Walk into any electronics store and you’ll find shelves of gadgets “for seniors”. Some make daily life easier. Others end up in a drawer, still in the box, with a monthly fee quietly running.
Older adults are already comfortable with a lot of technology. According to AARP’s 2026 Tech Trends research, 90% of adults 50 and over own a smartphone, and half use at least one smart-home device. But 3 in 5 also say technology isn’t designed with their age in mind.
This guide is for older adults choosing for themselves and for families choosing gifts or setting up a parent’s home. It’s organized by need. For each item you’ll see what it does, who it suits, rough costs where we could verify them, and one practical caution.
What are the best technologies for elderly people?
The best technologies for elderly people are the ones that solve a real, everyday problem, such as staying in touch, getting help after a fall, hearing clearly or avoiding scams, without adding stress.
There’s no single “best” gadget. A fall-detecting watch is wonderful for someone who’ll wear it, and useless in a drawer. So start with the problem, not the product. If you’re not sure where to begin, these five cover the most common needs.
Start with these 5
| Need | Start with |
|---|---|
| Staying in touch | A smartphone set to a simpler mode |
| Help after a fall | A medical alert or a smartwatch with fall detection |
| Hearing | Live captions on the phone, then hearing aids if needed |
| Scam protection | Call screening and bank alerts, turned on |
| Family connection | A digital photo frame the family can send photos to |
Staying in touch
A smartphone in a simple mode. On iPhone, Assistive Access replaces the usual screen with large buttons for just a few chosen apps. Samsung phones have Easy mode, with bigger icons and text. Suits: anyone who finds a standard phone cluttered. Watch out: simple modes hide some features, so decide together which apps to include. Our iPhone or Android comparison helps with the choice of phone.
A tablet. A bigger screen makes video calls, reading and photos easier on the eyes. An iPad or Android tablet can use the same simple modes. There are also tablets made for older adults, such as GrandPad in the US, which comes with its own monthly plan and lets a family member manage contacts. Watch out: check what the monthly plan costs before you buy.
A video-calling smart display. A device like Amazon’s Echo Show sits on a counter and makes video calls by voice (“Alexa, call Sarah”). Suits: someone who struggles to hold or tap a phone. Watch out: it has a camera and microphone in the home. Agree where it goes, and only allow “Drop In” (calls that connect without answering) if your parent says yes.
A digital photo frame. Family members send photos from their phones, and they appear on the frame. Aura says its frames need no subscription for unlimited photos. Skylight lets you send photos by email or app for free, with a paid plan for extras like videos. Nixplay’s free plan has limited storage. Suits: grandparents who love photos but not phones. Watch out: frames need home Wi-Fi, and subscription terms can change, so check before buying.
Safety and emergencies
Plain talk: medical alert system
A medical alert system is a button, worn as a pendant or wristband, that connects you to a monitoring center when you press it. A trained person answers, talks to you and sends help or calls family. In the UK and Australia it’s often called a personal alarm or telecare.
Medical alert system or smartwatch? Both can call for help after a fall, but they suit different people.
- Medical alert system: a trained person answers 24 hours a day, and the button is simple. In the US, monitoring typically costs $20 to $60 a month, and automatic fall detection usually adds about $10 a month, according to the National Council on Aging (NCOA). Original Medicare doesn’t cover it, though some Medicare Advantage plans may. Suits: people who live alone, forget to charge things or want a person to answer.
- Smartwatch with fall detection: Apple Watch, Samsung Galaxy Watch and Google Pixel Watch can detect a hard fall and call emergency services. Apple turns fall detection on automatically for people 55 and over if their age is set in the Health app. Samsung’s must be turned on by hand. Suits: people who already like gadgets. Watch out: it only helps if it’s worn and charged, and when it isn’t near its phone it usually needs a cellular model and plan to call for help. No device catches every fall.
Country notes for alarms:
- UK: personal alarms come from councils and private providers. The old landline network is being switched off by January 2027, so Citizens Advice says to tell your phone provider you have an alarm, ask your alarm provider if it works on a digital line and ask for it to be tested. The switch is free, so anyone asking for payment is a scammer.
- Canada: medical alert services such as Lifeline are mostly private subscriptions. Ask your provincial home care program whether any help is available.
- Australia: a personal alarm may be funded through the government’s Support at Home program, including its assistive technology scheme. In Victoria, Personal Alert Victoria provides monitored alarms to eligible people.
A video doorbell. See and speak to whoever’s at the door from your phone, without opening it. Watch out: saving video usually needs a monthly plan.
Smart smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. These send an alert to your phone, or a family member’s, when they go off. Google has stopped making its Nest Protect; First Alert now sells a smart alarm that works with Google Home. Watch out: test it monthly like any alarm.
A stove shut-off device. Products like iGuard sense when nobody is in the kitchen and switch off the stove’s burners. Suits: people who sometimes forget a pan. Watch out: check it fits your stove type (electric or gas).
Motion-sensor lights. Plug-in night lights or smart bulbs that come on when you get up light the path to the bathroom. Watch out: keep ordinary switches working for visitors and power cuts.
