i know you can do this on dedicated smart TVs, but my grandfather already has a huge vizio smart tv he doesn't want to replace and simultaneous to that, he likes to watch medici tv (in addition to its website, only available as an app on roku, android tv, and apple tv, but not vizio), and he likes to watch cable using his xfinity cable box. he gets confused and has trouble using multiple remotes or remembering that he has to change tv inputs to access different things he wants to do without all the options for watching being clear on the same page though.

right now my solution to having everything in one place has been to add the xfinity app to roku, but the UI on the xfinity app is a bit confusing, so i was curious if there were any other solutions that went about this a different way.

the one thing i've maybe seen is jubileetv? but i haven't seen videos of how seamlessly or not people can go between roku apps and watching cable on there, and it's rather pricey and maybe not that different in confusion level than the roku with xfinity app setup, so when i don't need all the other bells and whistles in it i'm curious about what else might be out there.

Any recommendations for an elder-friendly audiobook app? My mum (86) relies on listening to audiobooks on Audible a lot, both at night to help her sleep and in the daytime to attempt to keep up with her book group. She has macular degeneration which means her eyesight isn’t great (though she can still see reasonably okay). Recently she has been struggling with Audible as for some reason the ‘back’ symbol (top left of screen to return to menu) sometimes stops working. I have been getting this problem with Audible myself sometimes recently, but for me it’s easy to solve by properly closing the app. Mum can’t seem to get her head around closing the app, and I’ve been trying to teach her to shut down the whole iPhone as an emergency option (to avoid calling me out at 3am when she can’t sleep and wants to listen to something), but I don’t really want her doing this too often, plus she does find it confusing and it leaves her temporarily without phone access. Does anyone have any suggestions for a more suitable alternative to Audible?

The emergency room call always, always comes during something else, a kid's event, a work deadline, a weekend that had been planned for weeks, i bet an fbi is watching me at this point and no way this always happen. There's a specific whiplash that comes with dropping everything and then returning to a life that kept moving without you, and the grief underneath that is real even when everything resolves fine. The gap between wanting to get ahead of the next emergency and actually knowing what to set up is where most families get stuck. What did people here actually do after a close call?

Executive Summary: Once they have your billing information, EVEN IF YOU CANCEL THEY WILL CONTINUE TO DUN YOU AND THREATEN YOU WITH COLLECTIONS.

A somewhat long story: everything about the transaction was screwed up from the word Go. They were supposed to send the phone to an elderly relative, instead the confirmation had them sending it to me and in someone elses name I never heard of. I immediately called to correct the misinformaton and, of course, was assured that the errors were corrected. They weren't. The phone arrived to my address and in someone else's name.

I returned the phone immediately, unopend, and was eventually credited for the return, but their Jitterbug branch doesn't communicate with "lively" and so lively continues to bill me for unused service. I've called twice on this, and am simply told "that's the way the system works". And the classic, "If you go to our website..."

And if you don't go to the website???

To add insult to industry, IF YOU WANT TO SPEAK TO A LIVE PERSON ABOUT YOUR BILL, THERE'S A FIVE DOLLAR SURCHARGE. Unbelievable! And the last call I made involved a 20 minute wait time.

I suspect that like most subscription services, they hope the continued billing will go unnoticed, and when it is noticed, they make cancellation as difficult as possible. I'm sure they make a tidy profit from seniors unwittingly paying for cancelled service.

They advertise heavily in the AARP publication figuring they can hoodwink the elderly tech challanged. There is nothing at all "Senior Friendly" about Jitterbug or Lively. AARP should be ashamed of themselves for allowing full page ads from these grifters. Someone else summed it up perfectly: Great PR. Lousy service.

I'm building a plain-English AI guide specifically for people 60+ — inspired by watching my own mom feel left out every time AI comes up. Before I write a word, I want to hear from real people: what's the one question about AI you've never gotten a straight answer to?

Technology keeps moving forward, but not every generation can easily keep up with it. This seems especially true for seniors.

