As many seniors know, older people’s lives can be made vastly easier through handy devices in the home. From larger equipment like lifting aids to smaller technologies like personal alarms, gadgets and home adaptations can help smooth the way when older people find going about daily tasks difficult.

But did you know that devices outside the home can be just as important? For example, home alarms can help make a house more secure and safe for seniors.

Likewise, a smart doorbell can be a great help to older people – and, in fact, it has a surprisingly broad range of uses. In this post, we’ll explore the variety of ways in which a smart doorbell can be particularly useful to the elderly, plus some tips about purchasing a smart doorbell for an older person’s home.

What is a smart doorbell?

First, let’s establish what a smart doorbell can actually do.

A smart doorbell is sometimes called a video doorbell because that’s its most important component – it includes a camera. Smart doorbells show live video of who’s at your door, and you can watch the feed through different devices, including a phone, laptop or TV. Some smart doorbells also record this video so that you can look at it later.

Another key aspect is that the doorbell alerts you when someone is at the door. Typically, the doorbell sends an alert if someone presses its button – but it may also send an alert if it simply detects motion at the door, such as someone leaving a package.

Some smart doorbells also allow you to speak directly to the person at the door through an app. More sophisticated setups might even let you open the door remotely using that same app.

Many smart doorbells are designed to mesh with an existing smart home system or virtual assistant, such as Google Home, Amazon Alexa or Apple Homekit. Other ones can work by themselves using the device’s own app.

How can smart doorbells come in handy for older people?

You can probably already see why a smart doorbell might be a good choice for an older person. In fact, there are lots of different ways in which smart doorbells can be particularly useful for the elderly. Here are a few…

Helping out if mobility is difficult

It’s not uncommon at all for older people to have struggles with mobility, whether they’re caused by a condition like arthritis or just weaker balance and strength due to ageing.

That’s one reason why falls are also not uncommon.

Falls can happen for a vast range of reasons, but rushing to get somewhere can definitely cause a senior to trip and fall. Yet sometimes if a delivery person is at the door, they’ll leave if nobody answers right away.

The solution? A smart doorbell can allow a senior to answer the door remotely. Through the doorbell’s speakers, they can speak to a delivery person or caller, ask them to wait, or provide instructions.

Similarly, a smart doorbell can simply save an older person the difficulty of getting up if it’s not necessary. If a caller at the door just needs to ask a question, an elderly person can provide the answer through the app rather than getting up to go to the door. The same applies if they want to check who it is and ignore cold callers or doorstep sellers.

As we’ve mentioned, some smart doorbells can work together with smart lock technology to unlock the door all on their own. That means an older person can speak to a plumber at the door and let them in, for example, all without having to walk to the door.

Providing notifications for seniors who might not hear a doorbell

Sometimes it can be difficult for anyone to hear doorbells, especially if they’re at the other side of a large house. Loss of hearing in seniors is just another complication that can make this even more tricky.

What’s great about a smart doorbell is that it can notify a phone when someone’s at the door. So, a senior who is deaf or just doing something in another room can simply keep their phone with them, so they don’t miss answering the door. Depending on the specific doorbell and app used, the phone might vibrate and pop up a notification too.

Easing anxiety and worries about safety

It’s reasonable for an older person living alone to be alert about safety concerns. For example, an elderly person might not feel safe answering the door to an unknown person, particularly if it’s night-time.

What can they do, then, if someone’s at the door? Simply speak to them through the smart doorbell. There’s no need to open the door to talk.

Reassurance for children of older parents

In our high-tech age, adult children don’t have to feel distant from their elderly parents just because they don’t live together. There are lots of ways in which people can help their older parents out virtually.

For example, if an older parent is okay with using security cameras, they can provide reassurance to children that everything is as normal in their home. Similarly, adult children can use smart doorbells to answer the door on their older parent’s behalf, allowing them to speak to cold callers who might fluster or confuse their parent.

Keeping recordings of what’s going on at the door

Sometimes it can be handy to have the facts about who was at the door and when. If an older person is having issues with packages being stolen from their doorstep, for instance, a doorbell camera that records the doorway area can provide super-important evidence and information about what’s happening.

Tips when getting a smart doorbell for an older person

There are numerous smart doorbell models available on the market. Some are quite simple and relatively inexpensive, while others are super high-tech.

Before an older person invests in a smart doorbell, they should consider what level of technology already exists in the home and what level of complexity they are comfortable with in the doorbell.

If an elderly person is already relying on smart technology in the home, then a Ring or Nest camera might conveniently mesh with the existing system. But for a lower-tech home, a Eufy doorbell might be good. Eufy products often can integrate with smart home devices created by Apple, Amazon or Google, but they don’t have to.

Of course, a shopper will also want to check just what functionalities come with each doorbell they’re considering. One major decision is whether they want recorded video of the doorstep area, and if so, how much storage they’ll need or want.

How SureSafe helps protect older people living alone

A personal alarm for the elderly is a great complement to nearly any other device that helps older people. Through functions like fall detection, it works to ensure that if an older person does suffer a risky fall, they’re not alone and without help.

Like a smart doorbell, a personal alarm can also be helpful to both seniors and their loved ones. It helps give seniors confidence and peace of mind as they go about their daily activities, and it also lets their adult children relax in the knowledge that the personal alarm is there to protect their parents.

What kind of functions are available on SureSafe’s highly rated personal alarms? Depending on the alarm, it might have GPS, a talking pendant, or even a step counter for health. If you’d like to know more as you consider a personal alarm for yourself or a loved one, feel free to reach out to us at 0808 189 1671. You can also speak to our expert team in live chat, or request a call back.