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You understand the routine: You visit your parents for the holidays and will be put to work as their personal IT consultant, fixing anything that has gone awry since you were last there. So it may seem counter intuitive to suggest layering more tech on top of what your parents already have, but hear me out: Smart technology can act as assistive devices to help make a senior's life easier while also ensuring you have easier access to assist them when needed. Here are some considerations of ways you might add a little smart tech to an elderly parent's life.
Add a voice assistant
Voice assistants like Siri, Google, or Alexa aren’t only a way to make life easier by providing information you’d otherwise have to look up; they can also act as accessibility devices, and even more importantly, safety devices. Consider that if you have smart lights throughout the house, you can ask your assistant to turn them on when you get up in the middle of the night, so you’re less likely to trip. In many cases, you can also use that smart assistant to request help. Siri can call 911, and Alexa and Google can get 911 service help if you pay for a subscription.
Still, it’s also nice to remove some labor- all these assistants can report movie times, help find out store hours, and even assist in placing a grocery order. As seniors get comfortable with the assistants in their home, the way they likely have on their phone, you can begin layering in other automations and devices.
Consider some robots
Some of the major physical labor of maintaining a home and yard can be accomplished by robots, and as people age, it’s important to acknowledge that relieving some of this labor can help people stay in their home longer. Robot vacuums and mops won’t completely relieve you of all floor cleaning, but they can go a long way to help on a daily basis. The same is true for robot lawnmowers. Once these machines are set up, they can largely operate on their own, and you’ll want to ensure you are alerted if either of these machines don’t get back to their docks. You don’t want a lawnmower to be stolen or a vacuum to be tripped over.
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