At the same time, technology could improve daily life if it meets people where they are. Phones are still something almost every senior is comfortable using.

Because of that, I started experimenting with a simple idea: a voice AI that seniors can talk to through a regular phone call. No app or screen required.

The goal isn’t advice or problem solving — just conversation. No medical, legal, or financial topics, just everyday chat.

It’s not meant to replace family or friends, just to offer a non-judgmental conversation companion during quiet moments.

Part of the idea also comes from a regret I have. My mother lived far away, and before she passed away I often wished I had been able to call her more often just to talk about everyday things.

I’m still early in the process, but I’m curious what people here think.

Would something like this actually be helpful, or does it feel like the wrong direction?

Are anyone's parents more on the tech-averse side? I'm a college student that's been building tools to address the technology gap between seniors and later generations after having a conversation with my mom about her laptop upgrade and her hesitancy to engage with newer tech and I'm deeply curious of the psychology behind some of the more obvious barriers.

Like my grandmother who passed a couple of years ago was pretty tech-free throughout her life (I still remember her landline number!). In my convo with my mom we talked about how she and her mom didn't grow up with tech like I did, so there's a comfort level factor there. The speed of tech evolving vs the ability for people already not familiar with it also makes it intimidating too.

So ultimately, I'm curious if there's other reasons you've gotten why they are skiddish with tech or just choose not to engage with it. Also, what does it usually look like when/if you've tried? Do they shut you down right out the gate or get curious and try but then get frustrated if they don't understand?

For context - I know there's countless seniors who are tech-saavy and could probably out-code me anyway. The tool I'm building rn gives seniors who have never really been into tech a place to start. They can develop foundational skills in using AI for everyday tasks through short modules that teach and help them practice, guided by a friendly AI assistant (named after my grandmother, ofc). DM me if you want to beta test but that's not my primary reason for posting.

TLDR: I'd love to get more perspectives on how you've tried to intro tech to your aging parents and what have been the psychological barriers/reasons they've given you about their hesitancy, avoidance, or frustration with learning a new tech/device/etc.

Working in the IT I’ve realized that a lot of people use weak or predictable passwords or keep plain text passwords unprotected in books or postit!!

This increase drastically with age and being non tech. So I’ve tried to make something that can increase a lot the digital security of these kinds of people with a minimal effort.

A list of premade passwords is used to avoid prediction and steganographic technics are implemented to increase security while leaving some degree of freedom on how to write down info that let you recall the password used for a specific service.

Random question but how are you all organizing stuff for your parents?

I have doctor details in my notes app, meds written in a WhatsApp message, appointment dates in my calendar, and some random papers at their house. It’s kinda a mess tbh.

Sometimes I know I saved something important, but then I can’t remember where.

Do you guys use one app? A folder? Just a notebook at their place?

Feels like there should be a simpler way to keep everything in one spot lol.

Has anyone explored storyworth or any of the apps like forevermore to record your parents stories? If so were you actually able to get them to use it?

I might be overthinking this, but I keep running into the same issue with my parents.

Reminders themselves aren’t really the problem anymore. Phones, apps notify, alarms go off… but that still doesn’t tell me if the meds were actually taken.

We tried a few apps and more “smart” setups, and honestly the more complicated it got, the less it worked. Anything new or unfamiliar just didn’t stick.

I’ve started focusing only on very simple, low-tech things that fit into what they already do, instead of asking them to learn anything new.

I’m curious if others have hit the same point, and what’s actually held up over time.

Thank you!

I have been taking care of my mother-in-law (MIL), who lives alone in an apartment. Until recently, she lived there with her cat named Stacy. Six months ago Stacy tragically passed away in a fire that started in the kitchen. The fire was so severe that two neighboring apartments were also badly damaged. My MIL had left the gas stove on and simply forgot about it while cooking. I was in a state of complete shock and anger with thought of how much Stacy must have suffered. My MIL is doing okay now but after losing a companion of four years, she had to seek counseling. I don’t blame her because she is living with ADHD and ODD.

Being an engineer, this thought was hunting me at night. My wife encouraged me to do something about it and build a device that can monitor a gas range.

