Future Call FC-1007 Picture Care Phone with 40dB

I purchased this for my 91 year old mother for two primary reasons: (1) She has difficulty now reading phone numbers and dialing the phone and as a result was feeling cut off from friends and family as she could only receive calls, not make calls. (2) She kept forgetting to return cordless phones to their chargers, the batteries would die, and her line would not receive calls as a result, so we needed to convert her back to corded phones. We have struggled for months to help her use the regular phones she has, but the situation was only getting more challenging and people had to keep running over to find the phones, put them back in the chargers, try to help her make calls, etc.I really liked having the ability to label speed dialing for each number on large keys. I decided against using photos both because it would take me a long time to locate good images for 10 people that were the right size, but also because her eyesight is not great and I was not confident she would easily distinguish the faces. So, instead I typed out each name in the largest print that would fit and labeled the keys with names instead.The phone provides two dialing options. The first allows the phone to be used as a regular phone with the numbered keys. In that case, if the user wants to use the "photo" speed dial option, there is a large button below the "0" key for "photo dialing" that is pressed first, then the user presses the desired photo (or in my case, name). The second option (which I chose) allows the user to simply press the desired button (name/photo) and the phone automatically dials that number. In this case, the phone cannot be used to make calls to other numbers using the keypad, it is limited to the pre-programmed numbers. I picked that option because I did not think my mother would be able to remember to press the other button first (especially since it is labeled "photo" and I did not use photos). There is a switch on the back of the phone that allows you to choose which dialing option you want. The "911" button at the top of the phone can also be programmed to something other than 911 (I set it to the Assisted Living building's main number). The phone does not have visual or audio caller ID, which is unfortunate, but we have another corded phone in the apartment that has caller ID (and allows normal dialing) so that was not a problem. There is a button for a speaker phone which we tested and it worked fine, but I do not expect her to use it. I removed all the cordless phones from the apartment to address the other problem.My mother was immediately able to use this phone and make outbound calls, which she was thrilled about. For incoming calls, the other cordless phone in the apartment has a loud enough announcement feature that she can hear who is calling. It would be really nice if this one had caller ID as well, as she has been confused that since it does not announce calls she thinks she cannot answer calls from that phone, but hopefully that will improve with time.The phone was very easy to set up and the directions were clear and easy to use.I have read a number of 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). As this is a brand new unit I have not encountered these problems but will update my review if I do encounter them. In the meantime, I highly recommend this phone to anyone who has an elderly parent in a similar situation.

My grandma is 97 and starting to have memory issues. She used a simple cell phone for years but that's too hard for her now. This phone is perfect. She can just press one button to call any of us! This has truly breathed new life into her after feeling isolated not being able to work her phone when she moved into assisted living.

We bought this for my 74 year old father-in-law who has really bad arthritis. He can't move his fingers well at all and has a lot of trouble dialing phones. This phone makes it so simple for him to just press a button for who he wants to talk to. Also, the adjustable volume is great because if it's too low to hear the person on the other end, you just slide the switch over to however high you need it, and trust me, it gets very loud which is great for an older person. It was very easy to set up all the numbers as well however we have noticed that he isn't able to dial a number at all if in the one touch mode. That mode is only for touching just one of the pictures that is programmed. If he wants to dial a number that is not stored, which isn't very often, he would have to change the mode on the back of the phone, which he can't do. We would just have to help him if needed That is the only downside, however it does not change the review of the phone. We still like it and he loves to be able to talk with his wife in his private room for as long as he wants without having to use the phone in the common area of his assisted living facility. All in all, it's a great phone and he is very pleased with it!

I have Sent this phone back to Future Call twice & it still is failing. It worked fine originally then it stopped calling out. Oh heard a dial tone but would not dial. This last call I spoke with David from Future Call, who was clearly distressed, with multiple issued or cases as he called them. You can't depend on this phone in an emergency. He asked me to send him an email & he would send me a different model than the fc-1007. I will give update on the new model after we see how well it works.My FIL has macular degeneration and doesn't see well enough to dial an entire phone number. He tried to call me one day & had to try & punch the number in several times before he got me. This broke my heart & I knew I had to do something to make it easier for him to get his family in case of an emergency. This phone will help him bc he will only have to push one button. I believe this is gonna be awesome for him.

I got this for my 93 year-old mother 6 months ago and it has exceeded all expectations. She is in a nursing home and suffers from dementia and hearing loss. Before she got this she was constantly frustrated by her inability to place calls using a normal cordless phone. She would take to long to dial and the connection would time out before she was able to finish or she would misdial a number and on the occasions she was able to place a call she had problems hearing well enough to have a normal conversation. These problems and other frustrations of losing control of her life led to depression. Im very happy to say that having this phone has significantly added to her quality of life.Advantages of this phone - no external power required; will work thru power outages and no more worries about the occasional times when housekeeping accidently causes the power cord to be unplugged. The phone was easy for me to program, very easy for her to use. The adjustable volume can be set very loud - louder than any powered phone I have tried. My mom can hear it fine now and it is not turned all the way up - there's plenty of reserve should her hearing worsen. It can be toggled so the buttons function as on a regular phone.Now for the downside. The phone appears to be cheaply made, but has worked perfectly for over six months. It was difficult to size the pictures to fit the buttons properly, but that was a function of my computer abilities, not the phone. If you buy this phone and have the same problem, send me a message and I'll help you.

Very easy for seniors to make phone calls with one touch, by looking at a picture of who they want to call. Excellent for challenged people as well. The only problem is that it lasts only 1 year. I have had to purchase a new phone every year, because it doesn't work after a year. I am on the 3rd phone now.

This phone was the perfect gift for my mother.

My husband’s occupational therapist thought this might keep him ‘connected’ —and we hope it will when his aphasia has improved. Meanwhile she will use it as a tool with her other stroke survivors.

There has always been a crackling sound on the line, not clear. Suddenly started beeping one night and makes a sound as if it is “off the hook” when it is properly hung up. Poor quality, and now can no longer use. Waste of money. Was supposed to be for my developmentally delayed brother to use to contact myself in case of an emergency.

Good item, easy to operate