The choice of mobiles for the elderly

Accessible mobile phones are scarce in the UK and until last year, were not available for free on contract. Mobile phones are available specifically for the elderly, with large big buttons and easy to read displays. In 2006 the ITT Easy 5 Phone was introduced, which is a mobile phone at its simplest, with just five buttons and no screen and just makes and receives calls.

2008 saw the launch of the Emporia Life mobile phone which has very large buttons and a very large orange backlight screen. It also has an emergency panic button which has been an outstanding success

The Emporia Life Plus and the Doro Doro Handle Easy range of big button mobile phones are also available together with the best value big button mobile, the Binatone Speakeasy Mobile . The Emporia Life Plus has a high quality brushed aluminum finish, a slider mechanism and is thinner. It also features a super loud handsfree speaker and emergency SMS.

The Speakeasy big button mobile phone represents a price break through for a big button easy to use yet functional mobile. It has a large easy to read screen, is hearing aid compatible, sends and receives SMS text messages and has a loud handsfree speaker for those who are hard of hearing.

Amplicom is also offering a range of phones, which are hearing aid compatible, with easy to use big buttons. The company claims they are the first and only range of products that contain an induction coil built into the handset making them fully hearing aid compatible.

The Easyproject Easyuse phone is a very useful tool for the elderly. It features a rubberised soft touch finish, ideal for easy gripping and using on a flat surface. It can recieve SMS text messages, allowing messages to be sent to elderly or the vulnerable if required.

It features easy to see and read big buttons with contrasting fonts making it ideal for the partially sighted, the elderly or those just requiring a simple basic mobile phone without complicated features.

The doro HandleEasy 326gsm is an easy to use mobile phone to make and receive calls. Dialling is made easier with direct memory buttons and a larger keypad and display, and a vibrating ringer alerts of incoming calls. The soft touch surface has been specifically designed to provide an easier and better grip, and there is an easily activated speakerphone for added convenience.

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