<p>About a month ago , there was a significant blizzard that struck the northeast. Most of my extended family was affected by power outages that lasted days. Since my 82 year old mother was one of them and in the outage was also without phone, my sisters and I all agreed it was time to finally get mom a cell phone, against her will. Though she agreed that she needs to since she lives alone, she is so reticent to learning any new technology.
I understand it isn’t easy for older folks to learn it , though certainly not impossible
Last week when my husband and paid a visit to mom, husband ran down to ATT&T and picked up and iphone for her. We didn’t have a lot of time before we had to head back so explaining the basic functions was hurried , I admit.
Now she is just plain being stubborn about even touching it
One of my sisters has discovered that the local senior center has classes geared to elderly to teach them how to use them.
After volunteering post Sandy with an elderly woman I didn’t know before the storm and trying to help her understand how to use the track phone that another volunteer arranged for her, I realized that the small , numerous buttons are more confusing so I thought the iphone would be a good choice…to be honest I think the entire premise of learning another phone just plain overwhelms her , but she needs to learn how to use the phone in the event of an emergency
Anyone have any input about how to ease a stubborn senior into smart phone use ?</p>
<p>We insisted on dad learning to use a cellphone. He basically can call his daughters, SILs or one of the grandkids. There is no way I would try a smartphone, the lack of buttons to dial would confuse the heck out of him. All I need him to do is reach one of us for help. And he’s been pretty good about taking it with him when he’s going somewhere…and he’s called me on it.
If you think the iphone is the way to go, I’d set it up with the phone numbers and just teach her how to “dial”. No reason to go into anything else. My dad doesn’t type, so there is no way he could handle a text message…</p>
<p>My mom is a technophobe. We went to local Costco and bought her a “dumbphone”. After repeated badgering she keeps it charged and in the outside pocket of her purse. Had to do several days in a row of repeated coaching to get her to answer or make calls with it. She has refused an iPhone. In hindsight I think she may have been slightly more comfortable with a clamshell phone that answers when you open and turns off when closed. She now seems ok with it 60 days after purchase.</p>
<p>I don’t think my Mum could have managed a smart phone. She had a cell phone with buttons and I had to give her a lesson every time I went home.</p>
<p>I would never have considered an iPhone for an elderly parent. They’re confusing for someone like that, and have far more functionality than they will ever need, want or (frankly) comprehend. </p>
<p>There are cell phones available that are made specifically for use by the elderly. Some of them go so far as to have no screen at all, and they look a lot like a portable house phone. Examples include the Snapfon Ez One, Doro 410 and Samsung Jitterbug. </p>
<p>I’d be tempted to sell the (clearly rather intimidating) iPhone and buy something extremely simple instead.</p>
<p>There is a long learning curve with some of the new technology. </p>
<p>It all depends on the ability of the person. Some are logically challenged, and at some point, in the early 80s, I think, you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.</p>
<p>Look for a simple phone with big buttons. But if she simply won’t touch it , you may be dealing with a different set of problems. Other threads discuss this, but without many solutions.</p>
<p>My mom (83) is on her second smart phone but she prefers to use the qwerty keyboard when emailing, texting, etc., than the touch screen. though she surfs using the touch. She is a fantastic problem solver and figured it all out on her own. She uses it for everything. My father, OTOH, is technologically challenged (has always been so) and can only manage a regular cell phone, if he remembers to turn it on.</p>
<p>If the power goes out for extended days, how will the phone be charged? </p>
<p>This is one reason we still have ONE phone that is not cordless of our house phones. When the power was out for 3 days, we were the ONLY ones on our street with phone service.</p>
<p>I think my mom would have loved a smartphone, but my H has a flip phone & I doubt if he will ever trade up.</p>
<p>For someone who isn’t comfortable with new technology, I would stick to a more conventional phone, that answers a call when you open it instead of having to push a button.
Flip phones also generally can go much longer on a charge than a smart phone which will have to be charged everyday. </p>
<p>It will benefit her more if she is comfortable enough to carry it with her, so perhaps involving her in the selection may go a long way toward a compromise.
