From smart-home devices to remote monitoring, assistive technology can help older adults maintain their independence while giving families greater peace of mind. Here’s how one CAPS specialist used technology to support aging parents— and what he learned along the way.
Key Takeaways
- Assistive technology can help older adults remain independent at home. Remote monitoring helped Tom stay in his Vermont home for more than two years while his family supported him from Oregon.
- Technology should fit the person. Passive sensors worked well for Tom as his dementia progressed, while voice-controlled devices fit naturally into his tech-savvy mother’s routine.
- Small details can make a big difference. Sleep reports and refrigerator sensors helped Tom’s family and care team better understand his daily needs.
- Privacy and ease of use matter. Thoughtful camera placement and a passcode lock helped make Tom’s monitoring system more manageable.
How can assistive technology help our loved ones stay independent at home while navigating the challenges of aging or dementia?
In the fall of 2021, my wife, Michele, faced a dilemma. Her father, Tom, was in the early stages of dementia. She wanted him to move from Vermont to Oregon to be closer to family, but he was hesitant to leave his longtime home.
After a lot of research and heartfelt discussion, they reached a compromise: he agreed to the “Safe, Healthy, and Happy” strategy, provided we used technology to help monitor his safety remotely.
Assistive technology devices became a big part of helping Tom remain independent at home for more than two years.
How We Used Technology to Help a Parent Age in Place
Because we were across the country, we wanted a way to understand how Tom was doing day to day.
Through Alarm.com, Michele created a senior wellness monitoring system tailored specifically to Tom’s needs. It included:
- Indoor and outdoor security: Indoor cameras and one outdoor doorbell camera
- Safety alerts: Two safety alert buttons connected directly to our cell phones
- Door and activity monitoring: Three door sensors, along with activity monitors on his bed, favorite chair, refrigerator, and bathroom door
- Centralized control: A main control panel paired with a mobile phone app that allowed us to monitor the system remotely
By February 2022, the core system was fully operational.
Michele also added some simpler technology to make everyday life easier for Tom, including a landline with one-touch photo dialing, a large-display digital clock showing the time, date, and day, an iPad, and a Google Nest.
She even set up an HP printer with its own email address so we could remotely send Tom his daily routine, trivia questions, and other information.
Together, these tools helped us support him from thousands of miles away while letting him keep living in the home he loved.
Balancing Senior Monitoring Technology With Privacy and Independence
One challenge with any type of remote monitoring is finding the right balance between safety, privacy, and independence.
Tom was initially annoyed during the installation process because technicians were coming in and out of his house. Once everything was installed and became part of his normal environment, however, he essentially forgot about it.
We also didn’t want cameras everywhere.
We kept camera placement to a minimum, with cameras in the kitchen overlooking the adjacent dining and living areas, the second-story hallway, and his office.
Most of the information we used to understand Tom’s daily routine came from less-intrusive door, motion, and pressure sensors placed throughout the house.
That gave us valuable information about his well-being without requiring cameras in every room.
For families exploring similar options, Lake Oswego-based Hello Everyday offers home sensor technology designed to help families enhance their loved one’s safety.
How Remote Monitoring Helped Us Support Tom From Across the Country
The biggest benefit wasn’t simply knowing whether Tom was home. Over time, the technology helped us understand his normal patterns — and recognize when something was different.
For example, the app generated nightly activity reports that gave us insight into his sleep.
If he’d had a solid night of rest, we could give his care team a heads-up that he’d probably be in great spirits when they arrived. If he’d slept poorly, we could let them know he might be irritable and need a little more space.
We could also get a sense of whether he was eating.
If the refrigerator hadn’t been opened by mid-afternoon, we’d call and remind him to have a nutritional shake.
Those small details gave us a much clearer picture of how Tom was doing day to day, even though we weren’t there in person.
What We Learned About Assistive Technology and Dementia
Assistive technology isn’t foolproof, especially when someone is experiencing cognitive changes.
