Advice on cordless phones

[msdznyduck]

I know nothing about them I would think they would need to be plugged into a phone jack, but what about a electrical outlet? If I get one with a separate phone handset, can the extra just be plugged into an electrical outlet to keep charged?

My mom is basically homebound, except when I can get her to the doctor's as needed, or when she wants to get to the beauty shop for a perm, which isn't too often due to my work schedule.
I thought this would be perfect for her, since she gets around with a walker in her home, and everytime I call her I know to let it ring a long time so she can get to the phone, but I worry about her hurrying to answer it and falling. I am hoping that she could have one in the living room next to her chair that she watches TV and one in the bedroom. (she can carry the handset around with her in her housecoat pocket, or the basket on her walker. (she refuses to have anything to do with the homebound pendant thingy that you wear around your neck....very stubborn.)

 

[nordkin]

You can get one with multiple handsets and only the base unit needs to be plugged into the telephone jack. The other handsets sit in cradles that you plug into an electrical outlet to charge the telephone. We have had these for a few years and love them. We have had the best luck with the Panasonic telephones, but I am sure others can and will recommend different brands. Good luck on this approach. We did the same for my mother and it is working.

 

[foltzy]

The base needs to be plugged into a jack and a electrical outlet. If you get one with another or even multiple handsets (Our set came with 3 phones) they just need an outlet so the phones can charge. I hope that helps.

 

[chris8091]

I DO NOT Recommend Motorola. I have had battery life issues, static, and quality issues (buttons not working). We are not hard on our phones either.

 

[ceecee]

What did I buy? Motorola!!!

 

[sbakersub]

I have had very good luck with Panasonic, too. Mixed results with VTech (the answerer just quit) and Uniden (poor voice quality over time). Always avoid GE.

The best feature on our set is the transfer feature, so if you answer on one phone you can transfer the call to the other. Saves lots of trips upstairs. Probably not a feature OP's mom needs, but great for families.

 

[StephMK]

The worst part about a cordless is just remembering where you put them down! I love them though I have left them in some odd spots around the house.

I second Panasonic!!! We've had a set for 4+ yrs still going strong. I even forgot one out on the deck for 4 days through numerous rain storms. The display is gone but the phone still works perfectly.

 

[Bren's Mom]

I agree that a base plus extra handsets would be a great way to go for op's mom. She can always have several charging and at least one out of the cradle in her housecoat pocket. The base is the only one that needs a phone line jack. And if you get one be sure that it 'pages' the handsets if you need to find them...useful feature!

ETA: Also, be sure to get one with a long 'range' so that she can take it outside with her for short walks, etc. And also, be careful about buying at Best Buy or Circuit City or any of those places with a restock fee. We got a good deal on our cordless at Staples and if we didn't like it or found it hard to use we were told we could bring it back after trying it out with no problem.

 

[DMRick]

The only problem I would have if this is the only phones in your house, is if the electricity goes out, your mom has no phone. Our neighbor took a fall in the dark (we had lost our lights) and broke her hip. She dragged herself to her phone, but had no dial tone (with no phone phone..her help help I['ve fallen didn't work). Luckily, her daughter was trying to reach her, and called us when she couldn't (we have one hard wired phone). We broke in and found her on the floor, several hours later.
Perhaps you can keep one phone that goes into a jack..non electric, just for safety sake.

 

[msdznyduck]

The only problem I would have if this is the only phones in your house, is if the electricity goes out, your mom has no phone. Our neighbor took a fall in the dark (we had lost our lights) and broke her hip. She dragged herself to her phone, but had no dial tone (with no phone phone..her help help I['ve fallen didn't work). Luckily, her daughter was trying to reach her, and called us when she couldn't (we have one hard wired phone). We broke in and found her on the floor, several hours later.
Perhaps you can keep one phone that goes into a jack..non electric, just for safety sake.

Hmmmm, good point. I know she has at least 1 other phone jack in her house, but not sure if it would work, since a phone hasn't been plugged into it for about 40 years (old house....she's been there about 50 yrs, and was far from new when we moved in)

Does another jack need to be activated by the phone company? or if you have one in the kitchen, and I hook one up in the other jack, will it ring as well..........told you I was clueless.

 

[sbakersub]

if you have one in the kitchen, and I hook one up in the other jack, will it ring as well

Yes -- I have one corded phone in my bedroom (one jack, no electrical plug-in), the cordless phone base/answerer with one handset in the kitchen (one jack and one electrical plug-in) and the other cordless handset upstairs (one electrical plug-in), and they all ring.

 

[Chicago526]

I do recomend getting a cordless phone that DOES still have a traditional corded handset, so if the power goes out or all the handsets are dead, you can still make/recieve calls. I've seen more of these around lately. In fact, DH and I plan on buying one like that next year sometime.

 

[mdrob214]

If a 2nd jack isn't working, just get a phone jack splitter (only a couple bucks at Radio Shack or Target,etc.) It's important to have a phone that will work, even when the power is out. I have Uniden multi-handset phones (3) and they arre great. Had them for 3+ years and bought (almost) the same set for my mom last year for Christmas--they work great! I got them for her so she'd have one in every room--just in case.

BTW--all phones will ring with an incoming call (unless you turn off one of the ringers) but sometimes the ringers on my extra handsets are 'delayed' a 1/2 ring or so. I can hear the phone ringing downstairs and then in a second or so it rings upstairs in the bedroom.

They have handset locators, so when you press the button on the base, the phone beeps to help you find it. Sometimes the phone ends up in the craziest places!

HTH!

 

[heartsy77]

I have to agree Panasonic are they way to go! We have had our dual handset for over a year and it has never gave us an ounce of trouble. In the past we went through a new cordless every few months!