Good Morning America Segment on Products for Seniors Highlights Many of MaxiAids Best-Selling Products

MaxiAids Products for Independent Living carries many of the products featured in the Good Morning America segment called Gadgets for Seniors: Best Gear for the 60+ that aired Tuesday, July 13, 2010 on ABC television. Below are a variety of the items shown today that can be viewed and purchased at www.MaxiAids.com:

Sony Reader Touch Edition: Portable Digital Book. Easy, Convenient Reading for Those with Low Vision. Thinner, smaller and lighter than most magazines. Adjustable font size. Store up to 350 books (or more w/expandable memory). 6-in. touchscreen display makes navigation a breeze, letting you turn pages with the swipe of a finger. Stylus offers freehand highlighting and annotation. Supports ePub and PDF files. Enjoy books from the eBook Store from Sony and over one million free public domain titles from Google Books. PC and Mac compatible. 0.4” thin. Weighs 10 oz. Item #307505. Price: $398.95

Keys-U-See Large Print Keyboard - Yellow Keys with Black Print. See the keys on your computer more easily! This Keys-U-See Large Print Keyboard has been designed specifically for those with conditions that cause low vision, such as macular degeneration, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and cataracts. You'll benefit from more accurate keystrokes, making your time spent on the computer more efficient and enjoyable. Item #809529. Price: $37.95. (Also available with black keys/white print and white keys/black print.)

Uniden Loud And Clear Cordless Answering System. Great for Those with Mild Hearing Loss. This cordless phone system is hearing aid compatible and delivers up to 20 decibels of amplification. The voice prompts guide you in English, Spanish or French.
Store up to 70 names; 30 name or number caller ID memory. Talking caller ID and speakerphone. Bright visual flashers on the base and handset. Expandable up to 6 handsets. Item#: 302997. Your Price : $74.95

Geemarc Multifunction Amplified Big Button Speakerphone - 35dB. Hear Conversations Clearly and Dial More Easily. This is a perfect phone for the hard of hearing as well as those with low vision. Receiving volume can be amplified up to 35dB and oversized 1” square buttons that are easy to see and dial. Other features include tone control for voice clarity, a speakerphone and a bright visual ring indicator strobe. Hearing aid compatible. Item #200124. Price: $99.95.

Jitterbug J - The Simple Cell Phone: Graphite. Great for Low Vision, Hard of Hearing and Seniors. Offers a backlit keypad with big buttons and a bright display with a large font size that's easy to see. Its exceptional sound quality with reduced background noise gives you clearer calls. Adjustable handset amplification up to 101dB and ringer up to 110dB. T4 Rated: least possible interference for T-Coil hearing aid wearers. Item #300213. Price: $99.00. Also available in white and red.

Sonic Alert Alarm Clock with Dual Alarm Clock. Never Oversleep Again! Bedside alarm clock with an extra large 1.8” easy-to-read display and bed shaker that’s great for the hearing impaired. Dual alarms for multiple alarm setting capability. Loud 113db alarm with adjustable tone and volume control. Powerful 12-volt bed shaker. Hi/low dimmer switch. 9 minute snooze. Battery backup to maintain the proper time in the event of a power outage. Requires 9-volt battery (not included). Item #SB375SS. Price: $59.70.

Moshi Voice-Activated Talking Alarm Clock - Full Original Size. Talk to This Clock and It Will Answer You. This voice-controlled clock can be set and operated using only voice commands. Say one of 12 Voice Activated Commands and the clock will announce the data you have requested, including time, date and temperature. You can also program the alarm (with choice of chime, chirp or bell) and set the Sleep Sound (choose water, birds or waterfall) using your voice only. Item #704895. Price: $44.95.

Ring-Pen - Anti Fatigue Writing Pen - Great for Arthritics: Blue. The no grip pen- Easy and comfortable writing! Write for longer periods of time without fatigue using this ergonomic ball point pen. Simply put your finger through the ring and write normally. Your finger rests comfortably, no gripping, so your hand is much more relaxed. The Ring Pen promotes correct writing posture and makes writing easier, faster and more fluent. Blue ink. Item #73507. Price: $9.95.
To see any of the above items, or thousands of other products to help seniors live more independently, visit www.MaxiAids.com or call MaxiAids at 1-800-522-6294 to speak to one of our trained customer service representatives.

Mildred Frank, Innovator of Products to Help the Blind Live More Independently, Dies at 92

We at MaxiAids were saddened to hear of the death of Mildred Frank this past Friday, June 25. Mrs. Frank overcame vision challenges and learned skills that allowed her to live independently as a blind woman, then devoted herself to helping other blind and visually impaired individuals do the same.

