondering if they’re on the way.
5: Smartphones for seniors sometimes come with real-world QWERTY keyboards.
While all smartphones have virtual keyboards that appear on-screen, not all seniors are comfortable with this kind of setup. They prefer the feel of the actual keys beneath their fingers. Some smartphones offer physical QWERTY keyboards as an option. Although it will typically cost a bit extra. “But what about Blackberry?” you say “They still offer physical keyboards as a standard feature, don’t they?” They did, but in August of 2020 the last of the companies that produced Blackberries stopped making them (2).
6: Smartphones for seniors enable them to reach out via the internet.
Okay, so it’s not the same as actually being out in the world, but the internet is nonetheless a vast landscape of information, entertainment and news. And it provides almost unlimited possibilities to interact with others via social media. Even those who haven’t drank the Facebook or Instagram Kool-Aid will find plenty of opportunities to comment on their favorite Youtube videos, for instance. Or chat with others in one of the countless online forums.
7: Smartphones for seniors help them stay in better physical shape.
There are myriad apps out there that monitor most of a person’s vital bodily processes. This enables the user to see when something is benefitting them physically and when it is hurting them. Most of these apps create a link between the smartphone and some type of watch or bracelet that picks up on various physical signals and sends them to the phone for the user to see. This way they can devise an effective exercise program and monitor their progress.
8: Smartphones for seniors can be linked to other household items.
This enables the user to take advantage of the ‘internet of things’ (3). The internet of things is comprised of billions of smart devices all over the world including garage doors, refrigerators, thermostats, dryers and much, much more. All of these things can be remotely operated via smartphone apps by their owners from anywhere, as long as they have an internet connection. Smartphones for seniors can thus be linked to various smart devices in their house.
9: Smartphones for seniors sometimes have magnifying cameras.
A magnifying camera is just that: a camera that magnifies whatever the user points it at so they can be sure they’re getting the picture they want. But beyond just ensuring that the user gets the photo they’re after it can also be used to magnify small print on menus, receipts, warranties and other items. Essentially providing a magnifying glass the user can take with them anywhere they go.
10: Smartphones for seniors offer the ability to sync with medical alert devices.
This is a very attractive possibility that can spell the difference between life and death in some instances. Medical alert alert devices have come a long way in the past 40 years. Some of today’s most sophisticated can detect when a person falls and automatically alert caregivers or first responders. The Jitterbug, which we profile on our above list, has a built in medical alert button right on its face which, when pushed, sends an emergency message to the company’s medical alert call center who notify local emergency services.
11: Smartphones for seniors often have higher volume speakers.
Because, just as vision tends to wane as we age, so too does hearing (6). There are a number of smartphones for seniors that offer higher volume speakers. There are also some standard smartphones whose volume settings are sufficiently robust that they make acceptable options for seniors suffering mild to moderate hearing loss. Some manufacturers also make smartphones designed to work with hearing aids.
Conclusion
Smartphones for seniors are designed to make it easy for older folks to use them. Smartphones for seniors also also alllow older folks to stay connected, make it easy for them to call a taxi and empower them to shop from home so they don’t have to venture out in bad weather.