Is there a good cell phone for people with dementia?

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Is there a good cell phone for people with dementia?

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I'm looking for advice on what kind of phone might be a good replacement for my mom's current iPhone. She lives in assisted living and has dementia. She often texts and calls about things that don't make sense, and I can't tell if she is doing this with everyone in her contacts or not (long-distance caregiver here).

I don’t want to take her phone away entirely, as I know how important it is for her sense of connection. Has anyone tried the RAZ Mobility phone, or have other recommendations for user-friendly options in similar situations?

Alzheimer's & Dementia Dementia Behaviors Product

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Probably not enough for you, but on an iPhone (sure androids have something similar). you can set it up for kids with a passcode. You can block phone calls from anyone not in his address book. Lock down many features. Hide many of the icons and put shortcuts on Home Screen for calling. My uncle doesn’t have dementia but is close. If I took away his phone he would get incredibly upset. He still has friends that will call or text on occasion. I have an Apple tablet set up on same account so I can see his text) and his phone calls. I can ask about them to see what he remembers. Likes taking pictures (usually of his food or the ceiling). Trying to reach him through the nurses station just wouldn’t work. They are overworked and understaffed. While they are good with the residents there is seldom anyone at the desk.

Of course he has dropped the phone (good case and leave it plugged in so it slows down the fall, dropped it in his drink (most phones are at least water resistant) and in spite of lock down he manages to change settings. Fortunately I can usually reset easily but I have a backup phone and have just switched SIM cards so I can work on phone from home.

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Reply to mikeindc

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No.call nursing station and ask them to put her on phone. Phone of her own will probably get stolen or lost or she’ll be vulnerable to scams and lose $$$

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Reply to CaregiverL

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mads123: Perhaps she can use a RAZ phone.

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Reply to Llamalover47

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You could try a doorbell camera with audio. I did that with my wife, I put it inside the house, and I can keep an eye on her or she can push the button and it will alert me and we can talk.

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Reply to MonteC

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It's going to be too difficult to manage for her. I've had to replace a couple of phones because mom spilled food and drink on them. Then it wasn't getting charged! Asked the staff many times to charge it,then it was left out of her reach. I lived about a mile away and ended up over there plenty of times. I see that you're interested in one that's about $300,good if she can take care of it, but for how long? I don't know how many times I had to call the facility and ask them to have mom call me, it was endless! It's going to get worse for you, so sorry!
BTW, she had a jitterbug flip phone. You can go into the settings and disable the side control buttons. Mom would mess with them and not hear calls.

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Reply to JuliaH

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I got my mom a traditional big button phone that connects to any cellphone using XLink. That way she can use a regular phone but the cell makes the call. I programmed several contacts for her and she can make calls by pressing a picture button on a regular phone without having to deal with a convoluted cell phone.

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Reply to kenmtb

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I got my mother a RAZ phone. She still has problems making calls but she never was good with cell phones, even before she developed dementia. The nice things about it are that she can only call and receive calls from people programmed into the phone, it shows a photo of the person and the allowed contacts and settings are done by the caregiver using an app. You can limit the number of calls, the time of calls and a few other things. It doesn’t have text, email access, or a camera. Since incoming calls can only be from the people on the contact list she can’t get the scam calls and sales pitches she was getting before. We used to have to stop her from giving out her information or buying things she did not need. I find it hard to reach my mother since she usually turns the phone off or forgets to charge it, even though it can be set to announce when the battery is low, but she is in a memory care facility so I can always call them if I need to get hold of her. It also has a service you can sign up for where 911 calls to to their operator who basically does triage and then passes it on to the appropriate authorities and can also help with the confused or nonsense calls someone may make. This is helpful for the person who dials 911 repeatedly. The phone can be set to send a text to the caregiver when the person does call 911. It can also let the caregiver know when the battery is getting low, which I like since I don’t have to guess at why I can’t reach her. The phone isn’t perfect, it seems to think it has voicemail but I haven’t found any way to set that up, and my mother manages to just call me again and again when she is trying to hang up. She manages some other things that I have no idea how she does them but that was also the case with every cell phone she has ever had! There are features that I have not set her phone for since she is in an excellent facility where they check on her often. Having that phone fills her desire a phone but gives me peace of mind knowing she is only talking with people who are safe. As I said, it is not perfect but I’m glad I got it for her.

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Reply to Animallovers

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Either no phone, or a phone that does not make calls-a broken phone.

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Reply to docnarc

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Her iPhone can be programmed to be safer and easier for her to use. You can limit calls received and made to only people in her contacts. If you go to Accessability in Settings you can set it up with large icons only to the features or apps you want her to be able to use. Someone does need access to the phone to set it up, but I did it, and update it as uses need to shrink.

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Reply to rfordham

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If she has an Android phone, you can use similar controls on it. Not everyone uses iPhones.

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Two years ago my brother and I put our mother’s house into a trust. Shortly after, she went into AL. We got her a flip phone. She eventually started accusing us of stealing her money, items… you name it. She then said that we were plotting to kill her. To make a long story short, with that phone she called the trust lawyer and her doctor incessantly. I agree with other posters. No phone is best.

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Reply to ElizaZ

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There aren't any phones that are good for Dementia patients.

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Reply to Onlychild2024

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I would get a toy play phone for a child.
Several on the internet ... research online 'toy phones.' I am sure some look very real and perhaps even has recorded information programmed in them.
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Ring, Ring! A charming retro-style vintage phone featuring a bell within the handset for role play fun. Written digits and realistic spinning wheel encourage number recognition. Made from rubber-wood painted in iconic red and finished with a touch of luxury gold.

About Le Toy Van: We’re Le Toy Van. A big hearted, honest talking family business with a lifelong passion for creating traditional wooden toys.
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She won't know the difference.
She shouldn't be allowed to call out ... you never know who she might happen to call.

This should keep her very busy.

Gena / Touch Matters

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Reply to TouchMatters

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Any phone that is too different from what she currently uses will be hard for her to use. You may need to consider whether now is the time for her to have more in-person care.

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Reply to Taarna

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I had to ditch my own cellphone because the software kept being updated to a point of total frustration, and here I don't have dementia. Typing with the stylus pen got time consuming. The phone was doing things I didn't want just because I brushed upon it accidentally or sneezed. Then we need to think would someone with dementia remember to re-charge the phone?

Glad I still have my landline (same phone number for the past 35 years) plus I can hear much clearer on that. I also use old fashioned (never thought I would say that) email as I can still fly on a full-size keyboard like I did in high school :)

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Reply to freqflyer

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I got my daddy a Grandpad its the size of a 5x7 frame. It only allows people who are programed in the phone to call so no spam calls and it uses face time so you can see the person who is talking and you can see the back ground of your loved one. The best part is that it uses data not wifi so if they place they are at does not have wifi your good. It has access to the internet IF you want - just need to set up with them. Its got big buttons for easy touching. Music, news, and games are all included! Now when I bought it the cost was about $200.00 now they are about $300.00 the data cost me back then 45.00 month. If you are a member of AARP then you a get a slight discount on the data cost. Oh the charging rack is easy to place the pad on and easy to hold in ones hand.

Is there a good cell phone for people with dementia?

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