Menu names vary by iPhone model and software version. The paths below are the common ones. If a label on the screen does not match, stop and call. That mismatch is ordinary, and it is a good use of technology help.
RingMyTech provides this kind of help for older adults and families across the United States. The wider guide is technology help for older adults. Adult children should make these changes with a parent, not after the parent leaves the room. The family page is help my parent with technology.
Make the text large enough
On many iPhones, open Settings, then Accessibility, then Display & Text Size, then Larger Text. Drag the slider to the right. If the largest size is still uncomfortable, turn on Larger Accessibility Sizes when that switch is offered. Bold Text, in the same area on many models, makes letters easier to see.
Display Zoom, when the model offers it, makes buttons larger as well as text. Try it for a day before you decide. You can turn it off. Larger text is a confidence tool, not a confession that the phone is too hard.
Simplify the home screen
Keep the apps used every week on the first screen: phone, messages, camera, photos, and the one or two services that matter, such as a clinic portal or email. Move the rest into the App Library or a single folder named Later. A crowded screen creates mis-taps, and mis-taps create the feeling that the phone is unsafe.
Add family, the doctor, and RingMyTech to Favorites so they can be reached without a search. Use clear contact names. "Daughter Sarah" is easier to find than a first name alone when several people share it.
Reduce accidental calls and purchases
On many iPhones, Settings, then Accessibility, then Touch includes ways to ignore repeat taps. Settings, then Screen Time, then Content & Privacy Restrictions can require a passcode for purchases if the household wants that. Set it together and write down where the passcode lives. A lock only one person knows becomes a new problem.
Turn off notifications for apps that are not used. A phone that buzzes all day trains people to tap without reading. Fewer alerts make the real texts easier to notice, including the ones that should be treated as suspicious. See suspicious text messages.
Practice one task, then stop
After the text is larger, place one call to a saved Favorite and take one photo. Stop there. A second lesson the same afternoon often erases the first. Write the three steps on paper in the owner's words.
If video calls are the real goal, continue on FaceTime and Zoom. If passwords are the real goal, continue on helping a parent with passwords.
Need help with this?
If the screen in front of you does not match these steps, stop and call. Menu names change by phone model and software version.