Christmas Shopping: Best Gadgets for Seniors Who Live Alone

Medical Alert System

If you know an older adult who is living alone without a medical alert system, this should be your first choice for a gift. What could be a better way to give a loved one and yourself peace of mind? These devices are recommended especially for anyone who has already had a fall, heart attack, stroke, or chronic medical condition. A medical alert system protects them in or outside their home with automatic fall detection or GPS tracking.

Reacher-Grabber

Older adults living alone should not be climbing on to a stepping stool! A grabber tool is one of the best gadgets for seniors who live alone. These will allow them to safely retrieve items from higher shelves, pick up things on the floor, or reach behind the sofa. Grabber tools can help those with limited mobility in everyday activities, including cleaning the house and cooking meals. Although a grabber is a relatively inexpensive gadget, it offers high value when it allows a loved one to grab a cooking ingredient or the remote control when they are just out of reach.

Mobile Phone Designed for Seniors

Having a cell phone allows older adults to stay in touch with family and friends, order a cab, or call for help no matter where they might be. Unfortunately, most smartphones are not designed with seniors in mind since many prefer simplicity or suffer from weak vision or poor hearing.

The good news is that now there are unique cell phones made for seniors. They have larger buttons, voice typing, and are much easier to handle. They are available as flip phones or with features similar to a smartphone. And most come with a long-lasting battery and useful apps geared toward older adults.

These can really increase safety, too, which is what makes them one of the best gadgets for seniors who live alone.

We’ve got more technology ideas for seniors who live alone!

Jar and Can Opener

When seniors live alone, they must be able to undertake day-to-day tasks without help. While opening a jar can be a challenge for anyone, it can be almost impossible for seniors who have less strength or may have arthritis. Fortunately, there are several types and brands of jar openers that are easy to use and quite affordable.

Another gadget for the kitchen is a can opener. For the same reasons seniors have issues opening jars, they run into problems with many can openers. Traditional openers may require users to squeeze a handle tightly, twist a knob manually, or deal with dull blades. Here is a list of easy-to-use can openers that are ideal for those with weak or arthritic hands.

Doorbell Camera

Another one of the most perfect gadgets for seniors who live alone is a doorbell camera that allows them to see, hear, and speak with someone at their door. Most models notify family members through a mobile phone whenever someone is at their parent’s door.

Doorbell cameras can also track the arrival and departure of professional caregivers. Some can even distinguish among people, animals, cars, and packages and include a siren to scare off intruders.

Large-Print Clock

Sometimes when older people are living alone, they lose track of what day it is. Giving them a large-print clock, one of the best gadgets for seniors who live alone. Find one that displays the day, date, and time in an easy-to-read font. Many of these clocks have an alarm that you can set to remind them to take prescription medications. Some large-print alarm clocks can also be used to set reminders for your loved one to take prescription medications.