Your sister mentions “smart home care” for your mum. You nod, but you’re picturing Alexa playing music and coloured lightbulbs. That’s not what she means.
Smart home elderly care is a specific category of technology designed to help older people live safely at home for longer. It’s not about voice-controlled gadgets or home automation for convenience. It’s about sensors, alerts, and monitoring that keep families informed without requiring your parent to do anything differently.
This guide explains what smart home elderly care actually is, what it includes, and how it works in practice.
The short version
Smart home elderly care uses sensors placed around the home to monitor activity patterns. If something unusual happens (no movement by mid-morning, the front door opening at 3am, the bathroom light on for an hour), the system alerts family members or a response service.
Unlike pendant alarms, which require your parent to press a button, smart home systems work passively. Your parent doesn’t need to learn anything new or remember to wear anything. The technology notices patterns in normal daily life and flags when something seems wrong.
How it differs from consumer smart home tech
When most people hear “smart home,” they think of Amazon Echo, Google Nest, or Philips Hue lightbulbs. That’s consumer smart home technology, designed for people who enjoy controlling their home from their phone.
Smart home elderly care is different in three ways:
It’s passive, not active. Consumer tech assumes you want to interact with it. Smart elderly care assumes the opposite: the technology should work invisibly, without anyone needing to think about it.
It’s about monitoring, not control. A smart plug in your home lets you turn off the lamp from bed. A smart plug in elderly care notices that the kettle hasn’t been used by 10am and asks whether someone should check in.
It alerts family, not just the user. Consumer devices send notifications to the person who set them up. Elderly care systems send alerts to adult children, carers, or monitoring centres when something needs attention.
Some overlap exists. Voice assistants designed for consumers can help elderly people make calls or set reminders. But the core purpose is different.
How it differs from traditional telecare
Telecare has been around for decades. The classic example is the pendant alarm: a button worn around the neck that connects to a response centre when pressed.
Pendant alarms save lives. But they have limitations:
- Your parent must wear the pendant (many don’t, especially men)
- They must be conscious and able to press the button
- They must be willing to “make a fuss” (many older people resist calling for help)
- The pendant only works after something has gone wrong
Smart home systems address these gaps. They don’t replace pendant alarms; they add a layer of passive monitoring that catches problems the pendant can’t.
If your dad falls and can’t reach his pendant, motion sensors might notice he hasn’t moved from the bathroom for an hour. If your mum is unwell, activity sensors might spot that she’s sleeping more and moving less than usual, prompting you to check in before anything serious develops.
The NHS social care guide lists various technologies that can help people stay at home. Smart home monitoring sits alongside pendant alarms, grab rails, and stairlifts as part of the toolkit.
What a typical system includes
Smart home elderly care systems vary, but most include some combination of these components:
Motion sensors
Small devices placed in key rooms (hallway, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom) that detect movement. They don’t see anything or record video. They simply register presence.
Over time, motion sensors build a picture of daily life. Your mum gets up around 7am, moves to the kitchen, spends most of the day in the living room, goes to bed around 10pm. That’s her pattern. When something changes significantly, the system alerts you.
Door and window sensors
Small magnetic sensors that detect when doors or windows open and close. Placed on the front door, back door, and sometimes internal doors like the bathroom.
These sensors tell you when your parent leaves the house, when they come home, and whether the front door has been locked. Unusual activity (front door opening at 2am) triggers an alert.
Smart plugs
Plugs that sit between an appliance and the wall socket. They can monitor whether the appliance is being used, turn it off after a set time, or cut power if something seems wrong.
Common uses include:
- Monitoring kettle use (a sign your parent is up and making tea)
- Auto-shutting electric heaters or hobs after a time limit
- Tracking whether the TV has been turned on (a sign of normal routine)
Environmental sensors
Sensors that monitor temperature, humidity, or smoke. They ensure the house isn’t dangerously cold in winter or hot in summer. Some detect floods from overflowing baths or burst pipes.
The NHS recommends heating homes to at least 18°C for elderly people. Environmental sensors can alert you if your parent’s heating has failed or if they’re keeping the house dangerously cold to save money.
