Smart home devices are not just for the young and tech-savvy anymore. With their accessibility features, these devices can also be ideal for senior citizens. In fact, a recent survey shows that 65% of seniors are ready to embrace the “smart home life.” If you want to give a beloved senior in your life the ability to age in place, here are the best smart home devices for the elderly.
The Best Smart Home Devices for the Elderly
Alexa For Seniors
A smart speaker is one of the most useful devices for seniors. With an Amazon Echo, Alexa can help keep tabs on doctor’s appointments, call for help, and control other smart gadgets and devices in the house.
Apart from the obvious convenience that an Alexa would offer your grandparents or aging parents, it’s also a wonderful antidote to isolation. Smart speakers offer an easy way to keep in touch with loved ones. If you know how to enable Alexa’s Drop In feature, you can call or leave messages with other Alexa users with simple voice commands.
If your grandparents already have an Alexa device, you can give them a subscription that they can use in conjunction with their smart speaker. There are lots of aging in place skills that Alexa offers, such as medication reminders, audiobooks, and more.
If you want to find the best Alexa skills to have in case of an emergency, check out our previous article here.
Smart Sensors to Detect a Fall
Smart sensors can detect when a person enters a room and switch on the lights accordingly. Some smart sensors can learn a person’s routines and then send out alerts when these routines are broken. But smart sensors don’t only help turn on the lights, they can also help your loved one age in place.
The Walabot Home, for example, constantly scans for movement and alerts your emergency contacts when it detects a fall. Since falling is the leading cause of hospitalization among seniors, this smart home device could help save your loved one’s life.
Smart Plugs That Turn Off the Stove
Smart plugs are easy to set up and operate, even for the tech-challenged. These devices are wonderful for giving seniors better control over their other appliances, such as turning off stoves when needed.
In fact, there are smart plugs that will automatically turn off a stove after a set amount of time, so you can have peace of mind. The Wallflower Smart Plug, for example, connects to any plug-in stove and sends you notifications when the stove has been left on longer than usual.
If you want to check out all the best smart plugs on the market today, check out our previous article by clicking the link.
Smart Bulbs
Smart bulbs are perfect for seniors since they can be turned on or off with voice commands. Once they experience the convenience of voice-activated and dimmer-capable smart bulbs, they’re going to want to have them installed everywhere.
If you want to know more about smart lights, check out our list of the best smart bulbs here.
Digital Picture Frames
A digital photo frame is a great, affordable gift idea for any loved one. Depending on which model you choose, you can either put your pictures onto an internal SD card or upload them remotely.
Nixplay Smart Photo Frames, for example, allow you to send images and videos directly from your phone or by email. Some digital picture frames also display the weather and work as video players as well.
When choosing a smart home device for your aging parents or grandparents, it’s best to keep simplicity and accessibility in mind. But remember, even if you get them a smart home device that’s easy to set up, you should take the time to show them how the device works. After all, spending quality time together is the best gift of all.
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