Seniors are often not the technophobes some people might think they are. They love tech too, including phones, tablets, and cameras, and there are devices that can make seniors' lives a little easier — help them manage their health, find misplaced items, or manage online passwords. We found plenty of products that are not only easy for seniors to use, but that they are sure to appreciate.
Est. Price: $30 | Buy them on Amazon
Not only do these earbuds sound good, they include three sizes of interchangeable gel tips and "Cush Fins" to fit a variety of ears just right. The earbuds have a built-in mic so they can be used with a smartphone, and hand-free music control.
Est. Price: $60 | Buy it on Amazon
For seniors who prefer a classic cell phone to a smartphone, there's the Jitterbug flip. This simple phone has an easy-to-read display, speaker, a simple menu, and a 5Star Urgent Response button. Plans start at $15 a month.
Est. Price: $35 | Buy it on Amazon
Opening a jar can be a challenge for young and old alike. This device fits a variety of jars and opens them with the press of a button. Consider this for any arthritis sufferer in your life.
Est. Price: $25 | Buy it from Tile
Everyone loses their keys (and other things) once in awhile. The Tile Mate finds them. Its app is easy to use, and the tile itself is small, with a practical design. Simply attach it to a keychain or anything else you're prone to lose. A four-pack is $60, and there's also a find-your-phone function.
Est. Price: $29 | Buy it on Amazon
Video chatting is a convenient way to catch up with the grandkids, or far-flung friends. This super cheap webcam has high-definition video quality and is easy to use, with no drivers to install. It works easily with a number of applications, including Skype.
Est. Price: $48 | Buy it from LastPass
One big challenge for seniors (and the rest of us, honestly) is keeping track of passwords. With LastPass, there's only one master password to remember. LastPass takes care of the rest — password generation as well as automatically logging in. LastPass is available for smartphones and tablets as well as PCs, for protection regardless of the device being used. A six-user premium family package is $48 annually.
Est. Price: Starting at $25 a month | Buy it from MobileHelp
Seniors can send an alert for help with the press of a button from a base station, wrist button, or neck pendant with MobileHelp. The base station includes a speaker and mic to communicate with company professionals when needed. No landline, network, or cell contract is required. An optional fall detection system is $10 per month.
Est. Price: Starting at $40 a month | Buy it from MedMinder
Seniors with medications to manage every day will appreciate MedMinder's reminders of when to open a pill compartment. The device's built-in cell service connects to a monitoring station, so no phone or wireless network is needed. You can also buy refill trays that can be swapped in and out as needed.
Est. Price: $53 | Buy it from Walmart
One of the most popular fitness trackers, this device has a backlit, easy-to-read display and exceptional battery life. It's also waterproof, so it doesn't have to come off for showers or wading. The Vivofit 3 can track sleep as well as steps and calories burned, includes a stopwatch feature, and detects when you go from one activity to another for more accurate fitness data.
Est. Price: $78 | Buy it from Walmart
We all love our HDTVs, but audio quality can leave something to be desired. Simply plug the Vizio soundbar in with the included cable and turn it on for a big quality boost.
Est. Price: $80 | Buy it on Amazon
This is one of the easiest tablets to use, and one of the cheapest. It has speakers and a bright screen, and includes integration with services such as Amazon Prime Video. For a tablet under $100, this is the one to get.
Est. Price: $80 | Buy it on Amazon
To use this simple, affordable frame with excellent display, just plug in a simple USB stick or SD card to upload photos and videos. It's Mac and PC compatible, has a speaker for when videos play, and comes with a remote control and 8GB USB stick.
Est. Price: $80 (with special offers) | Buy it on Amazon
The popular Kindle is a good gift for seniors who like to read. It's easy to use, and a massive library of books ensures there will always be interesting reading on hand. The screen is quick and responsive, and font sizes are adjustable.
Est. Price: $75 | Buy it from Walmart
The Jitterbug Smart is a smartphone for seniors based on a simplified Android interface and including a dedicated 5Star Urgent Response button for emergencies. The phone has medical-related apps such as MedCoach, which can give reminders to take medication and refill prescriptions. Seniors can also use the phone to record medical history and other information to share with doctors.
Est. Price: $99 | Buy it from CardioArm
Blood pressure monitoring is essential to seniors' health, and QardioArm makes taking readings easy, not to mention giving reminders to take those readings in the first place. It saves data to share with doctors or family members and detects irregular heartbeats, and the included app creates charts and graphs of recorded medical data.
Est. Price: $130 | Buy it from Kohl's
The Charge 2 has a large display with easy-to-read OLED technology to check results from tracked activities such as steps, stair-climbing, and sleep, and includes a timed-breathing app and an always-on heart rate monitor. It can run for five days on a single charge.
Est. Price: $150 | Buy it from Best Buy
Working with a digital camera can be intimidating, but this affordable, pocket-sized camera with face detection has automatic shooting modes for a variety of situations, frames portraits automatically, and has optical image stabilization to reduce blurring from camera shake. The camera has Wi-Fi and NFC support to transfer photos easily to a computer.
Est. Price: $150 | Buy it from B&H Photo Video
One of the easiest car GPS systems to use also comes with free lifetime map and traffic updates. It has a colorful, easy-to-read 5-inch display and provides driver alerts for a number of events, such as speed changes and railroad crossings.
Est. Price: $148 | Buy it from Home Depot
This video doorbell, which works with Amazon's Alexa and Google Nest, records at high resolution (video clips are stored in the cloud for one week at no cost) and even zooms in on whomever's at the door. It needs to be hardwired like a regular doorbell, but installation isn't particularly difficult, and the Skybell app is easy to use too.
Est. Price: $199 | Buy it on Amazon
Detect when someone approaches your door, and see who's there without leaving your seat — even when not at home. The device isn't hard to install, thanks to its removable battery, and the battery is easy to recharge. Users can save recorded videos with a $30 yearly cloud subscription.
Est. Price: $200 | Buy it on Amazon
Good robot vacuum cleaners tend to be pricey, but the Deebot cleans well for a considerably lower price. This industrious robot cleans hardwood floors and carpets well, and users can control it with a remote control or phone app.
Est. Price: $180 | Buy it from Best Buy
Samsung's 10-inch tablet has powerful hardware considering its price, a slim design that makes the device easy to hold, long battery life, and an easy-to-navigate interface. A version with an S Pen is $50 more, letting users write, draw, and tap on the tablet.
Est. Price: $249 | Buy it from Loop
Share photos and videos with other Loop users right from a smartphone. Simple controls (including voice control) make sharing and video chatting a breeze, and the box can also be used to watch content from the Internet. There's a four-hour battery for roaming. Due to high demand, the Loop is on backorder until winter 2018.
Est. Price: $219 | Buy it on Amazon
A good smart TV can give access to thousands of TV shows and movies, and Roku's interface is the best of the bunch. The remote has very few buttons, but works well. The TV itself is a 1080p model with a nice display and three ports for plugging in other devices.
Est. Price: $20 | Buy it from Amazon
This electronic password device allows the user to remember just one password to access all others. The data is protected using AES256 encryption. What separates this device from others is it isn't connected to the internet, so it can't be hacked.
