Independent living for older adults is closely tied to safety, dignity, and quality of life, and can often be extended with thoughtfully selected digital health and smart home technologies.
Wearables, smart home tools, and digital monitoring systems can reduce preventable harm, support chronic disease management, and provide a rapid response in emergencies.
Clinicians play a critical role in assessing individual needs, addressing barriers to adoption, and aligning technology recommendations with patient goals and values to support aging in place safely.
As a nurse, I frequently hear questions like:
“How long can Mom keep taking good care of herself without help?”
“How do I keep myself safe while living alone?”
“Dad wants to live independently
For many older adults, living independently goes far beyond being a measure of their physical and cognitive health; it can be a point of social pride and a reflection of their personhood. Losing one’s independence can be frustrating, but it’s a situation that can be preventable with the right care. Technologies such as wearable monitors and smart home devices, when used thoughtfully, can reduce preventable harm, extend independence, and support clinical and personal goals for older adults [
Home safety for older adults is both multifactorial and unique to the individual; no singular solution will work for every person. Safety goes beyond responding to medical emergencies such as strokes, falls, and cardiac events. Digital health or smart home technologies can also address issues such as poor medication adherence, functional decline, cognitive changes, chronic condition management, lack of physical activity, and social isolation [
James Giordani, MSW, has made it his mission to help older adults get the most out of potentially life-saving technology. He started his company, Clear Computing, in 2019, which was acquired by parent company AsKevin [
Working with seniors soon became a passion. Giordani went on to get his Master’s degree in social work, again specializing in working with older adults. He shares a personal story that helped him realize how technology can augment in-home safety for older adults: “My Nana...fell and broke her hip, and she was down for about 12-16 hours before she got help. [She] couldn’t crawl to the phone...had she had a smart assistant, she could have used it to call for help.”
Technology is always available and always on call. While it’s not necessarily a substitute for face-to-face check-ins, it is a powerfully supportive tool for day-to-day cares and emergencies alike.
Medical care providers may consider recommending technologies for older adults wishing to remain independent. This is especially relevant as an increasing number of older people are choosing to receive care at home [
Preventative care checkups and in-home visits are excellent moments for assessment of potential needs. In-home safety encompasses many aspects of personal health, social networks, and daily life, but broadly, these needs can be grouped into several large categories: (1) fall prevention and rapid response, (2) cardiovascular monitoring, (3) medication adherence and chronic disease management, and (4) interpersonal safety and security.
These categories provide a starting point for medical providers to perform a safety assessment and recommend appropriate technologies to support their patients’ independence.
Technologies to prevent or reduce harm from falls may include smart bulbs or switches for lighting, wearable fall sensors, and motion or impact detectors. Giordani recommends programming smart bulbs to turn on or off at key times, such as just before dusk, to improve vision in otherwise low-light environments.
A smartwatch or smart home device may be used to call for help in the event that someone is unable to get to a phone. There are also artificial intelligence devices designed specifically to detect falls, the results of which appear promising [
Cardiac events, including arrhythmias or arrests, are most common in older populations [
Poor medication adherence or polypharmacy creates the potential for serious harm. Tools such as smart pill dispensers or automatic reminders that can be shared with caregivers can help support proper medication dosing and timing [
Technologies such as glucose monitors can assist in chronic disease management, especially when paired with a smartphone app designed to help the user understand their glucose targets [
Devices like exercise trackers or smartwatches encourage increased physical activity, leading to better overall health and longevity [
Giordani’s favorite recommendation is one most might not consider. He shares, “I recommend that every older adult have an ad blocker on their phones and their computers. Not only do they reduce the cognitive load of seeing all those advertisements… they [help with] cyber security and scam prevention. Scams are often delivered to older adults through ads.”
Technologies like ad blockers, smart home devices, and smart locks can enhance safety and personal and financial security for older adults living alone.
Many older adults are very open to using new devices to support their health [
Giordani suggests assisting older adults to set up any new device. For older adults, he says, this process isn’t necessarily intuitive. “I always recommend, if you're giving a device as a gift, you have to set it up for them.”
Our patients’ ability to live independently is more than a social preference; it’s a real-world reflection of their clinical outcomes that is worth supporting with evidence-based tools.
Many older adults welcome the use of technology to support long-term health and independence. Talk with your patients about their individual needs and goals, and assess barriers such as cost and tech support before suggesting which devices may best improve their quality of life.
When aligned with clinical judgment and patient values, digital health tools help older adults lead longer, safer, and more autonomous lives. While technology doesn’t replace human care, it can extend our reach as we strive to enhance every aspect of our patients’ health.
Updated March 02, 2026: An earlier version of this article incorrectly referred to the company "AsKevin" as "Ask Kevin". This has been corrected.
None declared.