Cell phone for dad. Any advice?

When my mom was in assisted living I took her old turquoise princess phone to her. It had large numbers and was land line. It worked perfectly. She could not figure out texts or anything on a simplified cell phones for elders and she had been a telephone operator for over 40 years.

My mom didn’t understand her phone. Couldn’t remember how to use it. I lived in a different state. I had , find my friend , connected up. One evening my aunt called, asked me to check on her. I could see she was out on errands / grocery shopping. . Problem , it’s late, she is a diabetic. I kept trying to call her. She couldn’t figure out how to answer the phone. Some lady helped her. The store had to get her something to eat. When she drove home , I could track her. I had the neighbor help her in.. that was only the good use of the phone..

she still had a landline…

The OP lives 4 hours away.

Is it a fax machine or a printer all in one? If part of the printer, there should be a way to turn it on and off. I never hooked mine up because it meant using my landline or having a separate phone line.
Is there not a relative or neighbor who can go over and disconnect the fax line?

If Dad is forgetting how to use a phone that he has had for a while, then I don't think getting him a new one will help if Dementia is the cause.

Kmjfree, once the fax machine is unplugged from the telephone wall jack, your Dad can once again use his very easy to use landline telephone. For us of certain generations, landlines are ingrained in our brain. We can use them blindfold.

Landlines phones can be in every room of the house. When it rings, just pick up the receiver. Call is over, put back the receiver. So simple. There is no re-charging of the phone. And one would have a difficult time doing a butt-call with a landline. Most important, when 911 is called, the house address immediately shows up on the 911 dispatcher screen, thus if someone is having a stroke and can't talk, the dispatcher will know what to do.

I have a senior cellphone that I am ready to pitch out the window. It is NOT easy to use. The instruction booklet is 150 pages long, and is not written in process-writing form to help a person understand how to set up the cellphone. Plus, 90% of the time, whenever I pick up the phone my palm hits the Alert button, thus I need to scramble to cancel the call. And I have yet to find out how to pull up any voice mails, the instruction book has zero information. Don't waste your money.

No one needs a cellphone. I spent the vast majority of my life without a cellphone, and we survived. My parents spent all of their life [lived into their 90's] without a cellphone. Yes, nice to have in a car in case of a car breakdown since phone booths are now only seen in old TV shows. Most elders no longer drive.

Disconnect the Fax machine if it is not being used.
That could be a problem if they ever tried to call 911
And as I read Geaton777's response that is echoing everything I would have said. So Just reread that response and imagine I typed it all out 😉🤣

How old is your Dad? Does he have vision issues or arthritis in his hands or neuropathy in his fingers? Sometimes the problems are not cognitive but rather physical (my 93-yr old Mom has the same problem on her flip phone).

If your Dad's issues are cognitive/memory-based... I'm not sure getting him a new phone will help if he can't even remember *basics* on his currrent phone. Plus you will become his tech help 24/7.

Losing his phone will now be more of a concern as well, so maybe consider something like a tracking device (Tile) for it. Also, his activity on the internet where scammers and phishers lurk should she monitored. Unhook his landline from the fax machine so they will at least have some sort of phone service in an emergency.

I have not tried to get my Mom a different phone, even if it's supposed to be "easier". Easier is a matter of the person and situation. I have read on this forum that you can set up a monitor or tablet for them and then facetime or video conference your parents without them having to do anything at their end. This is a temporary solution if your Dad is steadily declining cognitively.