A Guide to Smart Home Tech For the Disabled and Elderly

People who are disabled or advanced in age will benefit from smart home technology more than others. Smart home devices do more for people who might otherwise not be able to control things in their homes on their own. The options that people can find for their smart home needs cover a diverse array of functions.

These smart home devices are made to be more accessible and simpler to use. These can work for those who have mobility issues as well, what with many things being automated. You can control some of these devices on a mobile device depending on what you find as well. The simple arrangement of these items should make for a useful way for you to keep your home comfortable while being fully accessible and functional for your regular use.

How Do These Work?

These smart home items will work by linking to a cloud-based setup and by working with your home’s online connection. You can use a tablet or smartphone or other items to control these materials, although voice-activated features may be incorporated in some products. The simple functionality of these products will make anyone’s life better and easier, not to mention they may help in reducing the number of resources being used at a time.

1. Thermostat

A smart thermostat is an indispensable item for any home. Such a thermostat can produce the best conditions for a home while also potentially reducing the home’s utility bills. The Google Nest thermostat is the most popular one around, although other companies like Honeywell are entering the smart thermostat field.

A smart thermostat allows a user to control the unit through a mobile device. The thermostat can learn about local weather conditions and climate points and adjust the temperature depending on the time of day or the conditions in an area. This prevents the home from becoming warmer or colder than necessary.

The learning nature of the thermostat ensures that it can adapt to local conditions and identify trends. You’ll have to look at how well the thermostat in your home adapts to what is in your local area. It should not take long for it to work, as modern models can store weeks or months of data at a time to produce results that fit.

2. Lighting

Smart lights are appealing for how they can sense a person in a room and turn on as necessary. A smart light will feature a design where the lights can turn on based on when a person is in the room. The light may also be adjusted in intensity based on how light or dark out it is outside. This ensures the lights are managed well without possibly being too bright.

The light feature may also read the information on specific sunrise and sunset times. This includes details on where the sun is positioned at a time. This can help you with adjusting the lighting at varying times, thus ensuring you don’t have overly bright lights when it’s also bright outside. Added sensor features may also be included to increase the light’s intensity if the conditions outside are cloudy or dark due to a storm in the area.

But for this setup, you’ll have to ensure your home has a good lighting network ready for use. You would have to get a starter kit for a setup ready at the start. You’ll need to get the smart lighting set up in your most-used room or whatever is the least accessible place for lighting. You can expand your lighting setup after a while, thus eventually expanding your lighting setup to cover every part of your home.

Some light options may also come with adjustable colors. You can adjust the color if you have a tendency to see better in one color. Of course, there’s the possibility of adjusting the intensity of the light to prevent sensory overload from being a threat.

3. Curtains and Window Coverings

It is often difficult for the elderly or the disabled to handle their windows or curtains. A smart window covering, or curtain design can work by opening or closing with ease. A curtain or blind system may be engineered with a base and motor. The units can be adjusted based on how intense the light in an area is, or they can be managed with a simple switch or knob. The design allows the window coverings to be easier to control.

The Slide program is a popular option for curtains. For shades, you can use the Soma program. My Smart Blinds has proven to be an appealing choice for your work needs as well.

4. Locks

Locks for the home can be difficult for the elderly or disabled to handle. It is difficult for many to gather keys and make them work. The process of using a keypad can be laborious and difficult.

The good news is that smart locks are available for the disabled. A smart lock features a secure unlocking mechanism triggered by a smartphone or tablet. The user will place one’s fingerprint on the appropriate smartphone or tablet sensor. The wireless connection on the device will link to the lock, thus opening or closing the unit. The body produces a secure layout, and some models also automatically lock a few seconds after it is triggered.

You may benefit from a smart lock, as it would be harder for someone to break into than a traditional lock or a keypad. A smart lock can keep records on when it is used, thus letting you know who is going in and out of a locked space. There’s no need to worry about a combination outside of whatever you use on a sensor, thus ensuring that no one can attempt to break into a keypad. Some smart locks also let you provide people with temporary access to a lock, or access limited to very specific times of the day or week.

