Page 18 Savvy Senior by Jim Miller Smartphones Made Simple for Seniors Dear Savvy Senior, My 79-year-old mom just upgraded from a flip phone to a smartphone, but she’s having trouble figuring it out. Is there a way to make it easier for her to use? --Only Daughter Dear Only, Switching from a flip phone to a smartphone can be a big adjustment. What seems second nature to younger users can feel overwhelming to someone who’s never used a touchscreen. Even though the screen is bigger, the text can still be tiny, the buttons hard to tap, and one accidental touch can open an app or change a setting. Even simple tasks like texting or taking a picture can suddenly feel frustrating. The good news is that smartphones can be surprisingly senior-friendly. Both iPhones and Android phones have built-in accessibility features that make them easier to see, hear, and navigate. The exact steps vary depending on the phone, but here are some of the most helpful settings to look for. Apple iPhone If your mom has an Apple iPhone, start by opening the Settings app, then tap Display and Brightness. From there, she can make the text larger, turn on bold text, and use Display Zoom to make icons, buttons, and menus bigger. Even these small changes can make the phone much easier to use. Accessibility offers several helpful tools. VoiceOver reads whatever is on the screen aloud, Zoom enlarges small text or photos, and Voice Control lets her open apps or dictate messages simply by speaking. For a simpler home screen, try Assistive Access. It creates a clean layout with large buttons and fewer apps, and you can lock it with a passcode so it won’t accidentally switch back. For someone moving from a flip phone, this can make using the phone much less intimidating. Google Pixel If your mom uses a Google Pixel, open Settings, then Display, and select Display size and text. She can make words, buttons, and icons larger and increase color contrast to make everything easier to see. Swipe gestures can be confusing for first-time smartphone users. Switching to the traditional three-button layout brings back simple on-screen buttons for Home, Back, and Recent Apps, making navigation much easier. In Accessibility, TalkBack can read text aloud, Magnification zooms in on parts of the screen, Live Caption adds subtitles automatically, Sound Amplifier makes soft sounds louder, and Voice Access lets her control the phone by speaking. Samsung Galaxy If she has a Samsung Galaxy phone, start by turning on Easy Mode. Open Settings, tap Display, and turn it on. This enlarges text and icons, simplifies the home screen, and adds a slight delay to reduce accidental taps. She can also adjust font size, screen zoom, and switch navigation from gestures to buttons. Accessibility settings improve contrast, offer captions or hearing aid connections, and let her operate the phone with voice commands. Extra tips Clean up your mom’s home screen by removing apps she doesn’t use and placing her most used apps – such as Phone, Messages, and Photos – on the first screen. Choose a simple wallpaper, turn up the ringtone and alert volume, add favorite contacts for one-touch calling, and increase the screen timeout so the display stays on longer. Remember, the goal isn’t to master every feature. Start with the basics – answering calls, sending texts, and taking photos – and give her plenty of time to practice. A little patience goes a long way. With a few simple adjustments, her smartphone can become a tool she actually enjoys using. Send your questions or comments to questions@ savvysenior.org, or to Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070. THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, September 4, 2026 MUSINGS | FROM PAGE 6 Saint Rocco FEAST, not the Saint Rocco FESTIVAL. Just an FYI for those not familiar with this 96-year-old tradition. Thanks for listening. ● To all those I may have offended during the San Rocco Feast weekend, please accept my sincerest apologies. For three straight days, my head swam in about a million different directions at once. Between the San Rock frenzy, the unwashed masses vying for my attention, the anticipated flood of emotional memories occupying my mind (Billy, Dom, Butch, Jimmy D, Richie Cremone), and everything else that comes with San Rocco weekend, I apparently experienced a few momentary lapses in my normally sunny, patient and genial disposition. Thankfully, a couple of good weeks’ sleep have restored me to factory settings. I am happy to report that the regularly scheduled Peter Levine has returned. So, the next time we meet, I promise you’ll get the post-San Rocco Peter Levine — rested, refreshed, cheerful, genial, patient and hopefully once again operating with all cylinders firing. Thanks for understanding. Insert smiley face and Viva San Rocco! ● Steve and Annamaria Antoniou Georgopoulos, Jamie Forbes, Diane and Joannie Fucci — we still friends? Insert yet another smiley face. As Peter Falk’s iconic TV character Columbo would say, “Just one more thing, sir” — in the picture you see 101-year-old Nicky “Keeper of the Saint Rocco Flame” Angelo, his lovely daughter Paula and nephew/ godson Al Menkello. Nicky was at the very first San Rock Festa in 1929. In 2026, he was escorted and celebrated through the streets of Edgeworth during the Sunday Procession in a red Ferrari, turning more than a few heads and adding yet another unforgettable chapter to the storied tradition of the Festa — and to Nicky Angelo. Paula has been to the Feast for all (mumble, mumble) years of her life, and through the years has contributed above and beyond the call of San Roch duty (she had to, mom and pops made her! LOL). Godson Al has San Rock in his heart and soul and along with brother Nick have been invaluable in keeping the San Rock flame alive through these past years. Both Menkellos have hearts of gold and understand what the weekend means to so many people. Al sent me his thoughts shortly after the Feast shut down, I’d like to share them... “That picture really sums up what the Saint Rocco Feast is all about. Some of the youngsters that are coming through now, even some teenagers and some of the guys in their 30’s, don’t get what our families went through, what it took for them to get to this country and thrive. And what it meant for them to have this Feast was to remind them a little bit about when they were younger and where they came from and the values that they brought with them. If they didn’t carry ‘The Torch,’ no one would have. We have to set an example; we have to set the bar high and hopefully those values will be instilled in the younger generations to carry this Feast on and on into the future. It’s not about us anymore! It’s a generational thing, it’s about supporting those that came before us, supporting what they fought for, and ensuring future generations understand this.” Well said, my friend. Postscript 1: Each and every one of us felt the absence of Billy (Settemio), Richie (Cremone), Butch (Gennetti) and Dom (Fermano) throughout the weekend. You couldn’t help but notice the empty spaces where four such important pieces of San Rock were always meant to be. From the opening-night toast, traditionally delivered by Dom, to Butch leading the Sunday Procession alongside grandson Robby, to Richie behind the grill laughin’ and smiling his way through the weekend and Billy gently assisting his beloved grandson Nolan in placing the donation wreath on the Saint before the Procession — every single moment carried a little more weight this year. These aren’t just traditions. They are special moments that became part of who we are as a neighborhood, year after year, generation after generation. Seeing those familiar roles carried on without them was (expletive deleted) heartbreaking. It’s difficult to put into words the emotional toll the weekend took on so many of us. There were smiles and good-natured bean busting, as there always is, but beneath it all was a quiet sadness — a constant reminder of four dear friends who should have been with us. In so, so many ways, they were. They were in the conversations we had, the memories we shared, the traditions we continued and especially in the grandchildren and families they loved so dearly. San Rock was built on generations of family, friendship, faith and tradition. This year, maybe more than ever, we were reminded that while our loved ones may leave us, their place in this Feast — and in our hearts — never disappears. Viva San Rock. Viva Billy. Viva Butch. Viva Richie. MUSINGS| SEE PAGE 19
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