I just read an interesting article in today’s New York Times by technology writer Eric Taub, titled ‘For the Advanced in Age, Easy-to-Use Technology’. Eric explains how many ‘baby boomers’ are seeking to remain independent as they age. We all know that our eye sight and hearing can be less than perfect as we get older. However, it can also be challenging to use devices that seem to be, as Eric puts it, not designed well for ‘less-nimble fingers’. His article features several interesting products, but one that captured my interest was the Jitterbug mobile phone. Jitterbug has done a great job of designing an easy-to-use mobile phone for seniors. First of all it’s a flip phone – open it up and it starts to work! It has oversize (read ‘easy to use’ and ‘easy to see’) buttons. But that’s not all - you can simply press a dedicated 911 button to call emergency services. Another simple Operator button connects you to a Jitterbug operator who will connect you to a list of people Jitterbug keeps on file for you. The screen also displays numbers in a large font so that it is easy to read. Its nice to see Eric recognizing the need and interest in these types of products.