Smart Home Technology For Elderly Care | Products and Usage

I was in total paralysis in hospital for three months. I could speak. I wish I had google mini by my bed. Brian, can you work with hospitals to get this integrated into there systems. I believe it is a a necessary occupational therapy device. I would love to talk to anyone who is interested in this.

I am a senior and have three google minis at home now. I love them.

Brian you did a great job!!! The kids talk me into getting Google it did not work for me. But they talked me into Amazon then the IT department here talked me into hooking in the switches including the call switches with Z-Wave because they're on just push buttons on the wall which I can't find cuz I can't see well. And they talk she who shall not be named to tell me when they're going to basically bring my medicine they taught her to turn a light strip on under the bed so they don't have to turn the light on when it come in and check on me in the night then I got the microwave so I can take care of myself. I joined the Kindle Library I have read or listen to so many books then they help me set up the music library. They fix the curtains the furnace. And I feel like I live in my own home. And a lot of it is because of you Paul Hibbert and Tech by Brett I hear it from you guys I show it to Information Technology here and then it happens. And since I've got Amazon it's kept me from laying on the floor. And I've had a very good life I think Google is capable but they didn't provide the feedback we needed. And man we thank you so much! You guys are angels

Thanks, it gives me more ideas.

Big fan of the SmartThings sensors.
Got them on the doors, and also in the halls and stairwells.
Also got a tracker on the canes. 👍

An important video Bri, smart home tech is far simpler than some people credit it as being, which suppresses the potential for how useful it could be in a wide variety of situations

Very helpful. Thanks

Hi Brian. Thanks for doing this. I like your ideas for the vibration sensors. I hope you can continue on this as a series

Frank

Being a legally blind person myself and now starting to use some these devices for safety and convienicence you have provided some great info Brian.

Not sure which side I am on here? I am confused! I know, I am old but the wife's older. I'll get a camera to watch her. Lol. You just categorised me as old and a perv. Oh the folly of youth. Lol

I use an Alexa reminder with my echo dots 3 to tell my mom to take some pills it's the best way, and I use an xlink (it fusion the landline and cellphone line and let me chose wich one I can use to make default calls etc) connected to an echo connect to make a receive calls using the echo dot 3 so she can take calls in the house without needing she walk to the phone

Thank you for keeping the elderly and our safety in mind.

If you have the time to share some tech advice for my scenario — it would be greatly appreciated.

I'm 70 and in poor health. Additionally, last year I was diagnosed with dementia, so my memory and certain cognitive skills are impaired.

I'm at the point where I forget to turn off stove burners, and I forget to turn off the sink faucets.

Last year, when my thinking skills were much better, I managed to install the following home tech:
- Echo dot
- Google Home
- Wyze Camera
- WiFi (Google Mesh)
- SmartThings Hub
- Ring Pro Doorbell
- Ring Security System
- Several TP-Link smartbulbs and TP-Link smartplugs controlling lamps and small appliances.

Considering the above tech, is there anything currently available for gas burners and water faucets that would make me aware they were left in an ON state?

Kind regards,
T.

have u noticed repeat after me not working on google home it says u said

Thank you.

Thing is you can go the DIY way or you can just get a security system installed. Honeywell/Ademco and 2GIG can do all of this stuff so you don't have to piece it together and learn a whole new trade to use/install it. Stuff like this for it to work right and done right should be left to the professionals. For a example here in the state of Florida the authorities such as Police, Fire and Medical would not be dispatched automatically unless it is registered with the City, County or State and the system monitored by a certified central station. So if you do one of these DIY setups and when a alert happens you better check it out ASAP as if you're the Central station for a security company. I had a guy that did his own system for his Mother and he's typically busy running a roofing company. He was in a meeting trying to get a new client and his mother fell and passed out. When he finally got to his phone it was two hours later. Luckily she lived and spent a week or two in the hospital. The Security company I work for sent me in to install in a Honeywell Vista 21ip panel, Tuxedo Touch keypad, contacted all doors and windows. We even added a few extra sensors to the bedroom door, bathroom medicine cabinet, CCTV, medical alert pendent, a couple of extra motion detectors so you know what area of the house she was in. I think we even added a Skybell. Two weeks after the install she had an episode of low potassium and hit the medical button, the central station alerted medical help and the TC2.0 app alerted the Son, not to mention he received a call as well from the central station. The Mother is in her 80s and she loves her safety net. She only has to worry about a Keyfob to Arm/Disarm and a medical alert pendent. The Son that is in his mid 50's just has to use one easy App.

