My grandma is in her late eighties and spends most of her time in her home, so the telephone is a bit of a lifeline to her. Her eyesight and dexterity is not what it used to be and she was getting frustrated and a little upset as she was having trouble using her standard telephone.

I therefore decided to buy her this Optimum big button telephone and she is absolutely over the moon with it, it has made a massive difference in her ability to still feel independent. The numbers on it are so large that it serves two great purposes - it's far easier for people with failing eyesight to be able to see the buttons clearly, but also makes pressing the buttons a far easier job for the elderly. It sounds so simple but it really has made a massive difference to my gran's confidence as she no longer feels vulnerable - before I think she knew that if anything happened or she needed to contact someone in an emergency then she would struggle, but now it can be achieved with maximum ease. This is helped by the fact that the phone has the ability to store a number which means a person can be contacted via a single button. The phone holds only 10 numbers but to be honest, for my gran and probably many older people, this is more than enough. Close family, friends or emergency contacts can be stored on the phone. It is super simple to set up and use so anyone less than confident with technology won't have a problem.

Other features on this phone are few yet simple and handy. There is a volume switch on the side of the phone which controls the speaker and the ringer volume. There are only two settings - low and high - but it's simple, straightforward and effective. There is also a light at the top of the phone that flashes when it's ringing so this acts as an extra alert if the television is on for example. The phone is supplied with a bracket for wall mounting if desired, though to be honest we haven't used this as my gran prefers it on her living room table. If she has the desire to use the hands-free facility it is then easy for her to reach whilst sitting in her chair.

For an amazingly small price of £10.99 Argos have managed to produce a very simple yet effective telephone which serves its purpose brilliantly - and has made my gran a very happy lady!