5. Robot Vacuums

The robot vacuum industry has taken off in recent times. iRobot’s Roomba line has set the standard, but companies like Shark and Dyson have introduced their own models as well. A robot vacuum uses a charging and emptying base that it is stationed at. The vacuum will clean out items and work with a set pattern based on what is in an area. The unit will also identify segments that need to be reached while also working with corners.

The features in a robot vacuum and the mechanisms used in its operation will vary by model. A user will have to note how well a vacuum works and that it is managed well.

The vacuum should be something easy to cleanout. A quality vacuum can come with a receptacle in its base. The receptacle will take in the debris that the vacuum collects. The user can remove the container and dispose of the contents on occasion. Everything should be arranged to where the material can be removed in moments.

The vacuum must also be a model that will maintain itself well. You have to find a vacuum that can take in debris without having anything getting caught up in its body. The sturdy design of a cleaning material should be noted well when finding something that fits your cleaning needs without being hard to control and use.

6. Doorbell

A video doorbell is a convenient item that works for people who might struggle to get to their doors. A video doorbell will show a real-time video image of what it outside one’s door. The unit will activate and appear on a tablet or other computer that the doorbell links to. The unit will allow the user to speak to the other person and to hear what is on the other side as well. The layout ensures the user can hear what is on the other end.

A video doorbell would go well with a lock that the user can trigger alongside the doorbell. The lock would allow a person to open a door to let someone in. The work is helpful for those who might not be capable of getting to a door as well as one might hope.

7. Voice Control Devices

One of the most appealing things you’ll find in a home is a voice control device. This is a smart home item that works as a virtual assistant.

The voice control assistant device works as a cloud-based program that links online. The device uses a hub that you would speak to. You would speak a certain key phrase, and then the voice control device will identify a unique thing that has to be done.

Virtual assistants can do many things from adjusting the temperature in a home to open a lock. Other models can interact with lights and other smart home features around a home.

Today’s assistant models have evolved to include more features and to link to smarter home tech items. The variety of voice control devices out there has made the product increasingly popular. The Google Home, Amazon Echo, and Apple HomePod are all good examples of such virtual assistants.

8. Smart Plug

The smart plug is one of the newest advancements in smart home living to find. A smart plug is a unit that plugs into a traditional wall outlet. The unit will produce an adaptive plug that will allow the user to link a device to a cloud network in a home. You can then use a mobile app that links to the smart plug to activate the device. The smart plug will read a signal and turn a device on when you ask it to. This improves upon how well you can use plugs, not to mention devices only go on when you program them to. You can potentially reduce your power usage while also simplifying how well you can get things working.

Some plugs come with voice-activated controls as well. You would have to be physically close to the plug to make this control feature work. But an app-based option would be easier to maintain and use thanks to the different mechanisms and layout incorporated on such a device. You can use this to quickly get many items in your home working as soon as possible.

9. Garage Door Opener

It is often hard for the elderly or disabled to open a garage door. The fact that it’s easy to lose a small item like a garage door opener can be frustrating. But a smart opener can be useful for anyone’s needs.

A smart garage door opener allows you to open a garage door from anywhere. A cloud signal can go from a control device like a tablet or phone to the opener. Some smart models may also read a car as it travels up to the door, thus opening automatically after the car gets close enough to the door.

A garage door opener provides a convenient layout, but you have to look at how well you can get your door opened from anywhere. You should see that an opener you use is compatible with the garage door at your home. The good news is that companies like Lift Master and Chamberlain have been incorporating new smart door opener features in their existing garage door setups.

A Final Note

Each of these smart home features is ideal for the elderly or disabled to use. These are made with convenient layouts that are easy for people to control and use as necessary. It will be essential for people to note how well their homes can be outfitted with all of these items for simplicity and convenience.

But you must look at how well these are all going to be arranged for your convenience. The variety of smart home devices for use will ensure you have more control over your home, but you must also look at how well your home is being maintained with these in mind. The great news is that with so many devices being more advanced and easier to use than ever before, you’ll have a much better time with keeping your home under control while enhancing your life in general.

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