My mother is 72 has early stages of dementia, and her sight is not bad but not great. She has a iPhone 6s that’s been put through the ringer. I plan on upgrading her soon. She will not take any other phone besides a iPhone. (Got to love her for that.) I am wondering what would be best. It has to be durable, and have a good bright screen. She loves my 8+. But with as hard as the floors are in her nursing home I would be afraid of the glass breaking. I am thinking a 7Plus and a otterbox case. What would you get? Any advice? She has to have a cell cause the nursing home charges a ton for a call. Thanks.
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Other iPhone for elderly mom
- Thread starter AdamNC
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I think the 7+ would be a sufficient iPhone. It’s still very relevant and it’s not really that dated in terms of iOS and should support whatever needs your mom might have. Also, the larger display would certainly be useful if she has struggles with her vision.
Also, remember you can also access the accessibility options under General settings on the iPhone and use features like bold text, larger text, magnifier and Zoom. Apple is really good about having accessibility options for those who do have hearing or vision impairments.
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I would agree that the 7+ would be great for her. She may not need the latest gadget. A larger display may even be better. Question is what most does she uses it for? Mines, grandma sticks to her old phone since she’s more comfortable with it but I gave her my iPad Air. It better suit her than me playing games on it so she mostly watch shows and movies and browse on it than straining her eyes on a smaller display.
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Wow. I commend your mom for being so advanced! I don't know too many 72 year olds that I'd give an iPhone to.
Might look into the 7 plus. I seen somewhere Apple had refurbished ones for a discounted price and they don’t have a glass back. So might be her best choice.
Doesn't really make sense to buy a nearly 2 year old 7+ when she already has a 6S which is just one model prior to the 7...particularly if you're going to put it in an Otterbox anyway. If that's the case, there should be no concern with the glass on the 8+.
I'd buy the 8+ with a good case. Going to pay good money whatever you buy, so may as well buy something that's at least a bit newer than a single generation over what she already has.
I'd buy the 8+ with a good case. Going to pay good money whatever you buy, so may as well buy something that's at least a bit newer than a single generation over what she already has.
She was VP of my families Apple VAR from 1984 till 2012. She has just got a iPad 9.7 about a year ago. She uses it for all kinds of stuff, Kindle, FaceTime her grand kids, etc. she is limited on funds that why I pay for her iPhone and she is on my Beyond Unlimited Verizon account. We sent the phone up to use as a personal hotspot for her iPad. I called Verizon this morning I can get the 128g 7+ for 23 bucks a month. Not bad.
Hey, watch it, there, kiddo!!!! Some of us (I'm actually older than the OP's mother) are the ones who pioneered the use of personal computers and smartphones! I have been using computers since the mid-1980's and had my first personal computer at home in the very early 1990's. On Launch Day of the iPhone in June 2007 I was one of the eager and curious people waiting in line for this amazing, magical new gizmo that Steve Jobs had been promoting and which some in the media were referring to as "the Jesus Phone" -- and, mind you, until that day none of us had seen one in person nor touched one right up to the time we were finally able to walk into the store and purchase ours. This was something brand-new and revolutionary, different from all the other cell phones most of us had become accustomed to using. I still hadn't touched an iPhone until after the sales transaction, where the person at the register handed me the bag which contained a box with my new iPhone. There was no setup in store, we had to do it on our own at home. On the way out, I paused at the display table and for the first time saw what I had just spent $600 on..... Took my new device home, unboxed it and marveled at it. Once I got it set up, including having to port my number from my old cell phone to AT&T, and actually began working with it, I saw the significance of what this could mean.... At that time, with the first-generation iPhone the only apps available were on the iPhone itself, the App Store not yet having come into being. It was clear that this little device offered a lot of possibilities for the future even as we pioneers poked at our new devices and played with them.
In 2010 once again I was in line at the Apple store -- this time for the first-generation iPad. Another exciting new device which became an immediate favorite in my household.
There are plenty of us "golden oldies" who indeed have embraced modern technology and who may even have played a part in developing it or getting it to market.... And there are quite a few older folks who, even if they had never used a cell phone or a computer before, have found that using an iPhone or an iPad is surprisingly intuitive and in many ways easier to use than the old flip phones. One of my good friends, a woman in her early 90's, and I regularly communicate via email. Until just a few years ago she had never used a computer, wasn't interested in learning -- but someone gave her an iPad and she found that it was a wonderful way for her to keep in touch with family and friends all over the country, and that it also was fun to shop online, too, or read the daily papers and keep up with news.
