Technology for Your Aging Parents
There is So Much Technology Available: Use It!
By A;exander Nury, Co-Author of Survival Guide to Caring for Aging Parents
As the caretaker for my mother and co-caretaker for my in-laws, along with my wife, I faced two very different living situations as they aged. My mother moved to an assisted living home, and my in-laws chose to remain in their home. As my family members got older, there was a need to modify and monitor their living situations.
First and foremost, we had to figure out the best way to monitor them as their health and mobility diminished. With my mom’s approval, I installed a camera in her room to monitor visitors and activities. I also provided her with an iPhone and an iPad, which became invaluable tools for communication, connection, monitoring, and entertainment. In addition, I set up a banking application on her phone to access her funds.
For my in-laws, installing Internet-connected devices such as cameras throughout the home and along the house perimeter helped them feel safe and secure. A remotely monitored security system was also installed.
We used FaceTime for video calls and voice-activated Alexa Echo devices in both locations for assistance and reminders. I also set up remote timers so the lighting would turn on and off automatically in every room.
We used Telehealth for remote visits and Electronic Medical Record systems for communications with their providers.
We also ensured that they had wearable fall and alert devices on their person, using bracelets or necklaces.
However, with the advent of newer technologies, including robotics and AI, a whole new world of possibilities and an array of tools and products are emerging. Amongst them are:
Automated appointment reminders that can also schedule or cancel your doctor visits using AI
Web-based medication pill boxes
Robotic pets providing companionship for aging parents
Robotic helpers to perform simple errands
A desktop tabletop companion that looks like a silver desk lamp with a screen to remind an adult when to take his/her medications and drink more water
Web-based thermostats to maintain a uniform temperature
Remote heart and blood pressure monitoring devices that send reports directly to their providers.
As positive as this all sounds, there have been real scares and frustrations along the way. The worst was the afternoon my mom called me, flustered, to say her bank had phoned about suspicious activity on her account and needed her to confirm some information. Something felt wrong to me immediately. I told her to hang up and call the bank’s number on the back of her card. It was a scam. She had been moments away from giving a stranger her account number and Social Security information. That incident hit me hard. She wasn’t being careless — she was being deceived by people who are specifically skilled at targeting elderly adults. The banking app would have made it all too easy to transfer her life savings. So being aware of security and privacy risks and protections is paramount. After that scenario, we sat down together and went through every kind of scam I could think of.
I also hate to admit how many times a routine software update has unraveled everything she’d learned to navigate, leaving her confused and frustrated, and me re-teaching app locations over the phone at 9 PM at night.
If you’re a son or daughter in a similar position — trying to balance your own life while making sure your parent is safe and connected — my honest advice is to start small and involve them at every step along the way. The technology only works if they trust it and use it. Mom didn’t warm up to any of this easily, just because I insisted or because it made logical sense on paper. She came around because I took the time to sit with her, learn alongside her, and kept it simple. She appreciated the fact that it would support her independence. This distinction matters enormously to her. And truthfully, watching her— confident, connected, and still stubbornly herself — makes every frustrating phone call about a software update completely worth it.