List of Useful Gadgets for Seniors
These are my choice of technological gadgets that are not only cool for millenials but can be incredibly useful for the elderly. I will not talk about the smart phone on this article because it's a "must-have" item if you or your parents can afford a reliable one.
1. Google Home Mini - Parents would be able to request songs linked with a Spotify account. It's a relaxation strategy. There's virtually unlimited # of songs they can listen - from popular Beatles songs to all time hits. I'd consider Google Home Mini a treat to stimulate their senses.
Google Home Mini also could talk about news and weather with the right voice commands. It's also getting so much better in understanding user needs. Now I know there are privacy concerns too... that's why until we know more, songs, weather and daily news may be a good start to listen to daily.
2. Tile (Check it here)
Two months ago, I spent about 4 hours frantically looking for a room key for a kind lady. She is over 70. She said she hid the key somewhere so that nobody will find it (trying to deter thieves). We looked everywhere - under cupboards, in many closets, cabinets, drawers and even scavenged through the communal bins downstairs just in case she has mistakenly threw it along with the vegetables she was cutting earlier. There were so many complications for not having the key. Firstly, it is costly to replace ... $150 ++ because it's a traditional key and the entire lot may need to be replaced. Plus there's an over time fee because it's after hours. If we wait the next day, she would have to sleep outside her home. Costs piled up. She then remembers she paid for a key deposit. She got it from the locksmith's office and tried it but it didn't work. So then we were back to the trash can scavenger idea... I could really already sense the distress and exhaustion in her eyes... So for what it was worth, I took the key she got from the locksmith and tried it once more whilst she was still looking outside. By now you'd have been exhausted reading through this ordeal too so be pleased to know it took a gentle tweak and the key worked. But what could have saved us from all the hassle? Tile. Well you're probably thinking that you'd need this too even if you're not yet over 40.
3. Power bank - this is useful especially when traveling. Just make sure that your elderly parents keep it in a cool place and in their hand-carry luggage only. It's important to have a back up device just in case their smart phones run out of battery.
4. Now this 4th gadget may be controversial. Then again, this article is about "helpful" gadgets and the reason to have the Apple Watch is for emergencies. In cases of accidental falls, when the elderly can't get up to get his smart phone, he could at least try his watch and call emergency services or a relative. The key here is that the adult child should be able to setup the smart phone to "work for" his elderly parent.
1. Google Home Mini - Parents would be able to request songs linked with a Spotify account. It's a relaxation strategy. There's virtually unlimited # of songs they can listen - from popular Beatles songs to all time hits. I'd consider Google Home Mini a treat to stimulate their senses.
Google Home Mini also could talk about news and weather with the right voice commands. It's also getting so much better in understanding user needs. Now I know there are privacy concerns too... that's why until we know more, songs, weather and daily news may be a good start to listen to daily.
Two months ago, I spent about 4 hours frantically looking for a room key for a kind lady. She is over 70. She said she hid the key somewhere so that nobody will find it (trying to deter thieves). We looked everywhere - under cupboards, in many closets, cabinets, drawers and even scavenged through the communal bins downstairs just in case she has mistakenly threw it along with the vegetables she was cutting earlier. There were so many complications for not having the key. Firstly, it is costly to replace ... $150 ++ because it's a traditional key and the entire lot may need to be replaced. Plus there's an over time fee because it's after hours. If we wait the next day, she would have to sleep outside her home. Costs piled up. She then remembers she paid for a key deposit. She got it from the locksmith's office and tried it but it didn't work. So then we were back to the trash can scavenger idea... I could really already sense the distress and exhaustion in her eyes... So for what it was worth, I took the key she got from the locksmith and tried it once more whilst she was still looking outside. By now you'd have been exhausted reading through this ordeal too so be pleased to know it took a gentle tweak and the key worked. But what could have saved us from all the hassle? Tile. Well you're probably thinking that you'd need this too even if you're not yet over 40.
3. Power bank - this is useful especially when traveling. Just make sure that your elderly parents keep it in a cool place and in their hand-carry luggage only. It's important to have a back up device just in case their smart phones run out of battery.
4. Now this 4th gadget may be controversial. Then again, this article is about "helpful" gadgets and the reason to have the Apple Watch is for emergencies. In cases of accidental falls, when the elderly can't get up to get his smart phone, he could at least try his watch and call emergency services or a relative. The key here is that the adult child should be able to setup the smart phone to "work for" his elderly parent.
