Technology can keep you safe and well and reduce your risk of fire and accidents in the home. It can also help you to keep doing things for yourself, like making a cup of tea, cooking a meal, controlling your door so that you can let in the people you know.

This can give you, your family, friends and carers freedom and the confidence that you are as safe and secure as possible. Here are a few things you might want to consider.

In the kitchen

  • Why not think about things like a clear kettle so you can see that it has water in it and when it is boiled, or a microwave with straightforward controls so that you don’t need to use the hob 
  • If you prefer to use your cooker, gas and electric shut off valves can be fitted which will reduce the risk of fire from unattended cooking
  • A simple device which replaces your plug can prevent the sink overflowing and can work in the bath as well.

Door security

  • If you want to check on who is coming to the door, you could install a doorbell with a camera or a peephole so you can check who’s there before you open it. Some of them can be linked to a smartphone so you can even check when you’re not home, or a carer can check on your behalf
  • Key Safes are discreetly fitted to the outside wall of your home. They contain your house keys and can only be accessed by family or carers who know the personal code number
  • PIR movement sensors can have messages recorded on them which activate as you get near them, and could remind you to take your keys, or if you need to wait in for someone
  • If you find that you do lose your keys often, you could think about a keyring with a locator on it that will help you find them again.

Around the house

  • If you have internet access you can use smartplugs to control things that plug in, like lights or your TV. They can be switched on and off when you’re away, so they’re good for making sure you’ve turned them off, or making it look like you’re at home if you’re on holiday. Some can even let your family know if something out of the ordinary has happened, to give them peace of mind
  • If you don’t have internet access, you can get plugs which can be operated by a remote control like the one for your TV – good for hard to reach plugs
  • Motion sensor lighting can be useful if you get up during the night, or have trouble wayfinding around the house. You can use battery operated lights which don’t have to be wired in so there’s no need for DIY.

Environmental monitoring

  • You can install unobtrusive sensors which detect movement, heat and light levels in your home and can alert your family or carers if somethings unusual has happened. These can also be linked to systems like Hive or Nest to automatically switch on your heating when it’s needed
  • If you have internet access you can voice control several of these things using devices called personal digital assistants which will “talk” to many of these things, so you can just tell it to turn on or off your lights or TV for example.

When you need help

  • If you find that you need help, but aren’t able to let someone know about what you need, e.g. your medication or how to contact your next of kin, there are cards you can carry which allow you to save your details and allow them to be accessed by those assisting you.

In this section

Related content