{"slug": "5-smart-devices-that-make-aging-in-place-easier", "title": "5 smart devices that make aging in place easier", "summary": "A new wave of smart home devices, including set-and-forget thermostats, accessible smart plugs, and water leak sensors, can make aging in place easier, according to Senior Tech Tutor Marin. The article highlights that while many connected gadgets are overengineered, these specific tools offer practical benefits such as automatic temperature control, voice-activated lighting, and automatic water shut-off to prevent costly damage.", "body_md": "**Getting your**\n\n[Trinity Audio](//trinityaudio.ai)player ready...Why does my morning ritual now require a Wi-Fi signal stronger than a cup of coffee?\n\nIt starts at 6:30 a.m. when I attempt to brew my morning caffeine fix. Instead of just pressing a button, I have to wait for my coffeemaker to join the local 2.4 gigahertz Wi-Fi network, scan the QR code on the Keurig pod and download a software update before it will pour.\n\n**RELATED: People can sense mental decline, says new research powered by smartwatches**\n\nWhen it’s time for breakfast, I use the “smart” microwave. It features voice control, meaning I can stand in my kitchen and loudly shout a command to a machine 3 inches from my face to start heating my oatmeal for precisely 90 seconds.\n\nNext, I head to the refrigerator. Thanks to the massive, glowing screen glued to the front door, I can use a built-in internal camera to see that I’m low on milk without the exhausting physical effort of pulling the handle open.\n\nBreakfast complete, I load the bowl and cup into the connected dishwasher. Once the door is shut, I open a smartphone app, navigate past a privacy policy agreement and tap “start cycle” — instantly turning a simple hands-on chore into a multistep digital configuration.\n\nLadies and gentlemen, welcome to the “smart home.”\n\nIt was 1999 when British tech pioneer Kevin Ashton officially coined the phrase “Internet of Things.” As a junior executive at Procter & Gamble, he was trying to convince management to put tiny radio-frequency identification (RFID) chips on product packaging to track supply chains. He explicitly put the word “internet” into his PowerPoint presentation title just to grab the attention of tech-obsessed executives.\n\nBut before the iPhone launched in 2007, there was no universal, easy interface to control remote objects. Smartphones gave every consumer a prebuilt control panel right in their pocket, which has led us to today’s often absurd, connected-to-everything world.\n\nMarketers love this “internet of everything.” Silicon Valley won’t be satisfied until every mechanical relic in our homes has an IP address, a monthly app subscription fee and a corporate privacy policy designed to harvest your data. In their rush to make everything high-tech, they have confused “connected” with “useful.”\n\nWhile buying a toaster that can alert my phone to tell me when my perfect shade of done has been achieved or send me a message telling me that the spin cycle has started on my washing machine — really? — there are some devices I’ve discussed with Senior Tech Tutor Marin clients that do make life more convenient, accessible and safer as we age.\n\n**RELATED: Fitbit creators unveil screenless wearable to help track aging parents**\n\n• The set-and-forget smart thermostat. Unlike overengineered gadgets that require constant adjustment, a properly configured smart thermostat runs entirely in the background. It removes the frustration of squinting at tiny wall dials or trying to program confusing schedules. Instead, it uses subtle room sensors to automatically maintain a safe, comfortable temperature, preventing extreme indoor heat or cold. As an added bonus, consistent temperature settings may help keep the PG&E bill under some semblance of control.\n\n• The accessible smart plug. This tiny adapter plugs into a standard wall outlet and instantly transforms any traditional lamp, fan or space heater into a voice-controlled device. For older adults with arthritis or limited mobility, linking a floor lamp to a simple voice assistant or an automated timer means they can illuminate an entire room safely from the doorway or right from their favorite chair.\n\n• Smart water leak and shut-off sensors. They can be placed under sinks, near the water heater or behind the washing machine. If a pipe leaks or a faucet is left running, these sensors don’t just send a smartphone notification — they automatically shut off the home’s main water valve. It turns a potential $10,000 disaster into a minor inconvenience.\n\n• Smart lock with keyless/remote entry. Installed on the front door, it allows you to unlock the door using a simple fingerprint scan or an automatic proximity sensor, eliminating the frustration of fumbling with tiny keys when dealing with arthritis or poor vision. Crucially, it allows family members, neighbors or emergency personnel to gain entry remotely if needed, without having to kick the door down.\n\n• Smart medication dispensers. These connected pill organizers lock down an older person’s weekly medication. When it’s time for a specific dose, the exact compartment lights up and sounds an audio chime, only opening the required pills. If the dose is missed after an hour, it quietly alerts a designated caregiver. It completely removes the confusing guesswork of managing multiple prescriptions.\n\nThe tech industry wants us to believe that a “smart home” means turning your kitchen and laundry room into a complicated, app-driven sci-fi command center. It doesn’t. The best smart technology shouldn’t demand your attention, harvest your data or force you to agree to a privacy policy just to run a chore. It should live quietly in the background, acting as an invisible safety net that preserves your independence, fortifies your safety and lets you live with dignity.\n\nYou can keep the smartphone apps for my dishwasher, washing machine and refrigerator. Just give me a gentle light that turns on when my feet hit the floor at 1 a.m. — and again at 4 a.m.\n\n*Rob Shore is both a community volunteer and the founder of Senior Tech Tutor Marin. He serves Marin County by offering older adults one-on-one, jargon-free help with iPhones, iPads, Macs and all of the apps and programs that support them. He can be reached at shorespeak@gmail.com or 831-221-0018. Learn more at techtutormarin.com*", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/5-smart-devices-that-make-aging-in-place-easier", "canonical_source": "https://www.mercurynews.com/2026/08/26/smart-devices-that-make-aging-in-place-easier/", "published_at": "2026-08-26 12:30:25+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-08-26 12:44:40.409019+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-products", "ai-tools"], "entities": ["Kevin Ashton", "Procter & Gamble", "iPhone", "Silicon Valley", "Senior Tech Tutor Marin", "PG&E"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/5-smart-devices-that-make-aging-in-place-easier", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/5-smart-devices-that-make-aging-in-place-easier.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/5-smart-devices-that-make-aging-in-place-easier.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/5-smart-devices-that-make-aging-in-place-easier.jsonld"}}