Today we use the cell phone as a tool for work, communication and even entertainment, but there is a part of the population that requires extra help: the elderly. When they have a problem, they turn to the younger ones to explain how to solve it, but we can teach them to solve it themselves.
This is an everyday situation for people of generations older adults.
Increased life expectancy and advances in health care research have led to a growing population of older adults. self-employed who live in their own homes but whose descendants care about being permanently connected to come to their aid in any type of emergency situation. Information and communication technologies are great allies and we can put them at the service of caring for our older adults.
Home screen of an older adult’s cell phone
The cell phone is a high-value tool for permanent care of older adults and there are ways to facilitate its use by configuring screen and accessibility functions. If you need a greater degree of simplification, it is also advisable to download a launcher (“launcher“) developed specifically for that segment of users.
A good example of this type of application is Big Launcher, an app that displays a simple home screen for the elderly or visually impaired. When activated, it generates an interface of large, easy-to-read mosaics that reduce the possibility of making a mistake when selecting them with a touch.
With this category of applications it is possible to configure the mobile phone so that the older adult sees essential applications on the home screen and even an SOS button whose action is fully customizable. In it Play Store There are dozens of Android launchers that simplify cell phone use for older people and thus help them stay connected with their families.
Screenshots of Big Launcher.
Native cell phone settings
Installing applications that simplify the cell phone home screen is not the only way to pave the way for our parents or grandparents or other older relatives. The manufacturers themselves include in the setting of your equipment some options that are extremely useful.
On company devices Samsung An option called Easy Mode is included in your operating system and can be accessed like this: Settings – Screen and sliding the “display” all the way down.
Activating this feature allows you to use a simple home screen layout, with larger elements, longer screen touch durations to avoid accidental actions, and a high-contrast keyboard to improve readability. In the same section we will find other options such as modify font size and style.
The company’s teams Motorola They offer the “Personalize” option in Settings. Several of the proposals in this section allow you to simplify and improve the readability of the screen. For example, it is possible to modify the layout of the grid, that is, how many rows and columns of applications will be seen.
For the convenience of older adults, it is recommended to locate Fewer app icons since this way they are more separated, they are more identifiable and the possibility of making a mistake when selecting them decreases.
On all Android phones we also have the possibility to modify the appearance of the interface. For this it is necessary to enter Settings – Screen and then to Screen size and text. From there we can enlarge the letters of the application names, increase the size of the application icons, highlight the text by making it bold, and improve the contrast of the text with the background.
Screenshots of Easy Mode.
The Accessibility Menu
One of the most useful options for these purposes on cell phones is the Accessibility menu found within Settings. Among the possibilities it offers is Magnification or Magnifying Glass, depending on the brand of the device it can appear in either of the two ways.
This function allows the user to substantially enlarge any part of the screen for a few seconds using a configurable shortcut, although the most intuitive option is to do it by pinching two fingers on the display. All of these settings require someone to activate them and then teach the senior how to take advantage of them.
Accessibility is a menu worth taking a few minutes to explore because it offers direct access to options such as instant transcription that converts text to speech, live subtitling for people with hearing loss or audio description that describes in audio what happens on the screen when the content is compatible with this function.
One of the most useful possibilities for older adults is to teach them to use the cell phone camera as virtual magnifying glass using digital zoom. There are also specific applications for this purpose that can be identified in the Play Store digital store by entering the word “magnifying glass” in the search engine.
The “smartwatch” as a health monitor
Both watches (“smartwatches”) and smart bracelets They have sensors that allow basic monitoring of the vital functions of those who use them. Heart rate or blood oxygen saturation are relevant data that can be monitored using a device of this type and even configure alerts against events. Although the manufacturers clarify that they should not be used as clinical precision equipment, they constitute a high-value reference.
An example of the use of this segment of devices is the alliance they announced Samsung and Ellie Care, the wellness platform for the over 65s sector. This application collects and processes information linked to the user’s health, allows personalized alerts to be generated from this data, and sends the alerts to the family and to a 24×7 monitoring center that provides assistance if necessary. This improves their quality of life and gives them greater independence.
Samsung Galaxy smartwatches are autonomous, that is, they do not need a cell phone to use this service. The same watch connects to the cellular network through the eSIM technology. The platform announced that it will incorporate new integrated services to the South Korean firm’s smartwatches, which include:
- Vital signs measurement such as temperature, blood oxygen and heart rate to prevent diseases and, in turn, generate healthy habits.
- Neuro-cognitive exercise with exercises to improve memory, mental speed and keep brain functions active that improve quality of life.
- A new socio-affective module developed together with Harvard University, which will prevent situations of unwanted loneliness and isolation.
Conclusion
As we see, the wide range of possibilities that exist to configure a cell phone for older adults includes utilities of all kinds. So, It is not necessary to buy a basic cell phone for our elderly relativeswho will be able to adapt to the new forms of communication that we use so much every day on normal cell phones.
