Best Cordless Phones For Seniors

A cordless phone is a great convenience. If you or a loved one would like to able to answer a call without having to run to the base unit, a cordless phone lets you keep the receiver next to you and call or receive calls from anywhere in the house. But, if you or your family member’s hearing or vision isn’t what it used to be, you can find cordless phones with a brighter and larger display and touch buttons, to make it easier to make and receive calls. They also can have features to amplify the incoming call, to make it easier to hear. Some cordless phones have a number of profiles, or an equalizer to amplify the lower- or higher-pitched sounds, so that you can adjust to the voice of the person with whom you want to converse. Some also can be equipped with a pendant that you wear around your neck, to activate the phone in the event of an emergency.

We’ve composed this buyer’s guide to help you make the right decision when selecting a cordless phone for senior citizens. It'll help you:

• Choose the right type of cordless phone for senior citizens,

• See useful tips about that particular type of cordless phone for senior citizens,

• Read reviews of different cordless phone for senior citizens, and what customers are saying,

• Select the right brand of cordless phone for senior citizens, and

• Compare prices and find the best deals.

• Single handset: Some phones for senior citizens are single handset units that fit into a recharger. The Clarity DECT 6.0 Amplified Low Vision Cordless Phone (Model No. D703) is such an example. (But even this model offers an add-on headset.)

Clarity D703 Amplified Cordless Phone

• Expandable units: There are also cordless phones that allow you to connect several handsets to a single phone line. This is ideal for an office, or a large home, where anyone can pick the phone. The VTech Corded and Cordless Senior Phone System is both a corded phone, which allows you up to 12(!) handsets. They also have pendants that you can wear around your neck, that also allow phone access.

VTech SN6147 Corded and Cordless Phone System

• Screening calls: Some phones have call-blocking features, such as in the Panasonic KX-TGE233B Expandable Cordless Digital Phone, which can let you block 250 unwanted phone numbers.  The Caller ID display can let you know if it’s a family member or friend, or just telemarketing or other unwanted calls.

• Easy to use: Unless you’re very tech-savvy, you probably don’t want a phone that has a thick manual of instructions, or that isn’t very intuitive. The VTech SN6147 offers and easy-to-use speakerphone and an easy method of storing your favorite numbers. It also has a voice caller ID, that tells you who is the incoming call!

• DECT 6.0: You’ll see a number of phones that state that they are “DECT 6.0 phones”. This stands for “Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications”. DECT originally was a European standard for cordless telephones. DECT 6.0 is the cordless phone standard for North America. It means that the phone’s wireless signal is sent at 1.9 GHz. It is set so as not to interfere with any other wireless devices (since we are surrounded by Bluetooth and wireless devices nowadays). However, it might not be compatible in Europe or South Africa. This might be worth looking into, before making a purchase.

• Desirable sound features: There are cordless phones that offer special features for people who need a little assistance with hearing. Some, like the Clarity D703, can minimize background noise, while amplifying the voice of the person with whom you’re talking. Some can amplify up to 12 times louder than a standard home phone. They also have features to remove feedback and distortion, so that you can hear loud and clear. Some, like the VTech Corded and Cordless Phone System, offers you 4 different listening profiles, so that you can set the phone up for a quiet or noisy environment and still hear properly.

• The desirable display features: So as to make dialing easier, most phones for seniors have bigger buttons with high-contrast numbers, that make it easier to see and dial without mistakes. You can find models where the buttons light up so that you can dial even in a dimly-lit room. They also have a Caller ID display, that shows you who is calling.

• Storage: There are cordless phones that can let you store speed dial numbers--that way, the numbers that you dial most often are accessible by just pressing a single button. There are also phonebook functions, that let you store 100 names and numbers. The Clarity phone will also store the last 20 numbers that you have dialed. Most cordless phones have a voicemail feature, that can store 15 or even 30 minutes of messages from calls you may have missed.

• Clarity--is a division of Plantronics, and was founded in 1969. They make a series of products for people who have hearing problems, low vision, limited mobility and the like. They make amplified telephones, listening devices, and amplifiers.

• VTech--was founded by Allan Wong and Stephen Leung in 1976 as "Video Technology Ltd." They rapidly expanded to many other areas, including phones for private consumers and for businesses, baby monitors and other baby products, wireless monitoring systems, and more. Their monitoring systems include cameras and telephones.

• Panasonic--is a multinational electronics corporation, originally founded as the Matsushita Electric Industrial Company in Osaka, Japan in 1918. They are famous for making electronics and home appliances.  They make cameras and camcorders, microwave ovens and other kitchen appliances, telephones, and other appliances for the home and office, such as fax machines, printers and scanners, vacuum cleaners, irons, and more. They make a series of corded and cordless phones as well.

• Motorola--is a telecommunications company that was founded in Shaumburg, Illinois in 1928 by Paul and Joseph Galvin. They have divided into an electronic components division, a division for making radio systems and public safety applications, and smartphones and smartwatches.