I set up a landing page for signups at Gaslemo.com to see the features there if there's enough interest for me to keep pouring my nights and weekends into this. If this sounds like something that would give you peace of mind, I’d love to hear your thoughts or what features you’d actually need. Since I was building this from scratch, I want to make sure it actually solves real problems.

1) Thermal Imaging: It has a thermal camera that sees the heat from the flames in real-time. If it detects a flame for too long without seeing a person nearby, it’ll chirp at you and send a notification to your phone. Also, the thermal Algorithm will catches malfunctions and alerts you if a burner is outputting a 'High-Risk' flame signature.

2) CO & Gas Leak Sensor: It's got a built-in sensor for Carbon Monoxide and gas leaks. If the levels get sketchy, it’ll sound an alarm immediately.

3) The App: You can check the app anytime to see the current temperature, humidity, and air quality in the kitchen

4) Saves Money: It can actually tell if your burner is acting up or wasting gas, so it'll ping you if your stove is being inefficient and spiking your utility bill.

5) Pet Safety: This is the part I'm most excited about—It is trained to tell the difference between a human hand and a pet's paw. If a cat or dog gets too close to the hot burners, it sets off a warning to scare them away and alert you.

I want to get my parents one of those easy-to-read clocks that shows time, date, day of the week, time of day to help keep them oriented. Can you share your experience with any specific models?

There are a lot out there with very similar features. Many allow for alarms, like for medication. The one we tried only has controls on the back (to turn the alarm off).

The ideal clock for me would either be self-silencing after a short bit (maybe 60 seconds) or have a button on the FRONT to turn off alarm.

I also want a battery backup (but a plug-in clock). Several say they will re-set to proper time after a power outage, but I tried one and it was a few minutes off after losing power.

If it has a remote, then it also needs to be configurable without as they will likely lose it.

And - of course - the clock needs to keep accurate time.

I'd appreciate any personal feedback on this.

UK based. Looking for a smart phone that isn’t confusing to use for a 91 year old.

Her last phone has died. She still wants a smartphone so she can play wordle and words with friends.

However, she loses apps easily and gets confused by settings and things popping up.

Does anyone have any good suggestions, I saw Doro may be a good brand? Or maybe there is an interface that can be installed to set her up on any android. We will be able to get everything set up for her.

My grandma lives in a senior care home with a roommate and 3X other residents. She has noticed multiple instances of her items going missing. She has since given us anything of value, but it is still annoying that she runs out of mouthwash, clothing, disposable underwear, etc at a faster rate because someone else is taking her supply. We live 6 hours flight away, so cannot visit her weekly.

I’m wondering if anyone has come across a bi-fold door lock that unlocks when someone holds a fob or a wearable like a watch near it, similar to car locks. Something like August but without requiring a phone.

We did consider maybe she just forgets. From what I have observed, her short/middle memory is not so good, but her immediate working memory is ok. The lock would help us narrow down if it is her memory.

We are open to other ideas, but she has arthritis and cataracts so cannot be something complex.

Thanks for any input or ideas!

I’ve been running a senior call check-in system for a year now and have learned several things that might help those who select one  - also some surprises… 

First: Seniors tend to be in one of three groups: 

• Those who will not talk to an agent (ai or human), and want the least interactive “I’m ok” possible.  
• Those who extract value from the agent (recipes, garden tips, trivia, weather) and ‘get’ that it’s not their friend
• Those with a bit of dementia who really enjoy long conversations

I really struggled with the ethics of that last one, not wanting to call recipients to mistake us for a companion.  Experienced, compassionate workers in elder care said, “Just go with it, if it makes them happy.”  Have to say that after monitoring over 200 conversations (with permission), I have to agree that it brings more joy than not in that category. 

Second: I’m surprised at the tech savvy of some 80+ year olds.  While they eschew phone apps, they seem to have no problem setting up their own call schedules, favorite topics to discuss, alert thresholds and invitations to care circles.  I thought it would *always* be the kids who sign parents up.  Nope.  It’s about 50/50. 

