November 26th, 2007
Tiny cellphone keys can be problematic for arthritic seniors: a problem that needs fixing
I spent a good bit of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend in the home of a senior with arthritic hands.
Saturday was an eventful day in her home. Her daughter and brother-in-law signed her up for a cell phone plan, and bought her a cell. I think it was a Samsung model.
A few hours after the purchase, I watched as this new cell phone customer tried out the various buttons on her new device’s keypad.
It was then that I heard her exclaim in exasperation:
“Don’t the people who make these cellphones realize that these tiny keys are very difficult for older users with arthritic hands?”
This individual then proceded to lament that it seems as with most other products in our culture, cellphones are made for “younger people,” - rather than with any sensitivity to older users such as herself.
At that point, I told her that, well, you may have just given me an idea for a new blog post.
And here it is, amended to lead to this question:
Just as publishers issue large-type books, why not larger-keyed cellphones for arthritis sufferers who just are not as nimble as they used to be?
We want our senior citizens to carry cellphones. Not only so they can be on our cellphone plans, but for emergencies. But why do we make these devices so hard for some of our seniors to use?
We need special cellphones for our seniors. We owe our parents, uncles, aunts, etc. at least that much.
Russell Shaw is an enterprise computing journalist, analyst and author based in Portland, Oregon. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
