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My Mom had macular degeneration to a point where she was legally blind, but she could still call me on the landline phone.
Plus landline phones don't get lost around the house. And if your Mom needs to call 911, the emergency dispatcher will see Mom's address immediately on his/her screen, not true for many cellphones. Thus, if there is a stroke involved and Mom can't speak, the dispatcher will still send out an emergency vehicle.
I kept all my landline phones, one in each room, so no racing around looking for a cellphone. I also have a iphone, but with arthritis starting in my hands, the phone is hard to pick up. And I need a stylus pen to text. The fonts are extra large, but still not large enough to comfortably read.
Check on the internet for landline phones that have really big keys, and not a lot of other buttons.
You can also program speed dial on it for frequently called numbers.
I also set up Alexa for my Mom to call me on it if I stepped out of the house. All she had to do was say "Alexa, call Lavender Bear" and Alexa would use her Landline to call me on my cell.
Due to the visual issue. She was never able to use a cell phone, no matter how much I worked with her with it.
And, remember - she can always call the Operator if there's an emergency and she needs help. You can set it up with your phone company in order for her not to be charged, as a visually impaired customer. But, that has to be done in advance.
Mom, when getting up in the night to use the bathroom, asks, “Alexa, what time is it?” Mom sets her alarm “Alexa, 7:30 alarm for tomorrow morning”. “Alexa, what is the forecast for today?”
There are lots of free, fun games to play with Alexa. Common Knowledge, Question of the Day, Akinator, The Price is Right, Animal Detective, Jeopardy, Either/Or.
Mom was an avid reader and LOVES listening to audio books with Audible on her Echo device. “Alexa, resume my book”. “Alexa, go back 5 minutes.” (For when you forget what is going on in your story.) All the mysteries she likes are included in the monthly fee of around $18. I do have to let her know the name of the next book, as she can’t see to read the list. Or I start a new book for her (and can do that from afar, since I have this set up through my iPhone). Has truly been a blessing for my mom and for us!!
Echo devices from Amazon.
iPhones from Apple.
Logitech Harmony Hub (provides for remote control of a TV from afar).
Cameras or Smartphones with software like Alfred - that can motion detect.
One thing I would like to see is a radio that is programmable by channel and on & off times. This is easy to do on an Echo via "routines," but an Echo is WiFi dependent, and I've found the routines are not consistently reliable. And given some LTC facilities don't provide WiFi or reliable WiFi for residents, a programmable radio could be a great solution.
Finally, for anyone with low vision, like my mom, you might be interested in audio described programs. [ https://adp.acb.org/masterad.html ] My mom liked documentaries (audio described or not) the most, but she also enjoyed some audio described movies and TV shows. ** Of course, audio books were good too - available from the library, Audible (can listen on an Echo) and other paid services, and the National Library Service program. [ https://nlsbard.loc.gov/nlsbardprod/login/NLS ]
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