“I spoke to Mildred regularly. She was always thinking about how to make things easier for the blind, and would propose new ideas and improvements on existing products.”
said Elliot Zaretsky, president and founder of MaxiAids Products for Independent Living, who produced and distributed numerous items conceived by Mrs. Frank. “I loved hearing from her. Whenever we spoke, something positive resulted.”

Mrs. Frank and MaxiAids teamed up to produce numerous items designed to help the blind and those with low vision live more independently. Her Vision Aide Manual, a blueprint for how family members and caregivers of blind individuals can help set up the optimal environment to promote independent living, became the textbook for a class for caregivers of the blind at Daytona State College in Florida.

She also authored low vision cookbooks, and developed the Audible and Tactile Marking System, a kit that includes Braille, tactile and low vision labels, a Braille labeler, Touch Dots, tactile marking pens, the Vision Aide Manual and countless other items, all in a handy toolbox. “This kit may be the most important product Mildred came up with,” said Mr. Zaretsky. “It’s a tremendous help to the vision impaired and a vital tool in helping set up an independent living environment.”

Another of Mrs. Frank’s ideas that MaxiAids ultimately developed and produced were the Pocket Braille Labelling Kit and the Jumbo Braille Labelling Kit. These compact portable kits provide visually impaired individual a Braille slate, stylus and all the items they need to mark belongings with Braille labels and tags.

“Mildred had a remarkable passion and determination to come up with new ideas that made a difference. I will greatly miss her both personally and professionally,” concluded Mr. Zaretsky. “And the low vision community has lost a great innovator and advocate.”

MaxiAids’ Elliot Zaretsky Attends ACLD Dinner Dance, Proposes Web-A-Thon Benefit

Elliot Zaretsky, President of MaxiAids Products for Independent Living, had the opportunity to attend the ACLD (Adults and Children with Learning and Developmental Disabilities) 2010 Dinner Dance fundraiser on Thursday, June 3. The event was held at the Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury, NY.

“We at MaxiAids are happy to support this very worthy organization,” said Mr. Zaretsky. “Events like this give you a chance to meet the people who dedicate themselves to making ACLD a success.” Among those people is Susan Sha, Chief Financial Officer of ACLD. In a conversation with Ms. Sha, Mr. Zaretsky pledged his continuing support and offered to host a 24-Hour Web-A-Thon at www.MaxiAids.com during which a percentage of the proceeds from all MaxiAids web sales would be donated to ACLD.

ACLD is a leading not-for-profit agency that proudly serves the needs of individuals with developmental disabilities and their families. The ACLD mission is to provide the opportunity for children, teens and adults with developmental disabilities to pursue enviable lives, increase their independence and improve the quality of their lives.

MaxiAids is the oldest continuously family-owned and operated distributor of products for independent living in the United States. It is the leading supplier of items for the blind, low vision, deaf and hard of hearing, as well as those with mobility challenges and other special needs.

Solo V2 Talking Blood Glucose Management System

Now blind and low vision diabetics can get the benefit of both spoken results and voice guidance in English or Spanish while testing their blood glucose levels. Easy, safe and fully audible, with a feature for everything, the Solo V2 Talking Blood Glucose Management System is extremely sophisticated yet amazingly simple to use. Just insert the test strip, apply blood and get your results. With false low reading prevention and increased accuracy, you'll be completely confident in managing your diabetes. Plus, it audibly guides you through every feature, including set-up and testing, memory and averages and explanations of error messages. It's the perfect blood glucose monitor for anyone who may have difficulty reading the LED read-outs on traditional units. Item #158611. Price: $74.95.

Visit us at www.MaxiAids.com or call 1-800-522-6294 for more information.

RACKO: The Fun, Accessible Card Game for the Blind

Can you rack up the highest score? This numbers race takes a bit of strategy – and a bit of luck! Plus, in this modified version the cards are Brailled making the game accessible to blind and visually impaired players.

As they're dealt, place your RACKO cards in your rack, one by one, and search for a pattern of lows to highs. As you draw new cards – or pick up good discards – use them to replace those in your rack that "break" the sequence. The first player to get all 10 cards in perfect order, from low in front to high at the back, is the winner! Ages 8 to adult. 2 to 4 players. Includes Deck of 60 Brailled RACKO cards, 4 card racks and 1 draw/discard tray.

Go HERE or visit www.MaxiAids.com for more information.