Austrian mobile phone producer Emporia Telecom's products with features developed for the 65+ target group are also proving ideal for visually impaired and blind people.
The emporiaLIFEplus, the flagship product of the business, is characterised by its large keys and extra-large display screen. The underlying details have been well thought through and are the result of various empirical studies. An orange colour has been chosen for the display screen as this does not cause any pain to cataract suffers. The needs of visually impaired people were also taken into account when designing the font and colour contrasts.
The company collaborated with medical institutions and old people's homes in developing the product. Most of the functions can be selected using an analogue slide switch on the side of the phone - this means that the various functions are palpable as well as visible.
By 2010, Emporia Telecom will have invested 14 million euros into research. All of the phone's functions can be adapted to suit older people or those with impairments.
An additional example: the phones are fitted with a special
loud speaker which does not cause any background noise to people wearing an electronic hearing aid.
"In future, mobile phones for the elderly will be at the interface between people and medical care" says managing director Eveline Pupeter-Fellner.
Another practical detail of the emporiaLIFEplus is its emergency button located on the back of the phone. Holding down the emergency button for three seconds causes the phone to automatically dial a saved number. If nobody answers, the next on the list of five pre-saved numbers is dialled until a connection is established.
The phone is available through: Cable & Wireless, Cobolt, FoneHouse, Help the Aged, JD Williams,Keep Able, key Tools, Manx telecom, Royal National Institute of Blind People, Royal National Institute for Deaf People and Scotts of Stow