Survivalist Chronicles
You don't have to be marooned in the jungle in
order to be a survivor. In this day and age we're
all survivors just by getting to the end of another
day.

 

Big Button Phone

With the emergence of products like the Razor cell phone, a big button phone seems antiquated and of generally no use. However, there is a large population of people who rely on such a product. The elderly is among that population.

... she needed a big button phone to make regular everyday calls ...

I found that my great-grandmother had great difficulty with her telephone. She is a simple woman of ninety-three years. My great-grandmother is quite sharp and relatively active for her age. Actually, she is active for my age as well. However, she needed a big button phone to make regular everyday calls.

The only problem was no one was aware of this need, including her. She owned a traditional push-button telephone. There is really no need for a cordless telephone in her small living area so she opted to keep the one she had used for many, many years. At first, we thought that the device was broken then we discovered that she needed to get a big button phone for a number of reasons.

... eyesight had deteriorated so much that she could no longer see well enough to dial out ...

The first reason is her eyesight. Of course, when we get older our eyes get weaker. Sometimes this is so insidious that is occurs before we realize. My great-grandmother’s eyesight had deteriorated so much that she could no longer see well enough to dial out. She needed a big button phone to make out the numbers correctly. This worked wonders for her.

Her second obstacle was caused by arthritis. She is not dexterous and she has a great deal of difficulty pressing one number at a time. The big button phone gives her digits plenty of room. She hasn’t misdialed since we installed the new telephone.

... The big button phone has an amplifier that makes louder ring tones ...

In addition to being dial-friendly, the big button phone also has features that help her hear the telephone ring when an incoming call comes in. My great grandmother missed a lot of incoming calls because she did not hear the rings in time. The big button phone has an amplifier that makes louder ring tones that can be easily heard. 

The amplified sound is also featured in the earpiece so great grandma can adequately hear the conversation. This is a great feature on the big button phone for the person calling, too. I hate repeating myself over and over again. Since she got her new telephone, I haven’t had to repeat a single phrase.

I think that the big button phone is the best gift we could have gotten for my great grandmother. We keep her occupied on the telephone and she has the freedom and peace of mind in knowing that she can call anyone anytime. Her calls are always welcome.