Would you use a modern pager?

Probably not what you're thinking, but I always thought that a sort of dedicated pager for old/infirm people would be useful. Picture something about the size of a sheet of paper that could be stuck to a refrigerator or something. Always on, and maybe with a soft chime when a message comes in.

The idea is that you could (say) send your aging mom occasional unobtrusive messages. Big letters would help. And they could do likewise, via some sort of keyboard.

Needs to be drop-dead simple. If it's cheap enough, maybe no "addressing" at all--the messages always go to a single correspondent.

My aging parents can no longer deal with texting or email. Even voicemail has become too much.

In my case, I don't need most apps, but basic calling/texting/email is a must.

I think a lot of people already have a "pager" in the modern era, and it's a smartwatch. Samsung even sells a 4G smartwatch that doesn't need the phone nearby to operate, and that would give you the rough functionality of a "pager" in a better, modern form factor.

Already do. It's called a cellphone with a smallish screen. Basically what you do is not configure email etc and just install a bunch of texting apps. Then you simply don't use the web browser etc because you know the thing is now just a tool and no longer a toy.

I personally would not