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Since my husband was diagnosed as severe sight impaired -blind, we have been exploring technology and devices that may help him. One of these we were advised to look into is a talking clock.
This simple device is designed to audibly announce the time, and the date. For the model we have you simply press the top once for the time and keep it held down for the date to be announced as well.
It is of course very useful for anyone who has sight loss. However we have found it is also useful for me when I quickly want to know the time and date and through learning more about them I realised they can be very beneficial for many other people as well.
In this article we will be using the terms severe sight impaired, blind, low vision, partially sighted and sight loss as these are the current acceptable terms in my country for people with sight loss. This may change over time and be different in different countries. No offence is intended by any of these terms.
Empowering People With Sight Loss
For people who experience sight loss whether they are severe sight impaired or have low vision, checking the time can be a significant challenge and not being able to tell the time by yourself can be a real curb on independence.
Prior to getting the talking clock my husband had to ask me the time whenever he wanted to know. This immediately made him feel less independent and for me it was not always convenient. For my husband it was a constant reminder of his sight loss that he had to ask a sighted person whenever he needed or wanted to know the time.
Traditional clocks rely on us being able to read the numbers or roman numerals often at a distance. Some are very difficult to see if they have patterns or pictures and different colours. People with any degree of sight loss will have different needs and preferences.
My husband needs very clear bold black numbers on a white background with zero distractions and it needs to be very large. The clock would also need to be free from sunlight or glare hitting it, yet bright enough so he can make out the numbers. This is not always possible and we quickly realised it would be difficult to site such a large clock and give it the correct site to make it possible for him to read it.
The talking clock eliminates this barrier completely by providing a clear, spoken announcement of the time with the press of a button or depending on the clock also the date or even via scheduled verbal alerts.
A talking clock can really help towards independence, allowing people with sight loss of varying degrees to manage their daily routines without needing assistance from a sighted person.
You can choose a basic talking clock that can help you by simply telling the time and knowing the correct date, or more advanced models. Either way a talking clock gives a much higher level of independence.
Extra Large Talking Button Clock - for The Blind, Elderly or Visually impairedCheck Price
Some talking clocks do not have any readable indicators while others may have a digital reading of date, time etc in large text. It all depends on what you personally need and find useful.
The advanced models can do many tasks and have different features. I have listed some features here to give you an idea of what can be available.
- Tell the time
- Tell the date.
- Set alarms
- Organise appointment and social dates
- Birthday and special day reminders
- Chime on the hour
- Reminders to take medication
- Different levels of brightness on the display
- Customisable themes.
- Customisable language
- Lighting differentiates time zones during the day/night
- Temperature readouts
- Activated by voice controlled commands.
- Some with no visual display, others with large size and contrasting visual displays
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| Black and white contrast talking clock showing large button to activate |
Who Else Could Benefit From A Talking Clock?
Clearly a talking clock can assist people with a visual impairment. However it does not stop there.
It got me thinking who else may benefit from a talking clock and I believe it may help older people who might have difficulty reading clock faces from a distance, perhaps even young children who need to know the time and have not yet reliably learned to read a clock face or digital clocks.
They would be a useful aid for people who cannot learn to tell the time on a clock, or for people who through various illnesses, learning difficulties, disabilities, who have memory issues, or dementia find reading a standard clock more challenging.
Additionally, talking clocks might benefit elderly people who may struggle with small text on standard clocks, and the advanced models might assist professionals who need to keep track of their schedule.
Talking clocks simplify timekeeping, and if technology is for anything surely it should be to make our lives a little easier.
Talking Clocks Are Convenient
Clearly talking clocks are a useful aid for a person with sight loss. However as we have found they can also be really beneficial to those with out sight loss. We now have several talking clocks around the house in places we regularly walk past and I now find my self using the talking clock much more than the sighted clock!
It is very unobtrusive, ours is a simple black and white device certainly small enough to carry and light. It manages to both blend into the decor and yet be noticeable enough so my husband knows where it is.
Other clocks may have different colours such as blue, red or yellow and be smaller or larger. Many can be placed on a surface and some can be wall mounted. It all depends on what the person prefers.
I especially use it for knowing the date especially if I don't have the computer or TV on. I often don't have the right glasses on to see our wall clocks and it is so convenient to punch the talking clock as I walk past and get the time and date so easily.
You can buy talking clocks that are very simple and so easy to use with just the time and date or you can get advanced ones with a multitude of features and tasks.
It has become a normal way to tell the time in our house. We didn't plan it this way but it does make my husband feel better that we just use his talking clock as a normal device, rather than just his special device to tell the time.
Aspects Of Talking Clocks To Be Aware About.
Talking clocks can be run on batteries or plugged into electricity points, both have their good and bad points. We have the ones run on batteries and felt these were more portable, so that they can be taken into different rooms and taken with us on holiday. Clearly we need to make sure we always have a stock of replacement batteries either single use or ideally rechargeable.
If we had an electric model it could be plugged in around the house without the need or worry to keep a stock of batteries handy. However, there is always the risk that in the event of a power cut or power outage it of course would not work. It is important if buying an electrical one to ensure that the features and time automatically reset after a power cut or outage is over.
The solution is probably to have one of each, some of the electric models seem to carry more features, yet the battery ones are simpler, easy to use and more portable.
By the very fact the talking clock is a fairly loud announcement of the time, it is impossible to privately check the time! So for example if you just wanted to check the time to see if guests ought to be leaving or a meeting has gone on too long, it is really a public announcement. They are not ideal in situations where discretion is required!
A talking clock can take a little time to get used to. At first my husband did keep asking me the time and I reminded him to use the talking clock, after a few days or weeks it is just a normal habit.
The fact it is an audible time check can be disturbing if there are others in the house having quiet time or sleeping.
It may be more disruptive if there are several people in the house, who may not want to know the time in this way and might find it disturbing.
While it is loud enough, if the environment was noisy or lots of people were talking or music playing it might be more difficult to clearly hear it.
You need to choose the clock voice that works best for you. It all depends on the model if you can customise the voice and some of the voices might not suit you. Some voices are clearer and more calm than others. So it is worth checking which voice the model uses and if you are able to customise it.
We both feel the positives far outweigh any negatives and now would not be without it. We agreed at the outset of my husbands diagnosis of severe sight impaired that we would do everything possible to maintain his personal autonomy and independence. This little device of a talking clock has certainly been very helpful in this respect.
Advancements in Talking Clock Technology
Our talking clocks are models that tell the time and date and can be used to set an alarm. At the present we are happy with these features but there are models that can do much more.
There are a range of talking clocks now from the basic time and date clock to ones which integrate with smart devices and use Artificial Intelligence.
Some have customised features or a choice of features and languages. As mentioned previously there are talking clocks which also set date reminders, medicine reminders and alarms.
Of course there are also talking watches which is on our wish list for something else to help my husband.
Technology is advancing and if it can assist in keeping people more independent for as long as possible that is a positive.
I think a talking clock would make a very thoughtful gift for anyone who is finding it difficult to see or read a standard clock.
It might seem a small thing, many of us take for granted until we cannot do it, but being able to tell the time and date by yourself is a huge deal for self esteem and independence.
As the talking clock technology evolves I think it will become increasingly useful and versatile, not only for people who are sight impaired, but for many people.
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