These Smart Home Products Can Help Seniors Live Independently
Above all, smart home technology is about accessibility: the ability to control your home using your phone or voice means more people can live independently. The average age of Americans has risen to its highest level in history , and our aging population will grow rapidly over the next 25 years. Smart home technology can help seniors stay in their homes longer.
Three challenges to using smart home technology for aging at home
There are two hurdles that smart technologies will have to overcome to truly be part of the solution. The first is power. Smart systems don’t work without power (and to a lesser extent, without the Internet, since they can use Bluetooth and local networks, although not all). If you’ve built an entire home powered by smart technology and then lose power, you’re leaving dependents in perhaps a worse place for the duration of the outage than they would have been without help. Power backup solutions can be part of the solution, and companies like Jackery, EcoFlow , and Solix are creating powerful whole-home power backup systems and subpanels that can become an important part of a smart home.
The second obstacle is the imperfection and fallibility of each individual smart home product. When I ask my floor robot to vacuum, it usually gets the job done without any problems. But it will eventually have problems, so now I have a tripping hazard in my home, and with a bulky weight of over 10 pounds, it can be difficult for people with limited mobility to pick up. This problem occurs with almost every product I can think of, and when the product itself is a concentrator, the problem is multiplied. I rely on Alexa and Google every day, but at least 15% of my requests end in a dead end – the product doesn’t respond, or the assistant claims it can’t perform an action, or simply can’t hear me. No matter how far smart home technology has advanced, we are still in the early stages.
The last problem is a perennial one: cost. Whether you’re upgrading a home or factoring smart technology into the cost of new construction , it means an added financial burden on the family, making smart technology a perk in an increasingly financially divided economy.
However, if you can afford it, even in parts, smart technology can extend the amount of time someone can stay in their own home.
Take advantage of all the benefits of a voice assistant
Three major ecosystems—Homekit, Alexa, and Google—have voice assistants, including Samsung’s. If you choose one and use this voice assistant and ecosystem, you will be able to control everything in your home, from lighting to security, air conditioning and heating , robot vacuum cleaners, washers and dryers , just by asking your assistant for help. This can be extended to mowing the lawn , opening curtains , opening and closing doors , windows, garage doors , and even remotely starting your car. Heck, a self-driving car is an extension of your smart home. If I were trying to help an aging parent live independently, these are the products I would consider.
First, select an ecosystem from the four listed above (Google, Apple, Amazon and Samsung). Make sure you have a good signal throughout your home, extending your signal through your Wi-Fi network if necessary. Next, install voice assistant speakers throughout your home; since many of them are inexpensive, this is perhaps the cheapest part of the list. You want a voice assistant that’s always within earshot of your loved one (or barely tolerable person), perfectly mounted on the ceiling or wall. Keep in mind that the Google Assistant won’t call 911 (though you can set up a personal security check that will notify trusted contacts) or do so through related Nest products. Siri will try to use the corresponding iPhone, but Alexa will only do this through the additional service .
Start with basic home systems such as utilities.
You need to choose whether to add “smartness” to the start or end point. In other words, you can make light switches or light bulbs themselves smart. You can make your humidifier smart by adding a smart socket or plug , or simply buy a smart humidifier . Keep in mind that there are now several air conditioning and heating products with smart features, and even products that can make your air conditioner and heater smart. Beyond the bare essentials, it makes sense to add a smart home security system with window and door sensors and a smart door lock. A door unlocked by voice or keypad requires less physical effort than manipulating a key, and you won’t be able to lose or forget it. A video intercom allows you to communicate with people at your door without having to physically answer them and provides a layer of security.
Based on this, you need to determine the daily routine that is important for an aging person and what foods will help him maintain sustainable development. This could be a smart coffee maker or a smart bird feeder ; smart oven or microwave; or even a smart indoor garden.
Use cameras, sensors and automation for remote assistance and monitoring.
An aspect I hadn’t considered before was how these products could help people help their aging family—for example, by using internal cameras to communicate with and monitor relatives. Most of the indoor cameras we reviewed support two-way communication; Pan-tilt models allow you to remotely get a full view of any room (assuming you’ve resolved privacy issues between you and your in-laws). I also suggest adding occupancy sensors , which can be configured to detect if someone has fallen. Use sensors to gain insight into your environment and also use them as automation triggers.
Remember that automation means you can request notifications about situations remotely, rather than using them to simply set up actions at home. You can monitor what’s happening remotely with these notifications. A phone is essentially a personal tag that can be used for location tracking and identification in automation systems. Use automation to notify you if your loved one is not home by 11:00 pm, or in the kitchen by 10:00 am, etc.
Maintaining health and medical needs at the proper level
The recent boom in smart health products means you can also use technology to help people care for and monitor themselves remotely. There are smart automated pill dispensers , and Withings has developed an entire ecosystem of connected health products, from sleep monitors to scales. Add a smartwatch and you’ve got an alert system for your family member’s health and safety.