Smart home monitoring services for the elderly can transform independent living for older people, and give peace of mind to families, particularly for those who live some distance away from their parents.
Elderly home monitoring works through passive sensors placed around the home. These send updates about the user’s activity and wellbeing to designated friends and family, as well as monitoring centres in some cases. It is a great way of providing peace of mind for all parties when monitoring elderly parents’ welfare remotely.
Home monitoring services can identify changes in your relative’s usual behaviour. If your Mum is a stickler for a cup of early morning tea at 7am, then if she doesn’t use the kettle one morning – for whatever reason – a sensor will let you know.
For many, home monitoring systems offer a cost effective alternative to in-person care. They allow your parent’s to live the same as they enjoy doing at the moment, with the added reassurance that they are safe doing so. This is especially the case if your elderly relative has recently been diagnosed with dementia.
We have also picked out the best home monitoring systems currently available in the UK.
Sentai - Smart companion
Recommended by Age Space
Sentai isn’t like other traditional monitoring systems. It acts more like a friendly assistant and companion to your loved one to help with remembering to take medication and other tasks, to allow family members to check up on their loved one throughout the day and to provide a way for elderly relatives to call for help without needing to use a phone.
Alan & Anne's thoughts
"Sentai gave me space to have normal conversations with Dad instead of sounding like a checklist. There are helpful, personal reminders, movement alerts, messaging options."
Before Sentai, Anne would have to call Alan 5 minutes before his laughing yoga, or before any other Zoom appointment Alan had. Anne was able to set up Sentai to do this instead which worked perfectly.
Read the full review using the purple button below.
How it works
Sentai runs on it's own smart speaker system, alongside a motion sensor, to provide companionship and reminders. It offers daily check-ins, wellbeing support, and real-time updates through a connected app – keeping users safe, families reassured, and care teams informed all without compromising your privacy or freedom.
Reassurance
Simply open the app and you will be able to see when your loved one last moved past the sensor(s), checked in with Sentai, took their medication, got up and went to bed.
Reminders
You and your family are able to create bespoke reminders for anything at any time. Whether its time to take the pill with lunch, take the bins out or ring the Doctor you can be assured that Sentai will help your loved one remember and so remain safe and independent.
Call for Help
Should your loved one every need help, Sentai can help them reach you without the use of a phone. They simply tell Sentai what is wrong and it will send an alert directly to your phone.
How much does it cost?
With an annual plan costing £294, customers receive a £60 discount, to pay an equivalent of £24.50 per month.
On a monthly rolling contract, the cost is £29.50 per month.
Sentai offers a 30-day money back guarantee, and leases the product to the customer for the duration of the contract.
We think it is great value because it solves a few problems in one. It can be used like a personal alarm (£170 +), a smart home monitoring system (£350+), a pill reminder system (£20) and it does it all in a way that breaks up the day for lonely people with a friendly voice. It can delay the need for extra help or care and keep older people living independently for longer, while providing reassurance to families.
A personal alarm: Taking Care
Another direction is a wearable personal alarm. Mobile personal alarms, like the Taking Care watch mean the wearer’s location can always be found, and they can press a button for help if they ever need it.
How it works
Simply wear the watch, charge it every week or so, and you have the reassurance that the wearer will never get lost or be unable to call for help. Pressing the SOS button calls a 24/7 response centre who will ask what's happened and send the most suitable support.
Safe Zones
With the Dementia version of this watch, you can set up Safe Zones that send automatic updates if the watch enters or leaves a particular area that you determine.
24/7 Monitored
Taking Care's 24/7, TSA-accredited monitoring team are always on hand to offer support.
How much does it cost?
There is a one-off set up cost is £99.99 and then it's £24.99 / month
SECOM Smart Wellness
SECOM Smart Wellness is the best of both worlds when it comes to security and reassurance. This package makes the most of SECOM’s market leading home security tech and combines it with a holistic and ultra-customisable approach to reassurance.
You also get the full view of your relative’s safety and wellbeing in the palm of your hand with their clear and intuitive app.
Sam's Experience
Sam is a verified SECOM Smart Wellness customer:
"SECOM’s Wellness has been a saviour for me. My mum has early onset dementia, so it’s been a challenging time for us. But SECOM puts my mind at ease. They have a great system that keeps us connected all the time, and intelligent with its alerts and reporting. I can now see her routine and if she’s been having restless nights or not eating, things like that. Also if anything is out of the ordinary, like if she leaves the front door open. We have set it up how we want so it does most of the work for us and mum is able to get the support and independence she needs to live a safer life."
Tailored to your needs
Customisability is the order of the day with SECOM Smart Wellness. Your system is built based on what you need from it. For example, most monitoring packages choose not to include cameras as an option as they may seem intrusive - however SECOM gives you the power to choose.
A powerful app
With the (free) accompanying app you are able to instantly check up on your relative's safety and wellbeing. The app will also alert you if anything is remiss.
How much does it cost?
As the SECOM is fully tailored to your needs (and wants) there is no stock price for the equipment. Click the link below to start a quote.
SECOM CareTech Care Alert
Care Alert by SECOM CareTech is a smart home monitoring system cum intruder alarm. It allows you to monitor your loved one’s welfare while protecting their property from would-be intruders.
The Care Alert system works by monitoring movement, door activity and temperature changes using four discreet sensors placed around the house (more sensors can be added to your package if required).
