Marion Murray is 93 and lives in assisted living. Her daughter Karen uses JubileeTV to check on her remotely. Marion has fallen many times and once put dish soap in her water. Lori Bufka's mother was paying $5,200 a month for assisted living before Lori bought a tiny home next door and installed tech.
That monthly bill evaporates retirement savings as fast as a leaky faucet. Technology presents a more affordable route, functioning as an easy-to-implement approach that requires minimal effort.
Families are turning to technology because traditional care is expensive. That sum can drain retirement savings fast.
Technology offers a cheaper alternative. Monthly subscriptions often run around $100.
For example, JubileeTV costs $39 per month after a $789 all-in fee. Some Samsung appliances cost over $3,000 - still far less than a single month of assisted living.
Robots like ElliQ act as companions. For 12 years, Lucinda Page, 69, has shared her home with a partner, and for the last four years, also with a robotic companion. Her county's aging department provided the talking table-top orb at no cost. It reminds her to take medications.
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Samsung's SmartThings platform connects appliances. Head Mark Benson says the goal is "to support, not replace, human relationships." Some smart appliances cost over $3,000.
JubileeTV lets family members watch what a senior sees on screen and talk to them. Karen Murray uses it to stop her mother from doing unsafe things.
Karen said, "She's fiercely independent. "She thinks she doesn't need any help. She does"."
Marion Murray says, "I'm just hoping that I can last as long as I can."
Not all seniors adopt tech easily. A warning comes from Yu Sun, who leads the University of South Florida's Center for Innovation: "If it's difficult to use, they will not use it. "They may install a certain app and use it this year, but next year, they may not be able to keep up"." Sara Czaja from Weill Cornell Medicine says the field is growing but some efforts are "seat-of-your-pants, opportunist."
Privacy concerns and overreliance are risks. Families must balance monitoring with independence. Frank Engelman, 82, tests these tools. He says, "Helping others is what I really do this for, not so much for myself."
Costs will need to come down for wider adoption. The market of 61 million older Americans is only growing. Technology won't replace human care, but it can reduce stress and expense for millions of families.
The demographic shift means more retirees face the same dilemma - how to afford both care and a home. Products that already exist, like motion sensors, medication dispensers, and voice-activated assistants, are being adapted for senior safety. Even simple upgrades, such as automatic stove shut-offs and smart doorbells, can prevent accidents and delay the need for institutional care. This growing ecosystem gives families options that did not exist a decade ago.
The growing number of older adults means that technology designed for independent living will become increasingly essential. As families seek ways to manage care costs without sacrificing quality of life, these devices offer a practical bridge between independence and safety.
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