Take her back to the store to try out some- although you may have to dig around before they will admit they still service dumb phones. Smart phone plans are quite a bit more expensive than dumb phones, as you probably have noticed. ;)</p>
<p>you’d be surprised. my 75 years old mom absolutely loves the ipad she received last Christmas. i thought she would hated it and returned it in a week. for her upcoming birthday next month, she will be getting an iphone .</p>
<p>OP, I agree with other posters – asking her to learn to use a smart phone may be asking too much. And why would she even need it? Here’s the [Jitterbug](<a href=“Jitterbug Flip2 | Easy, Big Button Flip Phone for Seniors | Lively”>http://www.greatcall.com/Jitterbug/JitterbugPlusSilver</a>), aimed specifically at seniors. No frills, big buttons.</p>
<p>ETA – But be aware that a cell phone may not solve the problem, or may create new ones. We go my mom a dumb phone, but found in the end that it was useless. Unlike us, she wasn’t used to thinking about charging it, so she’d let the battery die and never even realize it. Or she’d turn it off and forget how to turn it on. We never did succeed in teaching her how to check voicemail. And it’s another avenue for marketers, phishers and con artists to get at them. Bottom line, we finally realized that it wasn’t doing the job we intended it to do – enabling us to reach her or vice versa – while putting her at some additional risk. We finally ditched it.</p>
<p>Our dad is happy with his iPhone. Mom will answer her cell phone after lots of coaching, printing and some bulling from dad. It is useful if I go to Costco with her and we get separated. She can also it to call us of answer calls from us. We offered to buy her an iPhone but she begged us not to and does charge and carry the phone in her purse these days. She still won’t carry it to walk around the neighborhood when she takes her one hour long morning walks but we’re happy she carries it when she has her purse.</p>
<p>
iPads are becoming quite popular with seniors, who often receive them as gifts from kids who’d like their parents to become more techno-savvy. At the senior center where I work, we have an iPad support group that meets weekly - seniors bring in their tablets, and a few of their peers who are especially good with them coach and demonstrate. iPads are much more user-friendly than iPhones, imo. The very first time I ever saw an iPad, a 94-year-old man showed me how to use it. :)</p>
<p>iPhones are more complicated. There can be a long learning curve for seniors to master any new technology, but they can do it, with enough practice and motivation.</p>
<p>My in-laws received the simpler, senior-friendly cell phones a few years ago and still keep them in their charging docks next to the landline phone. They won’t bring them anywhere. They won’t even have an answering machine. I figure that natural consequences will eventually apply some pressure. If they have an emergency when they’re out in the car, they’ll figure out that it would have been better to have the cell phone along.</p>
<p>Good topic for me this week. Would never work for MIL/SIL, but my mom wants to be able to text (or really, to receive texts and pictures from her kids), so I’m going to let her play with an old iPhone4 we have. If she thinks she can use it, we’ll switch from her flip phone. I got a stylus just in case the touch screen is an issue.</p>
<p>Another option if the only desire is emergency contact is to simply have an older phone on hand. ANY phone will call 911 as long as it has a signal. No service plan / contract required. Some number of years ago, my dad refused to have cell due to pricing, but kept a phone in his car connected to a charger.</p>
<p>My grandmother would use her cell phone if she could ever find it!</p>
<p>I personally think iphone is more user friendly than some of the more basic phones. Easier to see , especially if the text is enlarged. I see the so called regular phones with small buttons and arrows , not exactly clear, visable and easy to navigate.
My husband got the iPhone added to our plan so the cost to run it is minimal , definately when compared to setting up a seperate account with another company. Also, it has siri so she can literally command the phone to do whatever she wants with the depression of one button. She doesn’t necessarily need to use the texting features or other apps that come factory installed , but I do think if she opened her mind a bit and tried, she could pick up the basic functions.
My sister is going to look into classes for seniors to learn the basics.</p>
<p>I dropped off a 3G iPad at my mother’s back in December and picked it up last week. She hadn’t used it and I didn’t see a good reason for paying $30/month for a data plan if she wasn’t going to use it. We were hoping that she would use it for email for regular contact with us. She does have an old feature phone but she leaves it off most of the time. She only turns it on when she wants to call someone - usually a taxi. So I can see how tough this stuff is with older folks.</p>
<p>My daughter has been showing one of my sisters how to use a tablet computer and has been installing apps for her. This sister has two Ivy degrees but she often needs help doing computer/mobile/technology stuff.</p>
<p>Just for giggles, you don’t even need English:</p>
<p>[Old</a> man Vs. iPad.flv - YouTube](<a href=“Old man Vs. iPad.flv - YouTube”>Old man Vs. iPad.flv - YouTube)</p>
<p>Some are saying that learning how to use the iPhone comes with a “learning curve” - I’m 54, quite savvy technologically speaking, and for me, learning the iPhone has come with a learning scoliosis! I truly just do not get it. All the bells and whistles are lost on me. I went back to my “stupid” phone, and I’m quite happy. I second those who suggest one of the phones made for seniors (I see them advertised in my AARP magazine).</p>