Health and medication
Medication reminders on the phone. The iPhone Health app has a Medications section with reminders, and any smart speaker can say, “Time for your evening pills.” Watch out: a reminder doesn’t confirm the pill was taken.
An automatic pill dispenser. Hero’s countertop dispenser holds up to 10 medications, releases the right dose at the right time and can share updates with a family member. Plans cost about $29.99 to $59.99 a month in the US, depending on commitment. Suits: people on several medicines. Watch out: someone has to load it correctly. Ask the pharmacist whether pre-sorted blister packs would do the job more simply.
A connected blood pressure monitor. Monitors from brands like Omron send readings to a phone app, so you can share them with your doctor or family. Watch out: ask your doctor which monitor and cuff size to use.
Telehealth. Many doctors now offer video appointments. Watch out: do a test call the day before to check the camera and sound.
Hearing and vision
Over-the-counter hearing aids (US). Since October 2022, adults 18 and over with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss can buy hearing aids in stores or online without an exam or prescription, according to the FDA. Watch out: see a doctor first if hearing changed suddenly, one ear is much worse, or you have ear pain or dizziness.
Elsewhere, the rules differ:
- UK: NHS hearing aids are free on long-term loan, usually after a GP referral.
- Canada: some provinces help with the cost, such as Ontario’s Assistive Devices Program.
- Australia: the government’s Hearing Services Program offers fully subsidized hearing aids to Pensioner Concession Card holders and some veterans.
AirPods Pro as hearing aids. AirPods Pro 2 and 3 have a Hearing Aid feature for mild to moderate hearing loss, available in the US, UK and Australia. Apple doesn’t offer it in Canada yet. Suits: people with mild loss who already use an iPhone.
Captioned phone calls. In the US, internet captioned telephone service shows words on a screen as the other person talks. The FCC says the service is free to users, because it’s paid for by a federal fund. You sign up with a provider such as CapTel, CaptionCall or ClearCaptions. The UK has the free Relay UK app, Australia has the free NRS Captions service, and Canada has text relay services (IP Relay, or TTY relay by dialing 711).
Safety tip
Captioned phone service in the US is meant for people whose hearing loss makes calls hard. Be cautious of anyone who signs up a parent at a health fair or by phone without a real need, and never give Medicare or Social Security numbers to an unexpected caller offering a “free phone”.
Magnifier and text settings. iPhones have a built-in Magnifier app, and most Android phones have a magnifier too. It turns the camera into a magnifying glass. Our guide to making text bigger on iPhone covers the key settings.
An e-reader. A Kindle or similar e-reader lets you pick any text size, and many let you borrow ebooks from your public library. Watch out: choose one with physical page buttons if tapping is hard.
Home and independence
A smart speaker. Ask for the weather, set reminders, play the radio, make calls or turn on lights, all by voice. Our guide Is there an AI for seniors? compares Alexa+, Siri and Gemini. Watch out: review the privacy settings together.
Smart plugs. Plug a lamp into one and switch it on by voice or on a schedule, so nobody comes home to a dark house. Watch out: don’t use them with space heaters unless the plug is rated for that load.
A robot vacuum. Less bending and pushing. Watch out: it can become a trip hazard, so give it a set cleaning time and a spot out of the walkway.
Getting around
Location sharing, with consent. Find My (iPhone) and Google Maps can share someone’s location with family. Suits: people who drive or walk alone and want a safety net. Watch out: only turn it on if your parent agrees, and show them how to turn it off.
Ride help. In the US, Uber’s Senior Accounts let a family member set up a simpler app with larger text, book rides for a parent and follow the trip. GoGoGrandparent lets people book Uber and Lyft rides by calling a phone number, no smartphone needed. Watch out: GoGoGrandparent charges a membership plus a fee on each ride, so compare with local community transport.
Money and scam protection
Turn on bank alerts for every payment or withdrawal, so unusual activity shows up fast. Turn on call screening: on iPhone, Ask Reason for Calling makes unknown callers explain themselves before the phone rings. And agree as a family that no real bank ever asks you to move money to a “safe account”.
How to choose and set it up together
Technology works best when the person using it chose it. Before you buy:
- Ask, don’t impose. Start with a problem your parent mentions (“I keep missing calls”), not a gadget you’ve read about.
- Check the ongoing cost. Many devices need a subscription. Add them up.
- Agree on privacy. Anything with a camera, a microphone or location tracking needs a clear yes, and an easy way to switch it off.
- Set it up together. Do it side by side, write the steps down and practice twice. Our one-afternoon phone setup checklist walks you through it.
- Plan for help later. Decide who they’ll call when something stops working. You can help with an iPhone remotely using FaceTime screen sharing.
Say this
“I saw this and thought it might make things easier. Would you like to try it for a month? If you don’t like it, we’ll send it back.”
Try this
Introduce one new device at a time, and wait until it feels normal before adding the next. Three gadgets arriving in one week is how things end up in a drawer.
Where to go from here
Pick one need from the list above and solve it well before moving on. For most families, that means setting up the phone properly first.
If your parent uses an iPhone, our book Your iPhone, Plainly Explained is coming soon, with large-print, step-by-step help. Our Scam-Stopper Kit (free when you join our email letter) also includes a trusted-numbers sheet to keep by the phone.