Also keep in mind Security companies are not like the 70, 80 and 90s. Most Security Companies also do Home Automation these days.

Great video on a subject that's important to so many people. Thank you for this!

one question do you have any recomendation for a cctv system/ ip cam system with a door station / door bell ? there are a lot but i want a solution that let me record anything (with audio) and let us view everything maybe using a tablet in the house or sendme and alert to my phone etc, my mom its a 78 year old lady with hearth problems and when she hear a sound arround the house she freakout etc and somethines she is alone so something like that can help her make her feel more secure and stay calm...

Can you tell me what kinda button that was (to turn lights on/off )?

Hey Brian, can I get your thoughts on NFC tags for home automation, any good/ best NFC writter /uses?

My Amazon Alexa has to be connected to wifi to work at home.

safety first, lets put put our close ones in surveillance environment lol

I am sorry this video is confusing. I am into technology. And I care for elderly parents. I would not recommend any of these items besides the echo. You didn't set up any of these products, you gave vague reasons why to use these products and then you found very expensive products. I own many products and put in my mother home and they cost less then $30. Each has cloud space for free up to 14 day. This video was sponsored buy a lot of high brands. I'm so but I leave in another state then my mother and I could save people alot of money then this business.

A very sensitive and intelligent video on a subject that can be very tricky. Good work.

Brian. you can provide a tremendous I mean tremendous public service by doing this topic again to a different audience. Talk to the elderly. That is talk about each item like you are talking to your elderly parents or better yet grandparents.

Why would you want to have videos in their home. How you will set them up to protect their privacy and dignity.

Or why motion detectors may provide peace of mind for all with privacy. And remind them that their animals can be filtered out.

Why having Echo can replace or supplement those “I fell and can’t get up” monitoring that is so very expensive. How it can make phone calls.

Why temperature monitoring of the home is helpful.

Why a camera outside pointing to where your car is parked gives your children piece of mind knowing if you are home.

Why a smart door lock.

You see my point. The why. Your audience is the elderly. I think they need to realize how simple this would be for their children to do for them. Your audience is the children who need your help and authority to help convince their parents.

One commentator is concerned with costs. We know what things cost but a simple cost breakdown. I suspect motion detection is where one would maybe start. What does it cost to have some Echo dots with SmartThings and 3,4,5 motion detectors. How much to add a Wyze camera, and August smart lock.

You get the idea. Targeted to the elderly. Something they can watch. No jargon explain simplicity and privacy. Show them with examples of what can be done for them.

Brian I'm still out here! I'm aggravated because I can't get money to you through patreon. Cause you're in Canada! And I'm not going to use your services for free. I think you're the one of the best! And would love to watch but like I said I don't think it's fair to you without paying for it. All my best Mike take good care of your family give me a gill every once in awhile. Like I said there was never anything that you did it was just the patreon company would not work with us! Or more likely my bank wouldn't work with them because I'm in the middle of nowhere. The great care of your family and stay safe Mike

Hey my friend, is this stuff safe for elderly people? Like does it have any radiation? Can Zigbee, ZWave, IR, RF Harm them? If something is not available in California does that mean it poses a cancer risk because I heard California has strict rules and safety? Thanks

I fully agree with only setting the smart buttons to do one thing, BUT I do think it is a good idea to set all three push profiles (single, double, and held) to do the same thing. It would be rather annoying to them if they kept accidentally getting false readings of double pushes or holds, making it fail to activate the proper automation.

I was hoping you would show how seniors can handsfree answer (auto answer) video call and how it works on google nest hub vs amazon or facebook portal. I'll keep an eye out for the video. Please show both auto-answer and how seniors can make calls with only their voice.

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Have you actually used any of these? About a million false alarms.

Check my Guardian for automatic fall alert. They works fine for me.

Love your shirt!

