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By Kevin Collins


Nearly every single adult, and many children utilize cellular telephone services every day of our lives. It is easy to forget, and most of our children do not even realize, that the land-lines established in the Twenties and used right up into the Nineties is still there. These land-lines may very well be the best phone service for elderly members of the community.

Familiarity is key when making older people feel comfortable and secure in their lives. Alzheimer patients may not be able to learn how to use new tools, or they may not remember having learned it. This forgetfulness occurs with many people as they age, whether they suffer Alzheimer disease or not.

The old home phones had much larger buttons that were easier to read than any compact, hand-held tool in use now, including the flip phones still popular with many men. Not only that, but many of them had buttons that would light up when you lifted the phone from the cradle. This makes it much easier for an person to make an emergency call, especially if they are in a dark room, or have some form of vision impairment.

As parents and grandparents become more home-bound, some are even unable to drive, the need for a cellular diminishes. Land-line phones are more consistently reliable than cellular phones are, with many dropping calls or having poor service even now. Eventually this old technology will deteriorate, but for the time being it is still there to help us and our loved ones feel comfortable and secure.

Many of us in our middle age remember the heavy, tethered, rotary telephone that had a ring you could hear from down the street. Even the wireless, rechargeable phones would make a distinctive sound when separated from the base for too long. This is so much easier for our elderly parents to use than the quiet, little pulses that have most of us rummaging or rushing about trying to find our phones.

When they miss our call, we worry about them for no reason. If they do not answer a call, then their telephone ceases to function as a telecommunication device. Everyone has a different comfort level with technology, and we must keep their own level of comfort in mind when helping them remain safe and connected with friends and family.

So often we think we are doing an older person a favor by providing them with modern tools and technology. We think we can make them see the benefit, no matter how complex this new device is. Some people are not able to learn the new tech, and some simply do not wish to learn how these hand-held devices work.

Many of us will tend to become rigid and set in our way as we age, and change can be frightening. Attempting to force someone to use something they are afraid of benefits no one, and may be a manifestation of our own hubris. This is especially true if the device is being provided to them for their own safety and well being.




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