15 tech gifts that older people will actually use

Ask friends what kind of tech gift you should get for your parent, grandparent, or another older person in your life, and chances are you’ll 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 they’ll 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. That’s where modern smartwatches come in. Many flagship smartwatches have built-in fall detection, ensuring that the wearer’s 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:

Item trackers to help find belongings

As we get older, we naturally become more forgetful—unable 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:

Robotic vacuum cleaners to ease the housework

The older we get, the more effort it seems to take to do the same household chores we’ve done throughout our lives. Who wouldn’t want a helping hand with the house cleaning? A robotic vacuum cleaner under the tree could really put a smile on your loved one’s 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:

Tablets, for easy email and web browsing

While age is never a determining factor in someone’s 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 smartphone’s 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:

E-readers to make reading more convenient

The retirement years offer lots of time for reading. And that’s 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. That’s 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: