Elena Meredith lives in Massachusetts, and her mother-in-law lives in an assisted-living facility in Saluda, South Carolina. Frances Meredith, soon to be 104 years old, primarily communicates with her family using the phone but was having trouble hearing her out-of-state relatives. With the COVID-19 pandemic, Elena and her husband Tom were not able to travel to see Frances and needed to find a way to better communicate with her.
The South Carolina Equipment Distribution Program (SCEDP) was able to provide Frances with an amplified phone to help her communicate with her loved ones. This phone helps to amplify the incoming caller’s voice as well as amplifying the caller’s voice going out. It also offers a built-in speaker phone and a backlit keypad.
It’s easy to take for granted how much we rely on our hearing to connect to the world; when that’s taken away, it takes away what’s most important in life— connecting to the ones we love.
Frances speaks with her son and daughter-in-law about twice a day— they’re an integral part of each other’s lives. When they could no longer travel for visits because of COVID-19 restrictions, phone conversations became even more important. Frances has now lived through two pandemics in her lifetime, and her family wanted to make sure she stayed connected during this one.
“Being able to talk to her every day by phone was what got us through the pandemic,” says Elena. “It was the only way we could communicate, and it has made a huge positive difference in our lives. We cannot say enough good things about the people at EDP and their willingness to help us.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Frances’ phone began experiencing problems. Her facility was quarantined, and no one was available to come to Columbia to pick up a replacement. SCEDP staff were able to deliver a new phone directly to the facility to help keep her connected.
“We’re so lucky to have been able to participate in the program, and we encourage anyone who could benefit from this program not to wait but to get in touch with the people at SCEDP,” adds Elena. “I know they’ll have the same wonderful experience we did.”
Amplified Phone
The ALTO from Clarity provides a superior experience by offering clear and loud audio, to ensure users never miss a word again.
Some of the features include:
- Amplified incoming sounds up to 53 decibels and outgoing speech up to 15 decibels
- Extra loud ringer volume (100 dB)
- Clarity AudioCenter featuring ergonomic volume and tone control
- Built-in speakerphone
- Oversized bright visual ringer
The amplified phone is designed to help people with hearing loss, low vision, limited mobility, dexterity issues, and other health challenges.