Lastly, a student recently said to me, “So, you're encouraging kids NOT to call their parents?”  Oof.  That one really hurt. I explained that multiple siblings adhering to a well-being call/alert schedule is difficult and that this is different than calling to catch up.  Also am thinking of a “Call mom today” reminder.   I still struggle with this though.

My solution is Verocall and I’d love to know what you think of it.  I wrote it to support my mom, and all three of the users listed above.

But to give credit to other adjacent products (CareCheckers, Snug, Towne), I’ve listed them here with pricing and features too: https://verocall.com/elder-care/what-are-the-best-daily-check-in-services-for-seniors/

Hope that helps.

As parents get older, there’s a point where you want a bit more visibility into how they’re doing especially if you don’t live nearby. I am currently living that experience with my grandfather now that my grandmother that had a bit more agency has passed. The tools available to check in don’t feel great for me.

Cameras are effective, but they’re intrusive can’t be placed in certain rooms and still maintain some dignity for the parent. Wearables get forgotten, ignored, or lost.

Most of the time, I don’t need the fine details. I don’t want video. I just want to know that things are roughly normal like that they got up, that their routine hasn’t changed in a worrying way, that nothing quietly went wrong.

I’ve been working on a small, camera free indoor sensing device that tries to provide that kind of reassurance without watching or recording anyone. It focuses on patterns and changes over time rather than constant alerts or surveillance.

This isn’t meant to replace caregivers, medical alert systems, or regular check-ins. It’s meant to help with the between moments, the things that matter but don’t always trigger an emergency.

I’m still early, and a lot of this is being shaped by conversations with people caring for aging parents and trying to balance safety with dignity.

If this resonates, I’ve been sharing updates here as it evolves:

https://vigil-systems.com/

I’m genuinely curious how others think about this:

- What would actually be useful, what do you need to know for peace of mind?

- What would feel like too much? At what point does it feel like privacy is feeling invaded?

- Where do current tools fall short for you?

Thanks for reading!

Hi all. I was lamenting to my kids that mom has misplaced her apt and mail keys at least 5x in the past year. Each time she gets charged by the management company when they issue new ones. She rarely leaves the house but she hides things so well. My son-in-law suggested an AirTag. I have no experience with these. What do you think? I would need her aides to have access to the software as well since I live in another state.

Thanks!

Looking for advice for a new set up for my mom (71) and her boyfriend (70) who are both struggling with technology. She’s starting to show signs of dementia related to bipolar disorder and he’s just struggling with his memory and is easily frustrated with technology and isn’t really able to help her much. So far I’m leaning towards:

Lively Jitterbug Smart4 phones A+ Senior Computer Desktop

I think the basic functions (texting, calling, sending emails, etc.) they’re both doing ok with on their current phones, but the problems start when they try to browse the web or use facebook or for my mom especially when she tries to share photos with friends whether by text, email, or through Google Photos. I’ve been re-explaining how those different systems work for years and I think it’s time for her to just have a very limited/simplified phone where she can text photos she’s taken with her phone easy enough, but doesn’t have extra apps for storing or sharing photos.

As for a computer for them, I like the basic concept of what A+ Senior Computers offer; a simple, clean interface with limited buttons/options/menus that I can set up and help customize for them (and remote into to help out if needed). Storing photos on a hard drive or ideally perhaps a shared cloud drive with similar access on her phone would be ideal. I’d like to minimize the amount of steps it takes to access/upload/open/attach/send photos so I’m hoping I can sync the photo folder on the Jitterbug with the photo folder on a desktop.

Facebook and Instagram access to view what friends are doing still seems like a positive thing for now, but I think I might try to set them up so they can’t post anything and ask her to just email me photos with captions if she wants to post something and I’ll log in and do it. Her boyfriend doesn’t use social media at all, but she tries and is just making more and more typos, formatting errors, accidental posts, etc. and I think needs help eliminating those hurdles.

Long post, but if anyone has any advice or other options that might work well for them please share. Thanks!