Smart homes have been gaining popularity. They have made many lives easier by helping homeowners manage their homes and households efficiently. Home automation systems can make independent living possible for seniors. If you have seniors in your family who do not want to live in an assisted home, setting up a smart home is your best option.
Call your trusted electrical service provider to assess your home on your desired smart devices. Your reputable and skilled electrician can help and give you recommendations on what smart devices you can have in your home.
Although living in assisted communities have its benefits, health concerns brought by the pandemic make people choose independent living. Here are some of the smart devices that any senior should have in their home.
1. Smart Locks and Security Systems
Your senior’s safety is a top priority. Installing smart locks is a sensible and great way to ensure the safety of the senior. A smart security system allows you to monitor anyone who enters your home. You can also set who are only allowed to enter the senior’s home. Smart locks in your home also let you lock your doors remotely. Security codes can be given to caregivers and immediate family members who may enter the senior’s home.
Smart locks and security systems are beneficial for seniors because they do not have to carry around keys which they may lose or forget someplace. Lost keys can jeopardize not just the safety of the property but that of the senior as well.
2. Smart Doorbells
Smart doorbells, equipped with speakers, microphones, and video cameras, allow the senior to check on who is at the door before he even opens them. If he is expecting food deliveries, he can leave instructions to the delivery personnel without personal interaction. This feature can significantly improve the safety of seniors against viral transmissions and contagious illnesses.
Hard-of-hearing seniors have the option to enable their phone’s vibrational alerts whenever someone is pressing the doorbell. They also have the choice to record everyone who comes at the door through his or her smartphone.
3. Automatic Medication Dispenser
Most seniors have poor memory, making them dependent on others for important reminders such as their medications. Say good-bye to forgotten and missed pills with an automatic medication dispenser. It helps ensure that the senior will never miss a single prescription and help them take it on schedule. The dispenser will send an alert to the elderly or the caregiver for any missed medication.
4. Smart Thermostat
Never leave an empty room too cold or too warm and waste precious energy. A smart thermostat allows your home’s HVAC system to adapt depending on the patterns and movements of the occupants of the house. You can pre-program the thermostat based on the comfort levels of the senior. Install a thermostat with easy to use touch screens. The senior can also access the thermostat remotely through his smartphone. He can set the house to cool down on a hot summer day while he is on the way home. This way, the home’s interior will already be comfortably cool and not scorching hot when he gets home.
5. Smart Switch
Making your way in the dark is dangerous, and the danger is even doubled for a senior. A smart light switch will allow the senior to turn on the lights before he or she even comes in at night. It also allows the elderly to turn on the light from his phone when he wakes up at night and needs to get up. He will not need to fumble in the dark for the light switch, making it safer and more convenient.
6. Health Monitoring Devices
Smart health monitoring devices are essential in ensuring the health and safety of a senior living independently. It can help prevent complications while allowing the elderly to maintain their independence. Family members will also feel reassured that they will be immediately alerted whenever something is wrong with a senior family. It allows the family and caregiver to remotely monitor the senior’s blood pressure, temperature, and heart rate, among others. The senior must put on wearable sensors, which then updates an application server of their status in real-time. These smart monitoring devices are beneficial, especially for seniors with chronic diseases.
7. Emergency Alert Device
Emergencies can happen anytime. A smart medical alert device allows the senior to ask for immediate help in case of emergencies. It can be in the form of a push-button device worn around the neck or the wrist. Once the button is depressed, it will send an alert to the family or the caregiver through an application. Some also come with a fall detection feature, initiating an alert in case the senior falls and becomes unconscious.
Your beloved seniors should not be denied the opportunity to live independently. Using the latest technological advancements in home safety, you can create a haven for your beloved elderly.