The hub
A central device that connects all the sensors and sends information to the cloud. It’s usually small, plugs into the router, and doesn’t need any interaction once set up.
The hub is the brain of the system. It receives data from all sensors, spots patterns, identifies anomalies, and sends alerts to your phone or a monitoring centre.
Optional extras
Depending on needs, families might add:
- Video doorbell so your parent can see who’s at the door without getting up
- Voice assistant for hands-free calls, reminders, and simple questions
- Medication dispenser that reminds your parent to take pills and alerts you if they don’t
- GPS tracker for parents with dementia who might wander
- Fall detection wearable that automatically calls for help after a fall
Not every family needs every component. The right setup depends on your parent’s specific situation.
How the monitoring works
There are three main approaches to monitoring:
Family monitoring
Alerts go directly to family members via a smartphone app. You see activity summaries, get notifications when something unusual happens, and can check in on patterns whenever you want.
This works well when family members are available to respond and want direct visibility. It’s usually the lowest ongoing cost option.
Professional monitoring
Alerts go to a 24/7 response centre staffed by trained operators. When something triggers an alert, they call your parent first, then you, then emergency services if needed.
This adds a layer of professional response and works better when family members can’t always answer calls quickly. It typically costs £20-50 per month on top of equipment costs.
Hybrid monitoring
Some systems offer both. Routine alerts go to family; urgent alerts also go to a response centre. You stay informed, but professionals provide backup.
What smart home care can and can’t do
Smart home elderly care does a lot, but it has limits.
It can:
- Alert you to unusual patterns that might indicate a problem
- Give you peace of mind that you’ll know if something seems wrong
- Help your parent stay independent at home for longer
- Reduce the daily anxiety of wondering if everything is okay
- Spot gradual changes (like reduced activity) that might indicate declining health
It can’t:
- Physically help your parent if they fall or feel unwell
- Replace human care when someone truly needs hands-on support
- Guarantee that every problem will be caught
- Work reliably without internet (though some systems have mobile backup)
- Force a reluctant parent to accept monitoring
Technology supplements human care. It doesn’t replace it. For a fuller discussion of how smart home tech supports independent living, see our complete UK guide to smart home elderly care.
Common questions
Do I need technical skills to set this up?
No. Reputable providers offer guided setup support. With pre-configured devices and video guidance, you can position sensors in the right places and get everything working correctly. You shouldn’t need technical knowledge. The setup process is designed to be simple.
Ongoing support matters too. Choose a provider with a phone line you can call when something isn’t working right.
Will it work with my parent’s existing broadband?
Usually, yes. Most systems need a broadband connection, but they don’t require particularly fast speeds. Even basic broadband is fine for sensor data.
Some systems use mobile networks instead of or in addition to broadband. This provides backup if the internet goes down.
What about power cuts?
Good systems have battery backup in the hub and sensors. Basic monitoring can continue for several hours during a power cut. When power returns, everything reconnects automatically.
Pendant alarms typically use mobile networks, so they work even during broadband or power failures. The best approach combines smart home monitoring with a traditional pendant for genuine emergencies.
Is the data secure?
It should be. Any reputable UK provider must comply with GDPR and should encrypt all data. You should be able to see exactly who has access to your parent’s activity data and revoke access if needed.
Ask providers directly about their data security practices. Avoid anyone who is vague about where data is stored or who can access it.
How much does it cost?
Costs vary widely:
- Basic DIY systems: £100-300 for equipment, no ongoing fees (but family monitors everything)
- Mid-range professionally installed: £300-800 for equipment, £20-40 per month for monitoring
- Full systems with 24/7 response: £500-1,500 for equipment, £40-60 per month
Compare this to residential care at £800-1,400 per week. For most families, smart home care costs a fraction of the alternatives.
Some local councils provide basic telecare equipment free or subsidised for people who qualify. Contact your parent’s local authority to ask about support available in their area.
Getting started
If smart home elderly care sounds right for your family, the next step is assessing what your parent actually needs.
Our needs assessment walks you through the key questions: What are you worried about? What does your parent struggle with? What would make the biggest difference?
Or if you’d rather talk it through, book a free consultation to discuss your situation. No pressure, no jargon, just an honest conversation about what might help.
