Holiday Hardware Ideas for Seniors

Here is part 2 of my holiday technology gift suggestions for the seniors on your list. As I said in my first post, you want to make sure you match the technology with the ability of the person to understand and use it. Here are some ideas for hardware along with information knowledge level required to setup and use them.

Hardware, once the initial setup is complete, can work seamlessly for seniors with lower technical knowledge As I've said previously, ff you do plan to give software as a gift, consider giving a card with the gift and then assisting with the installation yourself to ensure it's working correctly. Alternately, Tech Therapy is happy to assist.

• Smart Speakers. Ease of use: very easy. Setup: Yes, installation/setup required

Smart speakers, like the Echo Dot or Goggle Nest Mini, have the ability to do a great variety of things for seniors to make their lives easier and more enjoyable. The devices are voice activated and allow you to speak a variety of commands in plain english to accomplish tasks. I recently installed echo dots for a client and they were thrilled to learn how easy it was to play their favorite music just by asking! Two other great features of these devices are the ability for them to be used as intercoms between rooms (to eliminate yelling to each from one room to the other) and to use as a phone device for calling loved ones or have them call you. The devices also allow you to add "skills" to do everything from controlling other smart home devices like lights, to creating shopping lists, to playing games. These devices require an Amazon or Google account and setup from a smartphone app, so be aware of this before you buy.

• Smart Displays. Ease of use: very easy. Setup: Yes, installation/setup required

If you want to take the idea above to the next level, consider a device like an Echo Show or a Google Nest Hub. These devices do all the things a smart speaker does but add a video component. These devices allow you to make video calls, display photos and will even display the lyrics to songs being played. Like smart speakers, these devices require an Amazon or Google account and setup from an smartphone app, so be aware of this before you buy.

• Item Trackers. Ease of use: very easy. Setup: Yes, installation/setup required

We all misplace things no matter how old we are, whether it be TV remotes or car keys. There are several companies which have created devices to help solve that problem by allowing you to attach a tracker to items you misplace frequently. Tile and Apple Air Tags are two examples of these devices. You attach a tracker to an item and allow you to locate the item via a smartphone app. Apple's Air Tag app even points you in the direction of the lost object and how close it is. Tile has the ability to work backwards and press a button on a tile tracker to locate your phone. Once again, there is some initial setup of a smartphone app in each case.

• Smart Photo Frames. Ease of use: very easy. Setup: Yes, installation/setup required

A great gift that keeps on giving is a photo frame. Early photo frames just allowed you to load photos yourself. New models allow family members to add new photos remotely via email or a smartphone app. This is great way to keep seniors in touch with family allowing them to see the latest events with no effort from them. There are many frames available, but my favorite is the Aura Carver Photo Frame. This frame stores photos in the cloud so there is essentially no storage limit on photos to display. You can also buy multiple frames and family members can share photos with each other. There is account setup required for this, but it is minimal.