What Do You Look For In a Home Phone?

What do you look for in home phones?  Working with people with Learning Disabilities and having older relatives I find the key area for this group of people is having a phone which is simple to use, displays clear large numbers and has an  audible ringtone, some phones even have a light that flashes which is useful if somebody’s earing is impaired.

For me I like a phone that can do a number of things such as:

• Identify the caller – this has to be one of the most important options, I detest people trying to sell me things or offering me a chance to take part in a survey, being able to block callers is essential.  I have registered with the Telephone Preference Service online but calls still seem to get through.
• Answering machine – to take messages when I am not available.
• Phonebook to store contacts, this makes life so much simpler, although I do like to have my own written address book just in case I should lose these off the phone.
• Cordless – us women do like to multi-task, so this option is a must.

It doesn’t seem that long ago since the only option available was the vintage rotary dial phone and then it was in limited colours, how time has progressed and I am loving the new touchscreen home phones that are available.  What are the main points you consider when buying a home phone?

This post was written in conjunction with Panasonic.