Ask friends what kind of tech gift you should get for your parent, grandparent, or another older person in your life, and chances are youll get the same generic suggestions, like a digital picture frame or a portable Bluetooth speaker. But these gifts will almost certainly remain little used throughout the year. (I mean, how many digital picture frames would you like?)
Instead, this holiday season, why not get an older loved one a tech gift theyll actually use (and that might put your mind at ease, too)?
Here are five types of gifts that older people may truly find beneficial.
Smartwatches with fall detection
Talk to any older person about health concerns, and they will likely mention that one of their main fears is falling. And for good reason. While a younger person can often brush off a fall, such an event can be deadly for an older individual. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 14 million older adults fall each year, and these falls are the leading cause of injury-related death among people over 65.
The severity of a fall’s repercussions often depends on how quickly the person can get help, which is a problem if they live alone. Thats where modern smartwatches come in. Many flagship smartwatches have built-in fall detection, ensuring that the wearers contacts are notified immediately if they fall. In this way, a smartwatch is a great gift for an older person, one that can provide peace of mind year-round. Some good options are:
Apple Watch SE 3
Samsung Galaxy Watch7
Google Pixel Watch 4
Item trackers to help find belongings
As we get older, we naturally become more forgetfulunable to remember where we left, say, our wallet or keys. A subtle reminder of where things are can go a long way toward making life much less frustrating.
If your older loved one often forgets where they placed their belongings, item trackers might be helpful. They can usually be bought individually or in multipacks. Just attach the tracker to a keychain or slip it into a wallet or purse, and your loved one will always be able to quickly find where they last left their item. Reliable item trackers include:
Apple AirTag
Samsung Galaxy SmartTag2
Tile Mate
Robotic vacuum cleaners to ease the housework
The older we get, the more effort it seems to take to do the same household chores weve done throughout our lives. Who wouldnt want a helping hand with the house cleaning? A robotic vacuum cleaner under the tree could really put a smile on your loved ones face.
Robotic vacuums can save your loved ones time and effort by keeping floors clean without the arduous manual labor. Several companies make a wide range of robotic vacuum models. Some great choices include:
Roomba 105 Vac Robot
eufy 11S MAX
Roborock Q7 L5
Tablets, for easy email and web browsing
While age is never a determining factor in someones technical ability, an older person once told me that one of the best tech gifts they ever received was a tablet. They found its large touch interface easier to use than a mouse, the user interface was less confusing than on a desktop, and the ability to zoom in on on-screen items made even small text easy to read.
Tablets can be a lifeline for seniors who find computers too confusing or their smartphones screen too small, helping them stay connected to our broader digital world through email, the web, and video calls. Some excellent tablets for older adults include:
GrandPad Tablet
Apple iPad 11
Amazon Fire HD 10
E-readers to make reading more convenient
The retirement years offer lots of time for reading. And thats a good thing, as studies have shown that reading can help keep our minds sharp as we age.
Unfortunately, aging often causes vision issues, which can make it harder to keep up a reading habit. Standard-size fonts in most books can be too small for some older people. Thats where e-readers come in. They are lightweight and easier to hold for long periods than a physical book, and their software allows users to adjust the text size to fit their vision needs. Some of the best e-readers include:
Amazon Kindle
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite
Amazon Kindle Colorsoft