Thank you for this

Any update on this? I have a few ideas

Your voice and your energy is so relaxing! I imagine you chastising your kids in that voice😁😁😁

Tech will be adequate when it can support Great Grandparents. 100 year olds. Needs a 1950s TV-like setup.

It will be smart when it makes a 95 year old smarter and makes them feel smart.

Does anyone have any idea how to rig up a communication line without using a cell phone. Like can I buy a "Ring" doorbell with two cams and have one at her house without her having wifi? What about buying her a mobile hotspot? I am open to ideas here. Baby cam? Thanks

Can you please do an update version on this topic? Any new devices thanks 🙏

Is there a any good and simple documentation on good way to to set up my elderly parents on an Alexa smart home? I would have to set it up and manage it since my parents get frustrated with it. I live 509 miles away so it'll need to be remote.

Question....Hi Brian, 1st... I wanted to take the time to say thanks for putting out so much content. It can be pretty difficult to find documentation on a lot of this stuff. Here is my question. I have aging parents. I wanted to automate a few things for them through the Alexa platform since the are already using it. They do get confused with technology so I want to keep it simple for them. If I automate lights, would it be easer to use switches or smart lights? My 1st though would be switches because once they are added to the home, they should always show up in the app. My fear is that, if a smart light burns out, they will have to know how to add and set up a smart light. Any thought for making their setup more permanent? Thanks for your time... I know you get a ton of messages

My Mom is in an assisted living place. She's very old and weak and forgets everything. I had this idea about setting up something like a pet or baby monitor to keep an eye on things when we can't be there. But even more so I want to be able to have a screen set up so that we can facetime her. She's unable to remember or execute even the simplest of anything new to her, like accepting a screen call. So I'm trying to figure out the cheapest way to have my face automatically pop up onto this screen or monitor? Like on one of my favorite childhood cartoons, The Jetsons! I don't know if we could set up a screen with camera and then just leave facetime on indefinitely? That might work with 1 person but then how would the others call and see her? Is there like an Autoaccept option, where any incoming call will go straight to screen time? If you could please shed some light on this dilemma, I would be most grateful!
Thank you for your time,
David

how much is all this

What would the best camera to monitor someone in a nursing home?

Love the Stevie Y pic!

I live in the Santa Cruz Mtns. Redwood forest, and my 81 yr old Mum lives five minutes away from my husband and I. We’ve just moved back into our house, which we’ve rebuilt after it burned in the 2020 lightening storm that was generated by wild fires. My Mum is also rebuilding their house, which also burned down. They never lived there, as they had moved into our town to be closer to us and to pay off their mortgage and get into a less costly home. They bought it and completely remodeled the whole home, three bathrooms, kitchen, flooring and all. It wasn’t a smart home in any way and it had some quirky design flaws, and two stories, which was difficult for my very ailing Dad. Then they moved all of their worldly possessions, photos, artwork and jewelry, out of storage containers and into the new home. Then, before they had time to unpack or make arrangements to move into it, it was burnt down. Cinders. But they decided to rebuild the home, unsure if they’d live in or sell it. Sadly, shortly after the rebuild got under way, my father passed away from an undetected cancer all through his body. He passed on March 19. So Mum is heartbroken and putting all her energy into rebuilding the home. She had made it a single story so it’s something she can easily manage as she ages if she decides to live there. She loves her independence and drives her mini or Dad’s Tacoma, up and down the windy mountain roads through all weather. I want to be able to keep an eye on her, with her acknowledgement of course, that triggers an alert to my phone if there is any fast or erratic movement or some kind of commotion inside the home. I’d also like to find a comfortable piece of jewelry that looks good too (she’s vain, as am I); something that alerts my phone if she has a dangerous pulse or heart rate, or if she falls, which has happened enough times for me to want to monitor it, as I will often be able to get to her quickly or can call someone who can. We live in a neighborly community where everyone is willing to look out for each other. But the problem is this: we have sooooo many unforeseen power outages in the winter (and a fair share in the summertime too), that we need back up power generators or batteries. As we are on a long wait list for batteries but eventually will both have the Tesla ones soon (ETA: March maybe, we’re not sure so this winter is a huge concern!) But looking to the future, what are my best possible and easy products to choose from?