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hi
next door neighbour is a 94 year old widow, a lovely lady. one night last week her electric went off and she didnt know what to do, she came outside in the howling wind and was tapping on our window with a walking stick. sorted her leccy out but it brought up the issue that when her electric goes off, her house phone doesnt work so she cant ring me. she was lucky i was near the window, as if id been anywhere else in the house i wouldnt have heard her.
i asked her if she had a mobile phone to which she handed me some old relic from the ark that she didnt know how to use. ive had it a few days, sorted her out with a new PAYG sim, an asda-mobile account which i can oversee for her, and added £5 to the account for emergencies. just been round to show her how it works so she can keep it with her, written everything down, but to be honest the phones too complicated for her. it doesnt unlock when it should, theres too many buttons for her to press before making a phone call and i just know she wont/cant use it.
so......what (cheap) smallish phone for someone that needs big numbers to see and has as few button presses as possible to make a phone call and doesnt need bells and whistles or any data?
thanks
How about an personal / emergency alarm? sounds like she is a "vulnerable adult" so should be known to social services who provide these. the phone idea is good but what happens if you are out or away?
https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/assistive-technology/article/personal-alarms-at-home-aiDEp0U1Tdr2
isn;t doro phone the go-to for big button nobiles?
https://www.argos.co.uk/product/8796550?clickPR=plp:1:8
If she has access to broadband how about amazon alexa or similar. A simple voice command "alexa call next door" would work.
If she has access to broadband how about amazon alexa or similar. A simple voice command “alexa call next door” would work.
one night last week her electric went off and she didnt know what to do... but it brought up the issue that when her electric goes off, her house phone doesnt work so she cant ring me
What's her existing "house phone"?
An old-school phone doesn't require electricity, it's powered from the phone line.
A cordless phone does require power, but if she can use one of those then surely she can use a basic mobile?
I thought advice always used to be not to have your only house phone as a cordless one, for instances just like this.
If she’s anything like my mother the biggest issue will be getting her to keep it switched on & with her
Alcatel 2019G from argos I would say. Big buttons, massive battery life. Keys speak to you when pressed, has an SOS button & torch but no data/battery heavy functions. Simple speed dial system, and best of all.... Docking station thats dead easy to use so no fiddly cable to break/fit in a hole for old hands.
I thought advice always used to be not to have your only house phone as a cordless one, for instances just like this.
It was, but BT are going over to VOIP right now, so hard-wired old-skool phones will be obsolete.
How about a personal / emergency alarm? sounds like she is a “vulnerable adult” so should be known to social services who provide these. the phone idea is good but what happens if you are out or away?
funnily enough she'd just been sent the bumph about them through the post and was asking me how they worked and how much they cost. when i told her she said shed she'd read it later but was tired of friends and family 'going on' about how old she is and what happens if she has a fall etc, "thats all they seem to go on about and it gets on my nerves"
independent old lady 😀
What’s her existing “house phone”?
An old-school phone doesn’t require electricity, it’s powered from the phone line.
not sure, ill maybe check whether it actually did die, or whether she just thought it would have done.
thanks
Sorry I can't help with advice, but your story about helping your elderly neighbour has restored my faith in the human race today. 🙂
It was, but BT are going over to VOIP right now, so hard-wired old-skool phones will be obsolete.
I considered this but, well...
next door neighbour is a 94 year old
It's worth thinking about, but the PSTN switch-off is three years away yet.
+ 1 for a Doro phone
I got my mum 1 … mainly cos it has big butttons she can see
But also it’s a clamshell ( don’t laugh ) which hangs up when she closes it, otherwise it is highly doubtful calls made would end till her credit ran out 😕
It was, but BT are going over to VOIP right now, so hard-wired old-skool phones will be obsolete.
My mum mumbled something to me a couple of weeks ago about her phone not working when she got a new router, apparently the phone needed plugging in to it. Does that mean she just got swapped to VOIP?
I have an Artfone mobile (look it up on Amazon) that you can have for free. We bought it for a similar situation but unfortunatley its no longer required. Barely used and as new condition. Pm me if its of interest and I'll post it over.
Something like the Doro 780X is as simple as it gets, if necessary you can program all 3 buttons to call the same person. The RNIB used to be a good place to look but not anymore by the looks of it. The problem with all mobile phones is making sure it's working and charged when it's needed and not buried in a drawer with a flat battery
Adult Social Care might pay for a linked alarm, your neighbour would need to be assessed though. If not you can rent them through Age UK or similar
I've actually got a big button plug in, non cordless landline that you could have for nothing. It's just taking up space in my garage.
BT are going over to VOIP right now, so hard-wired old-skool phones will be obsolete
I did not know this. We keep an old wall mounted phone plugged in for use in a power cut or mobile outage.
Everyday is a school day!
those Doro's look good, never heard of them so thanks for the heads-up on those. and yes, a clamshell would seem a good idea, my neighbour never hung up once whilst we were playing around with her phone today. voicemail texts were pinging backwards and forwards and it just added to her (and mine tbh) confusion.
I have an Artfone mobile (look it up on Amazon) that you can have for free.
I’ve actually got a big button plug in, non cordless landline that you could have for nothing. It’s just taking up space in my garage.
thanks ever so much, thats really kind, i'll pm you both. the non-cordless would be ideal if shes got a spare phone socket in her bedroom, gives her another option. even if she hasnt, im sure i can rig something up so that if theres a power cut she can swap them over.
and im sorry to hear your artfone is no longer required nt, hopefully my neighbour can get the hang of it easily enough. if not ill either return it if you wish, or pass it on to someone in similar circumstances.
thanks again
Happy for you to pass it on mate.
Not cheap, but apparently Apple products are better than Android devices for visually impaired users due to the built-in screen reader and voice commands
If what you need is an actual simple phone Doro kit is brilliant. All they make are devices for the elderly. Proper big buttons, clear labels, simple functionality that works. Good battery life, easy to use dock-based charging and superb backup support too.
It’s worth thinking about, but the PSTN switch-off is three years away yet.
I hadn’t heard or read a timeframe, but I’ve had a communication from BT that the conversion locally is imminent. Not that it bothers me, I really only have a phone line for my broadband and to plug the Sky box into, I very, very rarely get landline calls, and even then they’re more likely to be a computer virus scam or someone flogging double glazing.
My dad in mid Wales has been switched to VOIP. It is an issue as mobile reception is poor and they he suffers fairly regular power cuts.
BT are going over to VOIP right now, so hard-wired old-skool phones will be obsolete.
As I understand it, an ATA (Analogue Telephone Adapter) allows use of analogue and DECT phones on VOIP. While it might not be the best solution in all cases, for somebody who has a phone they are comfortable using, it will be better than buying a new phone.