Mom has enjoyed using her smartphone to keep up with friends and family over the last ten years. She used to be able to email, text and search the web with ease. She is now at a 17 out of 30 on her screening test and she has begun to lose the ability to manage the technical parts of the phone. She isn't ready to give up her phone communication and she isn't yet misusing the privilege so we would like to get her a new senior smartphone that is simpler for her to access but none are easily or readily available through her current service provider. It appears that we would have to buy the senior smartphone and then unlock the chip in order to put the new phone into her current network. This is easy for the younger set to do but not so easily accomplished by those of us in the sandwich generation. Does anyone have any tips, thoughts, suggestions about how to accomplish this goal for mom without ending up in technical hogwash for ourselves?
I think it's pretty cool but dad would forget how to ask Alexa just like he forgot how to make a video call. He is very comfortable with the old style phone (with a cord) that you put up to your ear. He kept trying to do that with a cell phone because he's hard of hearing but then the speaker would turn off. So if your mom likes to talk on the phone to her ear, but needs the speaker to hear better make sure that the Jitterbug (or whatever) will leave the speaker on if she puts it to her ear.
Anyway, dad only had "moderate" dementia but teaching an old dog new tricks was too hard. Since he didn't need a phone when out and about, he didn't need a mobile and he really gravitated to the good old phone he understood.
Good luck! It's so important for them to be able to reach out and call someone.
However since we had no land line, I installed an OOMA to plug the big button phone into. It only costs about $5/month
I ALSO got him a device called a Facebook Portal because all of his friends are on his Facebook account. It's sort of like a tablet in that it can do a lot of other things but he really only used it for two things. He LOVES the picture show I put on it. Basically what I did is take all of his pictures and scan them and then LABEL who they are (took some time) and then uploaded them to Facebook. Sometimes he forgets who someone is and the labels help him remember... but now he's got the pictures memorized and he recognizes everyone.
The other thing he does with it is accept video calls. He can't remember how to make a video call, but his friends can call him using their facebook messenger app and they can see each other. It has a FANTASTIC speaker system and he can hear much more clearly than over the phone and he can read lips and expressions. I know there are other video conferencing phones for seniors and I'm sure they all work well. It was just easier to use Facebook as otherwise I would have to coach his elderly friends how to put an app on their phone or computer to call him.
So even though it does lots of other things, the investment of about $150 gave him good quality of life and he's had lots of fun with it.
There comes a time when they just can't do it, no matter how simple.
This is the saddest thing I've ever seen, she is throwing good money after bad trying to fix her brain with a new, easier phone.
Your mom may be different but, keep my experience in mind when looking for a fix to loss of executive function skills.
May i suggest you look into an Amazon Alexa show 5 for your Mom? Once you set it up in her house, and link phone numbers for her, all she has to do is tell “Alexa, call Jane Doe”..and then just talk. If I”m not near my smart phone, it rings through Alexa elsewhere in the house. It also plays movies, internet, etc. There is 1 time cost for the unit and you will need wireless internet for it to function properly,. Check it out on Amazon, its really quite simple to use and so useful.
I also tied it to my fire tv stick and use voice command for tv channels, but that is a much different story!
I did come up with a good idea for her phone book. I took an empty 4x6 photo album. Used Index cards and my printer and created large number picture phone number directory. One person on each page. She LOVES it and it has actually helped add to her feeling of independence.
I guess the question I have is if she is still able to use the 'smart' part of a smartphone?
What about something like a 'Grandpad' instead, if she's still keeping up with emails, surfing the net, etc. You can do calls on those too.
My Mom has had an iPad for years and can still use it to passively do things, but is at the point she can't actively do some things like compose an email or FaceTime. She can pick up incoming phone calls her handset phone, but doesn't dial out.
If your mom isn't using the technology part of a smartphone then maybe switch her over to a landline or handset phone?
I wouldn't recommend AT&T provide the services though; they're outrageously expensive.
I only paid about $25 for my phone, but that was some years ago. They're a little bit more pricy now, but not in the stratosphere like some smart phones.
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