There are many technology options to enable our senior loved ones, mom or dad to stay connected with family and friends and to stay connected in this world.
This article presents 3 technologies available for seniors to stay connected and then provides detailed comparison of 3 products based on these technologies. The 3 technologies available to seniors to enable them stay connected are:
- Smartphones designed for seniors
- Tablets designed for seniors and
- TV based solution designed for seniors
Technology Comparison – Senior smartphone vs Senior Tablet vs Sirona.TV
Although Smartphone based senior connectivity solutions provide the best mobility,they are more difficult to use than other solutions. Smart phones are more difficult to use because of their small size, small screen and small fonts, touch interface and that the smart phone needs to be charged and up to date.
Tablet based solutions are easier for seniors to use because of its larger screenbutare more difficult to carry around because of their larger size.
TV based solutions provide large screen size, large fonts, are controlled using a remote control hence are easiest to use. However, as they are tethered to a TV the solution has low mobility.
All these 3 technologies provide features such as phone call, video chat, family album, games and weather.But since smart phone and tablet-based solutions are developed using third party products, they are limited to these features and unable to provide advanced features such as medication reminder, Alexa like voice companion.
Deciding the best“Connectivity” product for a Senior
To aid you in deciding the best solution below we provide detailed comparison of 3 commercial products: Jitter bug Smart 2 from Great Call, GrandPad from Consumer Cellular and Sirona.TV from Safety Labs. These products are based on the 3 technologies outlined above.
To compare these products, we use following criteria: Mobility, Ease of use, Cost, Regular and Advanced features.
Great Call’s Jitterbug Smart 2 vs. Consumer Cellular’ s GrandPad vs. Safety Lab’s Sirona.TV Connect
Jitterbug Smart 2
|
GrandPad
|
Sirona.TV Connect
| |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mobility – How mobile is the solution? | High | Medium | Low* |
| Ease of Use – Ease of use includes screen size, user interface – touch, remote control, voice and difficulty in upgrading and charging device | Low | Medium | High |
| Cost includes both upfront and monthly costs | $112.49 upfront, $50/month (with 1 GB) $60/month (with unlimited data) | $200 upfront & $40 per month (includes unlimited cellular) | $149 upfront & $15/month** **uses home internet |
| Regular features include phone call, video chats, family album, games, weather etc. | |||
| Advanced Feature vary and may include Medication reminders, Alexa like companion for seniors, PERS (Personal Emergency Response System), Health vitals, RPM (Remote Patient Monitoring) etc. | PERS | – | Medication Reminder Alexa like companion |
*To improve mobility of their Sirona-Connect solution, Safety Labs will launch Sirona-Tab which works along with Sirona-connect to provide Sirona-Connect features on a tablet.
Conclusion – There is no right or wrong or better or worse solution. Different solution would work well on the senior it is selected for. Select the solution which works the best for you.
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