Small electronic devices 19 March 2017 at 6:02PM in Over 50s MoneySaving 10 replies 5.3K views

Sterlingtimes

Does anyone struggle with small electronic devices: finger dexterity, eyesight? I asked my employer for a larger mobile phone, but they say that I need an assessment first.

[Deleted User]

You see large keypad mobiles advertised in newspaper mags all the time. i saw one last week for £30 which could be used on all networks except 3

Farway

I do at times, some devices are worse than others

Large keypad mobiles are readily available from the likes of Asda / Sainsbury etc, around £30 mark as stated, but at least in store you can actually get to touch them and judge key size

I can understand your employer needing an assessment first, because they have a duty of care under Health & Safety and thus want to ensure the right option is chosen for you and does not make it worse

I had the same but that was safety glasses & a chair

In my case both these items became "my property" as they were specific to me, perhaps you mobile could be the same?

Savvy_Sue

For 'fat finger' syndrome I find a stylus useful.

Anthorn

Sterlingtimes wrote: »

Does anyone struggle with small electronic devices: finger dexterity, eyesight? I asked my employer for a larger mobile phone, but they say that I need an assessment first.

Eyesight maybe but it depends on how good your glasses are. I have progressive Macular Oedema which is more commonly referred to as Diabetic Retinopathy. In short I'm slowly going blind due to a diabetes complication. But with glasses I don't have a problem. In fact I recently traded in my iPhone 6 for a new iPhone SE which is smaller.

No dexterity problem with electronic devices. My problem in that area is snapping out medication tablets from foil strips. I've tried asking for loose tablets in a jar but no luck yet.

agrinnall

It's not generally a problem with many electronic devices as it's possible to increase the size of text. What's more of a problem is written instructions, for example on food packaging, where I now have to both put on my glasses and hold it under bright light in order to stand a chance of reading it.

OldMotherTucker

Anthorn wrote: »

Eyesight maybe but it depends on how good your glasses are. I have progressive Macular Oedema which is more commonly referred to as Diabetic Retinopathy. In short I'm slowly going blind due to a diabetes complication. But with glasses I don't have a problem. In fact I recently traded in my iPhone 6 for a new iPhone SE which is smaller.

No dexterity problem with electronic devices. My problem in that area is snapping out medication tablets from foil strips. I've tried asking for loose tablets in a jar but no luck yet.

Ditto the bolded:o

Part of my problem is grip - I have a tendency to drop a lot of items. It was alerting my employer to this that got me an OT assessment - now I'm constantly being offered better alternatives including a 'chubby' stylus which hangs on my lanyard along with my phone which is in an 'otterbox'. Both slip into my outer overall pocket.

alanq

Anthorn wrote: »

My problem in that area is snapping out medication tablets from foil strips. I've tried asking for loose tablets in a jar but no luck yet.

I find poking a finger nail into to back of the strip works better than just applying pressure to the front.

If the issue is the smallness of the pack perhaps a pharmacist could find a different brand. I use a small independent pharmacy and the brands vary month to month. Usually I get tablets in a very small box with days of the week on the back of the strips. Other times the box is about four times as wide and without days of the week. I prefer the former and to me the latter is over-packaging. However, to some people having the blisters farther apart would better suit their requirements.

teddysmum

alanq wrote: »

I find poking a finger nail into to back of the strip works better than just applying pressure to the front.

If the issue is the smallness of the pack perhaps a pharmacist could find a different brand. I use a small independent pharmacy and the brands vary month to month. Usually I get tablets in a very small box with days of the week on the back of the strips. Other times the box is about four times as wide and without days of the week. I prefer the former and to me the latter is over-packaging. However, to some people having the blisters farther apart would better suit their requirements.

I put most of mine in my own stacking plastic boxes (7 boxes with 4 sections, which I use to cover two weeks), but there are odd times when I can't open those.


The worst foil offender ,for me, is perindopril, as the foil is hard but the tablets tiny and fragile, so they often break into tiny pieces.

agrinnall

Why not try something like this for removing pills? Got to be worth a try for £3.95.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Homecraft-AA9944-Poppet-Pill-Remover/dp/B0056PQEFY

System

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

For 'fat finger' syndrome I find a stylus useful.

.... or 'sausage fingers' as I call it. I get pins and needles in my hands an awful lot (many times in a day). Damn painful it is too.

I struggle opening my medication. The 25mcg thyroxine is tiny. The 100mcg is bigger thankfully.