The 5 Best Phones for Seniors with Parkinson’s Disease or Arthritis

The smartphone market offers many options aimed at seniors in all price ranges. These phones generally have a simple design and are useful for older adults who may need features such as appointment reminders, navigation while traveling, and immediate emergency contact options. However, if a senior has arthritis or Parkinson’s disease, even using a smartphone intended for seniors can be a frustrating experience. “They may have difficulty holding the device, typing, swiping, pressing small buttons, or using pinch-to-zoom functions,” Anna Hicks, MD, administrative director of AdventHealth North Carolina’s senior-friendly services, told BGR in an exclusive interview.

The best phones for seniors with Parkinson’s disease or arthritis include the RAZ Memory, RAZ SmartVision3, Jitterbug Smart5, Jitterbug Flip 3, and Samsung Galaxy A17. These phones offer important features such as large control buttons, which can help older adults with Parkinson’s disease press the right button when their hands are unsteady from tremors, Hicks said. They also try to help arthritic seniors who have painful joints and limited hand strength.

According to Hicks, having phones that offer voice commands, dictation capabilities, the ability to enlarge icons on the screen and similar features allows the smartphone to be a useful tool. “People who have difficulty with hand and finger coordination could benefit from a smartphone with a larger screen and accessibility features,” she said. Hicks suggested that seniors and their families consider their specific needs and possibly talk with their occupational therapists or doctors before picking up a phone.

Some older people with Parkinson’s disease may experience tremors. Tremors “can make it more difficult to hold a smaller device steady or perform precise movements,” Hicks said. The RAZ Memory Cell Phone ($369) has a design that simplifies on-screen selections when hands aren’t completely steady. It includes a mode that increases the size of on-screen buttons, potentially allowing someone with a mild form of Parkinson’s disease to make a precise selection. However, since it doesn’t use physical keys, it’s probably best for someone with arthritis, who may have difficulty pressing physical keys.

The RAZ memory cell phone, which is compatible with all three major cellular networks, received an update for its hand shake mode in late 2025. The update also gave it improved contrast for people with vision problems and larger keypad buttons, icons and numbers. People with Parkinson’s disease or arthritis will likely want to take advantage of the phone’s auto-answer feature, which means seniors don’t need to press a button to answer the phone. Instead, it will automatically answer the call and switch to speakerphone mode, making things much simpler for the user.

Hicks said a smooth glass screen on a smartphone can be difficult to use for some people with Parkinson’s disease because they may have trouble pressing buttons on the screen. The RAZ SmartVision3 mobile phone offers users a touch keyboard with large number buttons and directional buttons to control the screen. The SmartVision3 ($599) is primarily aimed at people with visual impairments, but many of these same features can benefit older adults with Parkinson’s disease. Seniors can switch between using the touchscreen and navigation buttons, depending on how they feel. People with arthritis may have difficulty pressing the physical keys on this model.

As a useful additional feature, users can control the phone via Google Assistant and voice commands instead of keyboard buttons or touchscreen. Simply press a button on the side of the phone to activate Google Assistant. You can use Google Assistant to handle calls, dictate text messages, or play audiobooks. “People who have difficulty with hand and finger coordination can benefit from…accessibility features such as voice commands (and) voice-to-text dictation,” Hicks said.

People with arthritis may experience shaky hands, pain, stiffness and reduced range of motion, Hicks said. This can make it difficult for them to press physical buttons on a flip phone. If people with arthritis have mild tremors, they might have success using a larger-than-average touchscreen to control the phone, like the Jitterbug Smart5 smartphone ($120).

It measures 6.6 inches in height and its screen extends to the edges of the phone. A mid-sized smartphone has a height between 6.06 and 6.34 inches. Those with a mild form of Parkinson’s disease might also appreciate the larger-than-average device, because hand tremors “can make it more difficult to hold a smaller device steady,” Hicks said.

The Jitterbug Smart5 includes access to Google Assistant, giving people with arthritis options to control phone features via voice commands. It’s important to note that Lively was on Consumer Reports’ list of phone carriers to avoid due to lower-than-average customer satisfaction ratings. However, if you like the Smart5’s features, you might not mind using Lively, which is the only cellular service provider compatible with the phone.

For people with Parkinson’s disease who have difficulty holding a thin smartphone, the design of the Jitterbug Flip3 can be of great help. It has grippy material around the edges and back of the phone, making seniors feel more confident when holding and using it. “A secure phone grip, protective case or adjustable stand can also make the device easier to handle and help prevent drops,” Hicks said. The Jitterbug Flip3 ($80) is again only compatible with the Lively cellular service network.

The Flip3 has a larger body than some other flip phones, which means the buttons are larger and easier for someone with Parkinson’s to press precisely. However, these buttons can be problematic to use for someone with arthritis. Additionally, the buttons are all backlit, which can help older adults make precise selections in low-light conditions. Although some people with hand tremors may appreciate being able to open or close the phone to answer or hang up (instead of pressing a button), some people with arthritis may not have the hand strength to perform this action without dropping it. Unfortunately, “there is no one-size-fits-all solution,” Mr. Hicks said.

Some older adults with Parkinson’s disease or arthritis may want a more traditional-looking smartphone that excels at taking photos. The Samsung Galaxy A17 ($250) features a 50-megapixel (MP) main camera with optical image stabilization (IS) technology. Optical IS uses hardware adjustments to balance out any unintentional hand movement when taking photos that could lead to blurry images. Optical IS is common in more expensive smartphone cameras, so it’s a good option to offer it in a budget smartphone that exceeds its price range.

Additionally, the Galaxy A17 offers what Samsung calls Easy Mode, which should make it easier to use for people with Parkinson’s disease or arthritis. Easy mode lets you enlarge icons and fonts on the screen, making it easier to select the items you want, even if you have pain or tremors in your hands. You can also customize settings to change the sensitivity of the A17’s touchscreen, which is useful for people who may have trouble making precise touch selections.