24/7 Monitoring for safety and security
The sensors feed back to an app and SECOM’s 24-hour Alarm Receiving Centre. If the system detects an extended period of inactivity while the user is at home, or the alarm is triggered by an intruder while the user is out of the house, the system will alert friends, family and a trained team of security experts, giving multiple emergency contacts the opportunity to respond.
You will receive an alert if there is any unusual activity in your loved one’s home. This could be an emergency such as a fall, a break-in attempt, or a specific event such as your loved one forgetting to take their medication.
CareTech’s Care Alert system includes 24/7 professional monitoring. If you’re ever unavailable during an emergency, SECOM’s resolution team will provide the practical support and reassurance your loved one needs.
What you need to know
- 4 sensors included
- Additional sensors available
- Professional installation
- 24/7 monitored by professional monitoring team
- Includes an app that displays data and regular updates on wellbeing
- External security alarm included
- Does not require Wi-Fi to work
How much does it cost?
The SECOM CareTech Care Alert 4 sensor package costs £879.40 for the first year. There is then a monthly subscription fee starting from £29.78 in the second year.
Total first year cost excluding VAT: From £879.40.
This is equivalent to £16.91 per week for year one, reducing to £6.87 thereafter.
Taking Care Safe Home Alert
Taking Care’s Safe Home Alert is a smart home monitoring service for the elderly which is monitored 24/7 by Taking Care’s expert team. The Safe Home Alert includes 5 motion and room temperature sensors, 2 door sensors, a fridge sensor and 2 smart plugs for the kettle and microwave. The Safe Home Alert also includes a personal alarm and professional installation.
Learns routines and can help catch health issues early
Safe Home Alert is powered by Anthropos' powerful Artificial Intelligence platform, which understands your relative’s usual routines and provides you and your loved one with valuable insights about changes in their behaviour. For example, a smart plug can measure how often the kettle boils. If your relative is boiling their kettle much less than usual, they may be dehydrated. If they are boiling it many times in a row, it could be an early sign of memory problems. You can use these insights, viewed on a secure website, to manage your relative’s health and care needs.
Alerts 24/7 response team in case of emergency
If an emergency alert is detected by the Safe Home Alert - or the alarm is activated - the Taking Care Emergency Resolution team will be automatically notified. They will provide reassurance and support to your relative when called, notify relatives, and escalate the alarm to emergency services when necessary.
There are no microphones, cameras, wiring or electrical work necessary.
What you need to know
8 sensors included
- 2 smart plugs included
- Professional installation
- Professional 24/7 monitoring
- Data visible to the family
- Personal alarm included
- No mobile app or external intruder alarm
- Wi-Fi required to work
How much does it cost?
The annual cost of the Taking Care Home Alert system is £479.88 including a one-off set-up fee of £199.99 (so following years will be cheaper). This also includes the monthly cost of monitoring.
Total first year cost excluding VAT: £679.87.
This is equivalent to £13.42 per week for year one, reducing to £9.23 per week thereafter.
Book a Free Home Demo
For a limited time
For a limited time, Taking Care are offering free, no obligation in-home demo of their Safe Home Alert system. This is not a sales pitch, just a chance to see how this technology works and to ask any questions that you have directly to an expert.
Something more familiar?
Personal Alarms have been helping reassure families for over 10 years and might be an easier sell to elderly parents if they’ve heard about them. They are little wearable pendants or wrist watches that, in their simplest form, have an SOS button for them to press in case of emergency.
Other terms are sometimes used for elderly home monitoring services. These include 'telecare', 'assistive tech', 'connected care' and 'technology-enabled care'. The more sophisticated home monitoring systems listed here go beyond traditional telecare in their use of technology to keep the elderly safe.
Frequently asked questions about elderly home monitoring services
Do home monitoring services for the elderly use cameras or microphones?
None of the home monitoring products and services listed here use cameras or microphones. They all offer an unobtrusive solution for monitoring elderly parents remotely.
Are elderly monitoring services expensive?
The price of smart home monitoring services and systems has to be considered in comparison to alternative care options.
Home care monitoring is a more expensive solution than for example a personal alarm due to the hardware costs. However, it provides a service beyond that of traditional telecare.
When compared to the cost of a care home, day care or live-in care, home monitoring is considerably more affordable.
Is there funding available for a monitoring system for elderly in the home?
There is funding available for elderly home monitoring in some circumstances. Telecare can be offered as part of a package of funded care for people living at home.
Find out more about paying for elderly home monitoring from our guide to care funding.
Can anybody other than the family access the information?
The beyond-basic telecare companies listed here are all fully compliant with privacy regulations. Data is stored in the cloud and encrypted.
Nobody other than the family or relevant assigned authority bodies can access the information. When home monitoring services are used by home care providers, their carers will usually also have access to the information.
Telecare monitoring services do not pass the data from their elderly monitoring devices on to third parties.
Are home monitoring services helpful for people with dementia?
Elderly home care monitoring can be very helpful for elderly people living with dementia.
If you have worries about your relative with dementia remembering to eat, turning the heating on, or wandering in the night, then passive home monitoring can let you know immediately if they require support, or a phone call to remind them.
Do elderly home monitoring services require WiFi?
Some monitoring systems for the elderly require WiFi, and others use 2G.
Age Space thoroughly researches all products and services based on the following criteria: Cost, availability, reviews/recommendation, company accreditation and regulation.
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