How To Help The Elderly With Vision Problems? Gadgets For Seniors With Poor Eyesight

High Contrast Large Print Computer Keyboard

There is a lady I met while visiting someone in a rehab center. She has a computer and loves to email people. I watched her peck on a regular black keyboard with black keys and one word would take her about 5 minutes to peck out. Her determination to communicate through her computer made me think about a keyboard with more of a contrast for her to help her see.

The black letters on a white background were much easier to see than white letters on a black background like most traditional keyboards. Not only does the black on a white background make it easier for her to see the letters but they also appear larger and/or bolder making it even easier for her to find that pesky backspace key.

Email and the Internet are the main way for this lady to communicate with others – She is so happy and is so much faster on the keys since she can actually see them! It can be life-changing to have the right tools!

Picture Care Phone

Many caretakers struggle to help seniors to use regular phones. People had to keep running over to find the phones, put them back in the chargers, try to help the senior make calls, etc.

Get this special phone if your senior is facing one of these issues:

• Difficulty in reading phone numbers and dialing the phone. Hence feeling cut off from friends and family as he/she could only receive calls, not make calls.
• Constantly forgetting to return cordless phones to their chargers, the batteries would die, and his/her line would not receive calls as a result, so the caretakers needed to convert his/her back to corded phones. 

There are a few negative reviews that the phone fails after a few months, loses all programming or the volume in the receiver is too low (or switches to buzzing). Make sure to check the negative reviews and see if the problems are improved in the current model. Otherwise this special phone is a lifesaver for seniors’ social lives.

Big Universial Button TV Remote

Some seniors wreak havoc on any remote they get their hands on. They will push every button to death and scramble the entire entertainment system. We hide the remotes from them for the main system, but the ones in their rooms needed something with fewer buttons.

This remote will lower the caretaker’s blood pressure almost immediately. Very clear instructions in English on how to set up your system.

It allows you to pre-program the channels that they will see when scrolling through channels. The brains of the unit are then hidden and only 5 buttons are available to the remote control monster. ON/OFF, Channel UP/DOWN, Volume UP/DOWN. You can get all the setup done in less than 20 minutes, then the senior can enjoy watching TV all day long. 

Magnifying Glass with LED Light

A robust strong well-lit magnifying lens. It’s a little heavy because of the high-quality glass that’s in this magnifying lens. I find the LEDs light up my product very nicely when I’m looking at it through the magnifying lens and the device has replaced my old magnifying lens without a light.

I got this also for my dad who has glaucoma and macular degeneration. His vision is very poor and she needs lots of light to see. He uses this magnifier and light to read the small print on her prescription bottles. He was thrilled to finally have something that makes the writing big enough! the 30X and bright LEDs were essential for him.

Head Mounted Magnifying Glasses

I got this for my mom and now she is wearing it for doing crafts, using the sewing machine, working on jigsaw puzzles, doing photography, sweeping the floor, cleaning the kitchen. The gadget makes her look like a cute cyborg and she enjoys grandkids making fun of her for this.

It is a lifesaver to have around the house if you have close-up vision issues. You can wear your prescription glasses along with these. The only downfall is the weight added by the batteries.

SEE IT BIGGER Planner

In my professional life, I have always used various types of daily calendars, monthly planners, and different ways of keeping track of what needed to be done and when. In the olden days, it was never a problem seeing and using those little pocket things or the old-fashioned desk calendar to keep track of different aspects of my business.

These days, the ole baby blues aren’t what they used to be, and trying to find the reading glasses every time I need to read something is now a royal pain.

No Longer. At least when it comes to keeping up to date with my appointments and things to do throughout the upcoming days and weeks and months.

Most of the features will be familiar to you. Things such as Tabbed Months, Monthly and Weekly Calendars, and Important Holidays are all there. But, with the addition of a two-year reference calendar, a place for your important contacts such as Medical – Doctors, Hospital and even your allergies, Financial –  like your bank, credit cards, and even your accountant to Insurance and Household contacts you never think of until you need them are all there.

There is also plenty of space for notes you will probably want to keep as well as a place for your online things like Business Contacts with space for all their important information and your important passwords (admit it, you write them down too).

Oh, and did I mention that the name fits? See It Bigger is well named. You can see everything you need in Large Print and there is ample space for your handwritten entries all in a very nice, presentable normal-sized package.

I have been using the See It Bigger Planner for my own personal and business planning for weeks now and I intend using it well into the future. When the time comes, I plan on ordering the newest version next year too.