Mobile phone for dad

[countrygirl99]

Can anyone recommend a reasonably priced easy to use mobile with big buttons and a good size screen. I had dad's to drop off at the hospital and I realised why he barely uses it. It has teeny buttons and an equally teeny screen, not ideal for someone who canonly read large print books! Not only that but it would have been a rubbish, hard to use phone 30 years ago, DH and I were both struggling with it.

Doro phones are made for this, we got one for my FIL when he was ill.

My mum now 84 uses a Doro, they do a clamshell as well as a 'easy' style of smart phone.

The Doro is designed for older users who arent so familiar with tech, or who like the security of physical buttons for starting and ending calls. The smartphone has a simplified menu, with large icons, and an extra loud ringtone if you need that.

I set the phone up for my mum, and she finds it very easy now she's got used to it. She's had two Doros now, happy enough to select it again even though we looked at literally all the options in the phone shop. However, worth noting that my mum is also able to use an iPad, at a basic level (online grocery shopping, Skype calls to family overseas, reading emails).

Definitely worth considering a Doro

Another vote for Doro. They sell them in Argos

www.argos.co.uk/browse/technology/mobile-phones-and-accessories/sim-free-phones/c:30147/brands:doro/

Yep I work for said above company and Doro are our biggest selling phones for the older generation . Certain ones especially have larger buttons . Louder ringtones and just simple to use .

My mother has a door can use email and Internet if you really want to but it's basically a text and call phone with a camera very easy to use

Funnily enough his current phone is a Doro but I think it's ancient and it's tiny. Our local Argos is a tiny corner in Sainsbury's, do they still have anywhere you can actually look at stuff?

@countrygirl99

Funnily enough his current phone is a Doro but I think it's ancient and it's tiny. Our local Argos is a tiny corner in Sainsbury's, do they still have anywhere you can actually look at stuff?

If you order one and go to collect from Argos, I'm pretty sure they'll let you look at it when you go to collect and return on the spot if unsuitable. Otherwise, it could be worth trying the network phone shops (Vodafone, O2 etc).

It depends on the management . I’m not sure if we are officially allowed to do views atm but some of our store management will let you view an item before you buy it now (stopped during covid as we had to quarantine stock) just ask to view it before you buy it .

Clamshell is good because it springs into life as you open it. Actually switching on is a bit beyond my dad.

OP - are you suggesting there were mobile phones in 1991? I can remember them in 1995 - you’d be hard put to find a mobile made in the last 15 tears to match them for difficulty of use.

DH had one when DS2 was born which was 1992 - he was in sales and spent 4 days a week on the road. It was his first after having a car phone. Mind you, it was so big and heavy he used to leave it in his car anyway. The screen was quite big because there was plenty if space on the device and it didn't even do texts. Dad's has a complicated menu and just storing a phone number takes ages. Then because the screen is dinky he can't reach what it says. He actually has mums mobile number written down and taped to the back because he can't read the screen.

I wonder if the other way to go would be a smart phone with the capacity to act on voice commands- look on RNIB site and see what they recommend. If your dad can put numbers in by himself and it’s only the titchy screen stopping him, then he has a lot more mental capacity than the elders a lot of us are caring for

The nurses are phoning the numbers for him at the moment. He only has 2 numbers saved in his phone - home and mum's mobile. He only has it because he used to go fishing and mum insisted he had it for emergencies after he had an accident. He only ever used it to contact mum if they were out together and went off to do different things. A voice activated phone might be a good idea.

Doro for my mum too. Just four numbers for her to use. I have had to take it off her now though, she thought the green flashing "on" light was a missed call and would call me and her sister again and again (she has dementia) and it got too much for us. We now call her on the phone at the care home, less stress. But for someone who can understand that the green light means it is on, then Doro are perfect phones.