My dad seems to have a lot of trouble on his cell phone lately. He blames the phone but I think it is him. As an example I will call him and he will disconnect rather than answer. He means to answer so then he gets frustrated. He can’t seem to navigate email or text very well. I think he still sees text when I send but I’m not sure. So the question is do the senior designed phones really help? The one I was looking at is the lively jitterbug smart phone 3. But it would require learning something new even if it is ultimately easier to use. I live 4 hours away and really want my dad to have a cell phone. They have a home phone too but for some reason it is hooked up to a fax machine.
I want to address an example about what happened to my late boyfriend of 2020 during the early pandemic that started in March that year. He had only a flip phone from AT&T and refused to obtain internet service because he said internet service was an option. You see, he had an anxiety condition with autism that he refused to change and update his technology. A smartphone or basic tablet such as an iPad could have saved his life. Income taxes were supposed to get filed, but he could not get the forms because all libraries had been closed and forms were only available by Web, requiring him to file an extension into July and beyond. He had suffered a heart condition and could not really contact Kaiser for emergency assistance. Unfortunately, he passed away at age 75 in August 2020 from his health conditions, extreme isolation and stress.
keep a very good eye on him . I am here 24/7 with minor exception. When I am out now , I have someone come in to sit with him . With the distance between you and your dad you might consider outside help coming in . If your mom is with your dad she may need help and not know how to find it . If he has not been tested by a neurologist to find out if there are is something going on with his memory , maybe he should be . If there is an “issue “ there will be so very much to learn. It’s a long ugly road for everyone involved. Watching and caring for anyone who dissolves in front of your eyes is heart breaking ..prayer are with you ..
I was experiencing the same issue with my mom. She now lives with us and has, for the past 5 years. Her living alone, declined so much, we felt it was necessary. (Paying multiple months rent in advance, over buying duplicates at the market, because she forgot she already had at home, type stuff)
Her iPhone was too much for her. She would answer and hang up or keep hitting buttons, and activate the FaceTime. She wouldn’t remember how to hang it up either. So, I thought the same thing, try the Jitterbug 3, it’s something new to learn, but may be basic enough with the big icons, also thought, because I work 45 miles away, the alert button on the phone, would be a stress reliever.
I was wrong. She could not manage the new phone at all. She couldn’t hear it for one, because she kept turning the volume down by where the buttons were positioned and how she gripped it. The worst, was she kept calling the alert staff. And because they are nice, she would chat them up.
I finally resorted to buying an Alexa with the big screen and now I can “drop in” at anytime and check in on her. She doesn’t have to answer it.
At first, with written instructions below the device, mom could work it. Now the decline is so bad, she cannot comprehend the instructions to “drop in” on me at work or play her favorite music. So I do that for her from my desk at work. Thank God for technology.
The cell phone just became a burden for her, because she would get frustrated not remembering how to work it and couldn’t comprehend the instructions and always, forgot to charge it.
She has since forgotten that she “wants a cell phone” and she uses mine when she wants to communicate with a friend or another family member.
Good luck with your dad.
I bought my mom an old push button phone on ebay to have for her land line in her assisted living apartment, and she could no longer use it. When ringing happened it didn't register to her that the phone needed answered. If you instructed her to pick up the phone, she didn't know which end to put to her ear. It was shocking to me that she had progressed to the point that she couldn't answer a ringing phone, but that was the little bit of hope/denial that I had left I suppose.
I strongly suggest that your folks have a functioning land line in addition to whatever cell you decide on. I have heard good things about RAZ. Good Luck.
I’ll update if we are able to get the Raz and if it works for my dad.