I wrote about mom’s new princess phone a few days ago. It turns out that that phone didn’t work well with her hearing aids. The sounds were garbled and it didn’t take long before she was frustrated. You might have heard my very deep sigh when I realized that the phone shopping was not over.
I went to Best Buy on Sunday and found this phone by AT&T. It was actually cheaper than the retro princess phone but by this point price was not a consideration. This phone doesn’t have an answering machine and it’s prettly simple. Mom says she is going to ignore the caller ID, calling list, etc, that you see on the back of the handset, but she might end up liking the caller ID.
The other side of the handset is mostly just the numbers. I think they are backlit, but may not be. She is not one to dial in the dark, though, so I don’t think that matters.
I did look online for ‘simple telephones’ and what came up could also have worked except that many of them are really loud. Right now I think they would be too loud for her. This phone is hearing aid compatible and appears to work well with mom’s hearing aids.
The ring volume on the phone is controlled with a button on the side of the base unit (low-med-hi) and the sound in the handset is controlled with a similar button under the numbers on the handset. I think it will be hard to change the sound accidentally. Oh happy day!
The base unit requires 4 AA batteries to make the caller ID work. They don’t come in the box (sigh, back to the store) but they add a needed weight to the base of the phone, even if no one uses the caller ID.
I have high hopes that I’m done phone shopping. Who knew finding the right phone would be this hard?! I hope that this helps those of you who are on a similar hunt. I’m on my way to California today, to visit the Oceanside SURFSIDE* Quilters Guild in San Clemente. I’ll do my best to post photos on Instagram while I’m gone.
*I’m so sorry to have written the wrong guild name. Deep sigh. In my defense, from my landlocked house in Sherman, TX, the vision of the ocean kept popping into my head…
Piece O Cake Blog 
My sister has one that writes the words spoken by caller. She reads it and replies.
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Wow! I didn’t see one of those.
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Technology has gotten so complex, that I often feel like those grandparents we see on a tv commercial holding all our electronic devices in our hands on the front porch when the grandkids come to visit and we just want them to clean up the mess of our digital life! I have a fairly standard phone in my kitchen, with a cord. I like to answer it when I am in the kitchen rather than run for the cordless in the other room. Darn thing always has a hum in it, and turns out to be a wire outside the house that gets “jiggled” in the wind. Very annoying, so I tend NOT to use it. Might as well take it off the wall. I can relate to MOM’s frustrations with having the right device. I do hope this works for her, and gives her the ability to connect by phone with friends and family. Those hear aides get better and better but along the way it is a frustrating journey for many.
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Thank you! We’ve tried an i-phone then a simple flip phone for Dad. This one may be the best choice yet.
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Thanks for sharing your great information.
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Hi Becky,
We, at SURFSIDE Quilters Guild, look forward to your visit tomorrow (Tuesday, April 12). If any of your followers live near San Clemente in Southern California, I hope they can join us for your presentation at San Clemente Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall…doors open at 9:30 am, 10 am meeting followed by your presentation.
See you tomorrow!
Sharon Whelan
Surfside QG Past President
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Yes, of course, it is Surfside that I am visiting. Thank you, Sharon, for the reminder and the info above! I hope to see lots of you tomorrow!
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Just wondering if AARP has any info on phones for older folks. My daughter wants me to get a smart phone. Ugh. I have enough trouble with a flip phone.
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They might, I didn’t check. If they don’t, they should!
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I’m hoping the phone works. And caller ID is great if you want to avoid all those soliciting calls. I now only answer the phone if I know the name and recognize the number. Otherwise, leave a message!
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Becky! I must let you know it was worth all your efforts. Your Mom called me a few days ago–on her new phone. We spent the GRANDest hour together…no clicks, buzzes, bells, whistles, high tech disturbances or disconnections — just a delightful old-fashioned telephone call. It was wonderful. You Did Good.
Love,
Aunt Helen
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I’m so glad you two had a nice visit! She needs to call you more often. You know so many of the same people that you have lots to talk about. Yay!
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Was just looking for some inspiration and saw this post..I am a happy “dumb” phone user – not a flip, it has a little drawer with a keyboard because I do text. But wanted to share – when I got hearing aids, I also got a blue tooth thingie that hangs around your neck and transfers the sound directly to your hearing aids. I actually don’t use it because this phone has a good speaker and I am fine with that, but my prior phone made me decide it was a valid purchase (I got the newer phone about the same time as my hearing aids, a few years ago :-).) Just another angle to pursue if someone has trouble hearing a cell phone with hearing aids. [Since I am not using the bluetooth attachment for my phone, I’m going to see about getting it connected to my TV so I can turn down the volume and still hear accurately! Apparently I need to purchase a little box for that.] I purchased your lovely and complicated book for an applique sampler years ago and was totally intimidated, but I did learn a lot about how to applique! Now I think I’m ready for something a little more complicated, hence the surfing for ideas!
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