We learned that lesson early when Tom accidentally set off the alarm, which led to a visit from the local fire department.
Fortunately, one of his caregivers worked for the alarm company. She helped us set up a passcode lock on the central system panel so Tom couldn’t accidentally trigger it again.
It was a simple fix, but it also showed us how important it was for the technology to work with Tom’s abilities rather than rely on him remembering how to use it. That became increasingly important as his dementia progressed.
Tom had never been particularly tech-savvy. In fact, he started using an iPad in 2011 only because his four-year-old granddaughter could navigate it with ease.
Over time, the iPad became a growing source of frustration. He would forget how to turn it on or forget to charge it entirely.
Technology that required him to use it became more challenging. Meanwhile, sensors and other monitoring technology could continue working quietly in the background without requiring Tom to do anything.
When Aging-in-Place Technology Isn’t Enough
For more than two years, technology helped Tom continue living independently in Vermont while giving our family greater peace of mind in Oregon.
Ultimately, though, it wasn’t the technology that stopped working.
The severe Vermont winters became too difficult for us to manage from a distance.
Power outages and winter storms occasionally kept Tom’s care team from reaching him for days at a time. No amount of remote monitoring could change the weather, restore the power, or get a caregiver safely to his home.
After enduring two winters following his diagnosis, Michele and I started planning his move to Oregon. We moved him in April 2024, after his third winter.
Technology had helped give Tom more time in the home where he wanted to be. But eventually, circumstances beyond what technology could solve changed what he needed.
How Smart Home Technology Can Support Aging in Place
Our family’s experience with aging-in-place technology isn’t limited to Tom.
My mom uses a Google Nest, Wi-Fi smart plugs, and an iRobot Roomba she’s affectionately named “Rosie.”
The smart plugs connect to table lamps and a nightstand light, letting her turn the lights on and off with her voice. Her Google Nest is linked to her phone, so she can make hands-free calls, ask questions, and listen to music.
And when quilting threads start accumulating on the floor, she can tell Rosie to get to work.
My mom was already pretty comfortable with technology. In fact, she was my junior high computer and technology teacher back in the mid-1980s!
Before we introduced smart-home devices, she was already proficient with her smartphone, tablet, and desktop computer.
I handled the initial setup of the Google Nest and smart outlets. While visiting, I walked her through the system and showed her how to use the voice commands until they became second nature. A local family provides ongoing tech support, and we’re grateful for their help keeping everything running smoothly.
Not everyone has a tech-savvy family member or friend nearby. If you’re in the Portland area and need help getting started, Tech Girls PDX and Kristi Waits Tech offer technology support for older adults and their families.
What We Learned About Choosing Technology for Aging Parents
Our experiences with Tom and my mom have shown us how differently technology can support people as they age at home.
For Tom, technology that worked unobtrusively in the background became especially useful because it didn’t require him to actively operate it. For my mom, voice-controlled devices and other smart-home technology fit naturally into a life where she was already comfortable with technology.
Their experiences also raise some useful questions to consider when choosing technology for an aging parent:
The place to start isn’t with the latest gadget. It’s with the person.
- What would make everyday life easier?
- What would help them remain independent?
- What safety concerns are you trying to address?
- How comfortable are they with technology?
- How much does a particular device require them to remember, learn, or operate on their own?
And needs can change.
A solution that works well today may need to be adapted later as someone’s health, cognitive abilities, living situation, or support system changes.
Assistive technology can take many forms. For our family, these tools have helped the people we love maintain more independence at home — while giving us greater peace of mind.
Need Help Making a Home Safer for Aging in Place?
Technology is just one part of creating a home that supports changing needs.
Changing Places helps families throughout the Portland metro area and Southwest Washington see the bigger picture — from home safety and accessibility to downsizing help.
Our aging-in-place home assessment can help identify potential concerns and practical changes that may make it easier to remain safely and comfortably at home.