Good mobile phones for people with hemiplegia (paralysis of one side)

Hi All,

 

There was a really interesting question from Clare in Facebook that I tough that you might find helpful.

 

Clare asked ""Just wondering if anyone can give advice on finding the best mobile phone for someone who has had a stroke and only has the use of their non-preferred hand. We've tried a few different ones for my mum who had a stroke nearly 11 years ago- but she still finds using most phones quite a challenge. Are there any phones that have been specifically designed for people who have had a stroke? My mum really wants to be able to use a phone effectively both for safety in an emergency and to keep in contact with friends and family - which the stroke has made more difficult to do".

 

Here are the responses:

 

Karen Bayly When I was in rehab I shared a room with an elderly woman who had dementia. One day she looked up a number on her phone, asked me to write it down, then entered the number into her phone to make a call.

I was also driven to out patient rehab by a volunteer who shared a story about buying a phone for his aged father. His son spent an afternoon entering in all the numbers grandad needed into the new phone. Grandad then pulled a small piece of paper out of his pocket and said 'but here's all the numbers that I need.'

It made me realise just how simple phones for an aged or stroke affected person sometimes need to be. Beyond not needing a phone to be a mini computer, many people also don't need it to be a calendar, a clock, an alarm, a camera or even something to send text messages. There's a number of companies that make ultra simple phones. Here's one of them.

 

There's a Choice article which road tests phones made for our target audience. Limited info for non subscribers but it names all the leading options

https://www.choice.com.au/.../mobile-phones-for-seniors

 

Brooke Hanlon I'd encourage you to visit the independent living website. They're an information and advisory service for adaptive equipment/aids and may be a good starting point.

Angel Dixon

I only have the use of one hand and I find the combination of an iPhone and Iring perfect. iPhones have so many accessibility features and you can hide all the apps you don't need. The Iring is a little ring that sticks to the back of your phone. I put my thumb through the hole which then allows me to use the phone without having to wrap my hand around and grip it.

http://iringaustralia.com.au/phone/index.html

Good luck!

 

Kisa phones are good - check them out here.

 

Bec LP Telstra have an easy to use pre-paid mobile - it's not cheap but numbers are big and tactile for use with limited dexterity/sensation. 

 

Here is Cushie - Clare's Mum

 

 

Hope this helps. D