Don't be so quick to discount older people and their capabilities. One day you, too, will be a "golden oldie"........
Did you consider replacing the iPad with a cellular version instead of having two devices? Doesn’t her room already have a landline anyway?
I would be a little concerned about theft of expensive Apple devices in a nursing home setting...... Some years ago a friend was in a rehab/skilled nursing facility temporarily for recovery from surgery and she had her iPod with her; it disappeared one day when she was out of the room having physical therapy.
I think that’s a really good price considering the amount of storage as well included. The iPhone 7 Plus with the battery life and larger display, seems like that would be accommodating enough.
Hey brother I almost forgot. You can probably trade her iPhone 6s in on a 8+ and get 50% off. If that’s the case then you can get one for $400
The OP mentioned that his mother is in the early stages of dementia....and for all we know there could be other health problems which he did not include in his post.
Given the situation you described, I think this is a good choice.
Apple sells refurbished iPhone 7’s and 7+’s on its website for 10% less than new. So you might want to check those out.
I’ve combared the iPhone 8+ to the 7+ on Apple’s Web site and there some nice features on the iPhone 8+. But I don’t think that there are any that your mother would care about.
If you have to trade the iPhone 6 in to offset the price of the iPhone 7+ then do so. But you might want to consider getting the battery replaced by Apple for only $29 this year and then doing a full factory reset. That may fix the issues with the phone and then you would have a backup phone for your Mom.
It seems like he did. He mentioned that she would accept no phone other than an iPhone and that she's rather fond of her current iPhone 6s.
Hey, I didn't mean I wouldn't get YOU an iPhone.
Anyway, I didn't mean that in any sort of ageist snarky manner. I just happen to be tech support to a sizable set of aunts and uncles who all happen to be in their 70's and most of them have iPhones and use them badly and they came to own those phones usually by way of a well meaning kid or bad advice from someone who didn't think of the implications first.
I know very well there are plenty of people of all ages who can handle just about any device you throw at them, but merely as a function of demographics, those people are going to be progressively harder to find in the 60 and up range. From the comments we see here on these forums, it seems pretty clear that there are even plenty of people in the 20 to 35 range who are borderline with their skills despite being digital natives so age isn't a determining factor. My comment was meant as a statistical remark rather than an ageist one.
The man who led me to take up programming was technically competent, curious, and continued to learn new technology until his 90's when his eyesight no longer allowed him to see the screen clearly. I hope to be as dogged and determined as him when I get up there.
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You’re right about age not necessarily being a factor in one’s interest in technology and using it. One of my other friends, a professional woman quite a few years younger than I am totally hates dealing with computers or smart phones or anything else — her interests and skills lie elsewhere and it is almost torture for her when she has to do something on a computer, whether it is one at work or hers at home. I talked her into getting a MacBook some years ago and periodically a phone call comes: “help, I can’t figure out how to —“. Or, “my computer is acting funny, it won’t do [fill in the blank]”. Signed myself up as her personal techie when I persuaded her to buy a Mac, thinking it would be easier and more intuitive for her than Windows......
I'm a software engineer in my 30s and have little to no interest in smart phones
I had a flip phone for years, with a no-texting plan (well after the whole iPhone pandemic began), and my coworkers thought I was in need of psychiatric help.I like my good ol' full tower desktop and 27" monitor with all my handpicked components that I assembled myself. I like the idea of sitting at a desk and using a full-fledged computer vs a tiny handheld device that wants to be a computer.
I'm old school, that way. To me, real keyboard + real screen + big case with powerful components = real computing
Unfortunately that doesn't really scale when you are not at your desk and need some type of computing.I'm a software engineer in my 30s and have little to no interest in smart phones
I like my good ol' full tower desktop and 27" monitor with all my handpicked components that I assembled myself. I like the idea of sitting at a desk and using a full-fledged computer vs a tiny handheld device that wants to be a computer.
I'm old school, that way. To me, real keyboard + real screen + big case with powerful components = real computing
But to each his/her own certainly.
Unfortunately that doesn't really scale when you are not at your desk and need some type of computing.
But to each his/her own certainly.
Of course. And for the scenario you mention, smart phones are great.
I understand what smart phones can do, but what I actually make them do are the essentials - texting, phone calls, maps/nav.
In other words, I use my smart phone only when no other (bigger and better) device can do the job.