Foster senior connection and home safety with a house phone

“Grandma, could you please pass the potatoes?”
“Here you are, darling. Let’s listen to Aunt Martha’s story about what happened at the library meeting today.”

Does this conversation suggest a family gathering for a special occasion, such as a holiday meal? It might be a regular nightly dinner. Less than a century ago, extended families often shared a roof or lived on the same street. When multigenerational living was common, caring for elderly parents or other older relatives was easy as apple pie for dessert. If grandma, grandpa, or Aunt Martha needed assistance, a family member was usually on hand to provide it. Home safety was built into their lifestyle.

Today, although many of us live hundreds or even thousands of miles from where we grew up, multigenerational living is enjoying a resurgence thanks to the twin challenges of increasing longevity and skyrocketing housing costs. As more families return to the mode of living that served their ancestors well, there’s a modern home safety solution that can enhance peace of mind and protection for older relatives: a landline phone for seniors that comes with bells and whistles traditional home phones lacked.

Create senior connection and home safety with a house phone

One way to keep seniors connected and protected is with a senior home phone designed with safety in mind. A house phone not only fosters senior connection whether family members live near or far, it makes home safety a priority for everyone. If a senior falls, for example, easy access to 911 is imperative. Falls are the leading cause of injury among adults 65 plus—one in four older adults report falling every year, according to the CDC.

Keeping seniors safe financially is also crucial. Did you know scammers cheat seniors out of nearly $3 billion a year, according to the Senate Special Committee on Aging? That’s outrageous! In the digital era, especially with the rapid advancement in AI, these clever telephone schemes are more convincing than ever, so ensuring safety at home is paramount.

How the Ooma Senior Phone Bundle helps keep seniors safe

• 911 alerts: Did somebody leave a casserole in the oven too long, and now there’s smoke curling through the kitchen? Landline phone for seniors to the rescue! While the phone doesn’t feature a built-in fire extinguisher, it does have 911 Alerts, which will alert you any time someone makes a 911 call from your Ooma phone. You can be alerted via text or email, so senior safety is assured—whether you live in the house, across town, or a plane ride away.
• Exact address: Mobile phones may be in everyone’s hand or back pocket these days, but they won’t ping to a precise location. When every second counts, emergency response accuracy is critical. A VoIP telephone service for seniors will provide first responders with an exact home address when someone calls 911, even if Gran can’t speak or accidentally gave the wrong information. This is a time-saving and potentially life-saving feature.
• Scammer shield: House phones for seniors are smarter than scammers. Advanced call blocking means known scammers will never be able to reach your loved one. You can customize the service further so that only calls from known contacts get through. Anybody not in the contact list gets sent to voicemail. Seniors will never hear about the sweepstakes they supposedly won if they can just provide their bank information, or from the phony “grandchild” who’s stranded in a foreign country and needs money wired ASAP.

Keep phone numbers for senior home phones private

Remember telephone books? They made good doorstops or step stools, depending on the thickness. Everyone’s phone number was listed in the White Pages under their last name.

That was a gentler time. Now that our personal data is available online, even an unlisted landline phone for seniors is pretty easy to find, with or without a phone book. But that doesn’t mean seniors themselves should make it any easier for scammers to steal from them.

When teaching your elders, it’s best to caution them never to share their phone number or any personal information over the telephone, unless they initiate the call to a trusted source (such as their doctor’s office). Someone who calls them, no matter how sincere they may sound, could be a fraudster in disguise. Educating your senior loved ones about keeping their house phone number private will help ensure home safety.

Remember, too, that loneliness and isolation are powerful drivers. A senior eager for an empathetic ear may be happy to talk with a telemarketer, for example, who acts friendly and interested. They’ll give out all sorts of personal information by answering the caller’s questions.

This is why it’s essential to explain the importance of maintaining strong boundaries. Emphasize that it’s perfectly acceptable to say, “I prefer to keep my home phone number private,” or, “I never share financial information over the phone.” Seniors often feel they must comply with a request. If they’re digitally savvy, you can suggest they provide an anonymous email address instead, through a service such as Gmail. You can also teach them to hang up and call the person directly.

Stay connected, stay protected

Helping seniors stay connected and protected is easier than ever with house phones for seniors that outwit scammers and alert emergency responders right away.

If your senior loved one lives relatively close by, perhaps it’s time to reach out and bring your best listening ears—and a tasty meal—over for dinner.