Phones Made Easy For The Elderly
Phones today are designed to be useful for countless things. Whether it's staying connected to loved ones, taking beautiful pictures, or having a perfectly organised calendar, smartphones today can do it all. Android phones are famed for their people-centric operating systems as well as easy customisation features.
It’s long been known that seniors struggle with technology - notably smartphones. With phones being one of the most essential tools in our arsenal today - here’s some tips on setting it up for maximum ease for your elderly loved one.
Keeping a simple home screen ensures that it’s easy for seniors to navigate around the applications they use the most.
Uninstall any unnecessary apps - stick to the ones they frequent the most to keep their phone clutter-free. A tidy home screen means easy-to-reach apps, and less time spent searching.
To do so: Tap and hold on the app icon to rearrange the position on the home screen, or drag it below towards the ‘Uninstall’ wording to delete it.
With age, eyesight often becomes more of an issue - with seniors often struggling to read text on phone screens. Adjusting the font size to be larger than the default can help seniors read more clearly, as well as type and text more easily.
To do so: Go to ‘Settings’ and then click on ‘Display’ to see all the options for font sizes, and choose the one most comfortable for your loved one.
Most smartphones today have a dedicated section for this information in when in case of an emergency.
To do so: Click on the ‘Settings’ app, then towards ‘Safety and Emergency’ and enter the section titled ‘Emergency information’. Over there you can then add emergency contacts and other necessary details.
Some phones feature a section titled ‘Medical info’ as well - which can be useful to add names of medications needed, existing conditions & allergies, as well as any other important information for emergency responders in the event of an accident or emergency.
Lock screen security is important no matter the age of the smartphone user. Most smartphones today are equipped with fingerprint sensor as well as face unlock, both quick & convenient ways to keep their phones secure; be sure to run them through the process to ensure they are comfortable using it.
Alternatively, a PIN password in the form of a number or pattern that they can easily remember works as well.
To do so: Head into ‘Settings’, and then ‘Lock Screen’ to configure the details.
Mobile phones are one of the most used items in our day-to-day lives, let them know that they can personalise their phone and make it their own. By changing the theme on their phone to reflect their mood, adding a lock screen & wallpaper image, and even accessorising with a fun phone case they can highlight their personality and interests.
To do so: Click onto ‘Settings’ and find the sections for features such as ‘Theme’ and ‘Display’ to toggle these features and add some customisation.
Just like that, Android smartphone enhancements for elderly loved ones can be done quickly and with ease!
SilverActivities develops easy-to-use products and services for the elderly to enable increased independence, avoid social isolation, and stay engaged.
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