How to find an easy-to-use phone for an elderly user

Many elderly users appreciate a phone that can be folded and that comes with large buttons, like the KX-TU329 from Panasonic. — Panasonic/dpa

When your finger joints start to hurt and the small font on your phone's screen looks blurred, it might be time to change your smartphone.

But finding the right phone for an elderly user is no easy task.

Generally it’s no longer a case of going for the best camera or the longest battery life, but rather for the device that’s easiest to use. However, not everyone ages in the same way.

"The group of seniors is very heterogeneous," says Nicola Roehricht from Germany’s Federal Association of Senior Citizens Organizations (BAGSO). “And just as different are the needs and requirements of mobiles, telephones and smartphones for the elderly."

There are phones designed specifically for seniors but there’s also the option to adapt standard devices for their needs. Older people can have difficulties with touching, seeing and hearing as well as understanding how a phone works, for example menus.

Big-button phones and phones with extra large displays are often recommended for the elderly. There’s also the five-button phone.

"The five-key mobile phone meets the needs of older people who like things to stay analogue and simple,” Roehricht says. A simple design without lots of frills is important to many older people.

Consumer goods tester Dirk Lorenz has tested many phones aimed at older people. "Especially the big, easy-to-feel keys for the simple devices, but also for special smartphones, were perceived as good," he says.

Charging cradles were found to be better than fiddly power cables. There’s still room for improvement when it comes to menu navigation and usability, Lorenz adds.

For many, the emergency call function is the most important detail, says Lorenz. This is generally a separate button that calls a preset emergency contact number when pressed.

It should be able to detect when it reaches a mailbox or answering machine and then try the next number on the list, but not all devices can do this, Lorenz says.

A fall sensor can also be a useful feature, as it will automatically call an emergency contact if it detects an accident.

A large number of older people use a mobile phone just for calls or the occasional text message and so are satisfied with a simple device, but many seniors have become accustomed to the features of smartphones.

"The desire of seniors to participate in digital life is often underestimated," says Erhard Hackler from the German Senior League.

Specially developed smartphones with large displays and intuitive operation are ideal for seniors, Hackler says: "These devices have speech input and output as well as screen magnification already integrated into the operating systems."

Conventional smartphones can also do the job, however, as apps can be downloaded to provide features such as an emergency button or a flashlight. — dpa

Find the ideal phone for an elderly user at Lazada.