Smart home devices to help seniors age in place
- Jim Miller: Savvy Senior
- December 4, 2023
- 384
Dear Savvy Senior,
I’ve been talking to my mobility-challenged mother, who lives alone, about automating her house with some smart home products to make it more convenient. She’s very interested, but we’d like to get your opinion as to which types of smart devices are most helpful for seniors aging in place.
Searching Daughter
Dear Searching,
If your mother is game, smart home products such as smart lights, video doorbells and voice-activated speakers can be very useful for aging in place. These devices can add safety and convenience to a home by providing voice and app-controlled operation, which is extremely helpful for seniors who have mobility issues or reduced vision.
Smart home technology also can provide family members peace of mind by giving them the ability to electronically keep tabs on their elder loved one when they can’t be there.
If you’re interested in adding some smart home products to your mom’s house, she’ll need home Wi-Fi installed, and she’ll need either a smartphone, tablet or smart speaker to operate them. To help you get started, here are some different types of devices to consider that are very helpful to older adults.
Smart speakers
A smart speaker, like the Amazon Echo, Google Nest or Apple HomePod, can serve as the brains of a smart home, controlling the devices with voice commands or automating them.
These devices also can play your mom’s favorite music, read audiobooks, make calls, set timers and alarms, check traffic and weather, answer questions, call for help in emergency situations, and provide reminders for medications, appointments and other things — all done by voice commands.
Smart light bulbs
To help prevent home falls — which are often caused by fumbling around a dark room looking for a light switch — smart light bulbs will let your mom turn on and off the lights by voice command, smartphone or tablet. These bulbs also can change brightness and color and be programmed to come on and off whenever she wants.
Smart plugs
These small units plug into a standard outlet and connect to the internet. That means your mom can control whatever she plugs into them — from a space heater to a coffee maker — using her voice or phone.
Video doorbell
Safety also is a concern for older adults, especially those who live alone. A video doorbell would let your mom see and speak to visitors at the door without having to walk over and open it.
Smart locks
For convenience and safety, smart locks would give your mom keyless entry to her home; provide customized access to family, friends and caregivers; and let you monitor who comes and goes from your mom’s house.
Smart thermostat
This lets your mom preprogram or manually control the temperature in her home with voice command or via phone and lets you monitor it too.
Smart smoke alarms
These will alert your mom when smoke or carbon monoxide is detected and also will send alerts to your phone if a problem is detected.
Stovetop shut-off
To prevent home cooking fires, smart stovetop shut-off devices, like the IGuardStove, will turn off electric and gas stovetops when left unattended and will alert you via text.
Medical alert system
These devices provide wearable wrist and/or necklace emergency buttons that would allow your mom to call for help if she were to fall or need assistance. Many systems today also provide voice-activation and fall-detection features and caregiver tracking apps that will let you keep tabs on her.
Cameras and smart sensors
If your mom needs more in-depth monitoring, there are indoor cameras you can install so you can see, hear and talk to her from your phone. Or if that’s too intrusive, you can install smart contact sensors on her doors so you can know when she comes and goes or on her refrigerator door so you can know if she’s eating.
Send your senior questions to Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit www.SavvySenior.org.