Firefly

Pros: Minimal number of buttons help limit confusion, lightweight, easy to use

Cons: not voice-activated; no speakerphone; 911 button too exposed

Summary: Yes, this phone is being geared towards kids, but it seems like a really great phone for an elderly person who suffers from some dementia and has limited physical mobility. Afterall, which generation is going to be the majority population in the near future? Those over 70 years old.


The pros:

The "mom" and "dad" buttons could be covered up with opaque tape to have either a daughter's/son's name or small picture of that loved one for easy-to-use speed dialing.

The limit on call-times is good for the children whose elderly parent might make more calls than they can afford. However, it would be nice if this call-time feature could be deactivated or activated by the user's main caregiver. In my mom's case, we would encourage her to make as many phone calls as she wants.

Also, the call screening feature is great, since the phone can receive calls from only numbers in the phone book.

The phone weighs less than most cell phones out there. It wouldn't be such a problem for a frail older person to hold for a long time. In my mother's case, we would want to attach a cord to the phone, and hang the phone around her neck. The phone would be right there for her to use whenever she wants to use it or whenever someone calls.


Some cons and solutions:

The current address book might be a little complicated for someone with dementia, so that's where this phone could have two or three more speed-dial buttons for loved ones.

Another idea: Remove the speed-dial buttons all together, and make this phone completely voice-activated.

If voice-activation needs buttons to function, then have one big green button and one big red button. The user can hold down that button for an extended time to activate the voice feature, say the person's name they want to call. Or touch the button to answer a call. When the call is done, that red button could be used to end the call.

Obviously, a speakerphone feature would accompany the voice-activation feature.

As Kent German mentions, the 911 button is probably too exposed and could be accidentally pushed. It's a great button to have for an elderly person living alone; however, it's not needed for an elderly person living in a skilled-care community.


Otherwise, the Firefly just as it is, might very well be the friendliest phone out there for those suffering from dementia and limited mobility.

-- Review by a 40-year-old daughter of a mother who suffers from dementia and very limited mobility