Tuesday, April 19, 2011

The Best Cell Phones For Seniors

"I just got my new cell  phone, and it's one that I  can understand, outsmart, and know how  to operate!!!  I got it at  the Verizon Cell Phone for Seniors store at the mall!"

This email was forwarded to me by a friend following my telephone posts of April 9 and 12. (Love it when people send ideas for my blog.)  I did some research but am also anxiously waiting to hear from the originator of the forwarded email above. I'm want to know exactly which cell phone has empowered her.

What is the best cell phone for aging parents? I thought PC magazine might have the answer.  Its three-page article "The Top Simple Cell Phones"  (Feb. 2011) offers excellent information in text, plus ratings and a slide show of seven phones. I knew Jitterbug (third page) was senior-user-friendly, but had little knowledge about the other cell phones.

Another review of cell phones for seniors,http://reviews.cnet.com/cell-phones-for-seniors/, (updated April 2011) lists only one phone on PC Magazine's list: Doro Phone Easy 410. The comments at the end from adult children purchasing cell phones for parents and grandparents offer an additional perspective.

I was completely clueless about Verizon Senior Stores.  Google and Yahoo are always a first line of research for me and I found several Verizon Senior Stores are located somewhat near me.  While three stores had ratings and comments, the sample of respondents is too small to be valid by any research standards. Yet some stores appear to be more senior client-centered than others. There were rave reviews, for example, about a certain saleswoman at one of the Verizon Senior Stores, while some people complained about service at other stores.

Cell phones are a real convenience and can obviously save lives in an emergency. Check out the offerings.  Clearly a user-friendly cell phone is a necessity as we try to help parents and older people age well.  The right cell phone encourages connections, is a practical gift, and will hopefully empower older people just as it empowered the writer of the forwarded email that began this post.

And what was this cell phone that she could understand, outsmart and know how to operate with such enthusiasm? I promise to post the name as soon as I hear from her.

Visit my other site: http://helpparentsagewell.com   Same blog, more tabs and information

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