(NAPSI)-Experts say there’s a particular group of consumers who are not getting all they can from cell phones – seniors.
According to a study called the Sullivan Report, while almost half of Americans (48 percent) have already used their cell phones in emergency situations, millions of U.S. senior citizens are not yet taking advantage of what some refer to as the “cell phone security blanket effect.” This is due, in part, to a lack of awareness about such low-cost options as prepaid cell phones.
To help, an advocacy group called The Seniors Coalition offers these tips to older consumers:
• The only cell phone that does you any good is the one can be accessed when needed. Wear your cell phone whenever it is not being charged. A cell phone that is stowed away in a car’s glove compartment or always sitting in a recharging stand by the door isn’t going to do any good in an emergency when the would-be caller cannot get to it .
• A cell phone should be preprogrammed with key numbers including home, doctor, pharmacist, and adult child/other family contact. It’s usually possible to do this by adding “ICE” (In Case of Emergency) to these saved numbers so that emergency responders, such as police or firefighters, will know who to call if a senior is in trouble. These emergency numbers would read “ICE Doctor,” “ICE Pharmacy,” etc.
• An inexpensive prepaid phone can help to beat high “contract” cell phone prices. A growing number of seniors are opting to use low-cost prepaid phones that allow them to buy a cell phone for as little as $15 and then use pre-purchased minutes for $20 or less over three months, versus a wireless contract plan that can cost $30-$40 per month or more.
According to Flora Green, national spokesperson for The Seniors Coalition, “Older Americans and their adult children owe it to themselves to get an inexpensive prepaid or other cell phone and then to use it as a literal lifeline in emergency situations.”
The Seniors Coalition is an organization that represents the interests and concerns of America’s senior citizens at both the state and federal levels. Its mission is to protect the quality of life and economic well being of older Americans.
To learn more, visit senior.org.
