What are the best bedroom gadgets for older people?

There are a growing number of gadgets available that have been designed to help older people and their carers with everyday tasks.

In bathrooms you can use a walk in shower, you can install stairlifts in your home, and there is a multitude of gadgets for the kitchen. In the future, many people are predicting that our homes will be able to perform actions with just a few voice controls.

As we spend a third of our lives in the bedroom, it is one room in a house where gadgets can really benefit your lives, especially if you are an older adult with mobility difficulties. Nowadays there are bedroom gadgets that can make your life easier by helping you sleep and get around the room.

Read on to find out about some of the smart bedroom gadgets that you or a loved one can benefit from.

The best bedroom gadgets for older adults

• Items for putting on clothing
• Light motion sensors
• Neck reading lights
• Adjustable beds
• Smart bedside table
• Hybrid duvets
• Smart blinds

Items for putting on clothing

Ageing bodies can mean that things you used to take for granted such as dressing in the morning can now become more of a chore. This is especially the case when you have to bend down to put on socks or shoes.

People who suffer from arthritis can suffer from weaknesses in the joints in their fingers and hands and this can make it a struggle to zip or button clothing like shirts and coats, whilst women could struggle putting on bras.

There are gadgets and items that can aid people who are struggling with putting their shoes and clothes on.

Shoehorns

For people that struggle to bend over, simple tasks such as putting on their shoes can become a chore. Problems with mobility, coordination or the effects of a stroke can all limit your ability to use your hands properly.

This problem has a very simple solution as a shoehorn is a great item to buy as you can use it to get your favourite shoes on.

Using a shoehorn is very simple as you just need to insert your toes into the front of the shoe and then hold the shoehorn in place against the heel of your footwear. The shoehorn then helps to glide your heel inside the shoe without the heel of the shoe collapsing and once your foot is comfortably inside the shoe, you can then just remove the shoehorn.

Sock helpers and aids

A sock aid or helper as they are also known can prolong independent living for those with mobility issues or a disability.

These independent dressing aids can help you to put on socks and reduce the risk of falling due to bending and stretching. There are a variety of designs and sizes available, and many come with additional functions.

There are aids that can help you put on compression stockings, tights and socks so make sure you do your research online to find something that suits your needs.

Button hooks

Button hooks or zips are another simple gadget that is simple to use but is an effective accessory to help you get dressed.

Buttons can become problematic for people who suffer from dexterity issues, but this clever dressing aid makes it much simpler for users to dress and undress without needing any assistance with fiddly button holes and small zips.

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Motion sensor night lights

Sometimes the smallest things can make a huge difference in your home. Many people have a night light in their room because it means they don’t have to fumble around in the dark, but with motion sensor night lights it takes things a step further.

Motion sensor lights are easy to install, energy-efficient, and most importantly they can give you comfort and security. Many motion sensors are bright, and their range of motion can range from anything between 5 to 25 feet so when you walk near the light it will brighten up the area you need.

Before buying a motion-activated night light you will need to think about its intended spot in the bedroom (do you want it near the bed or closer to the door), and you need to consider how bright of a light you need. You can find out the brightness of a product by checking how many lumens it has. The more lumens mean the brighter the light is, but typically a night light has around 10 lumens.

You can even pick a product that has a colourful light and one that is slightly easier on your eyes when you have just woken up.

Kathy Lawrence, the editor at When They Get Older, speaks about how supporting products can help older people and she recommends people install motion sensors in their bedrooms.

“Most people will say they want to stay in their own homes for as long as possible. To help them do that could mean installing all sorts of supporting products, technologies – and people. I strongly believe though these should be as inconspicuous in daily life as possible, and with the agreement of your family member wherever possible.

“There are numerous ways that we can help, and I think minimising the risk of ‘falls’ is really important because broken bones can be a real problem in later life. And night-time is a particular worry when it’s dark but your parent may well get out of bed several times a night to visit the bathroom or kitchen.

“The good news is that as well as the daily practical tools such as manual alarms if they do trip, there is now all sorts of intelligent automated devices to help. Motion sensors can light the way when they’re needed, but not disturb sleep. Other sensors can alert carers if a person gets out of bed and doesn’t return. There are even sensors that send out an alert if the kettle’s not been put on at the usual time. They’re all good but unobtrusive ways of taking care of a loved one.”

Neck reading lights

If you love reading in bed, then one of the simplest bedroom tech gadgets you can use is a neck reading light. Using short lasting battery-powered torches to read a book in bed are now a thing of the past and many people are now opting for a neck reading light instead of bedside lamps as they don’t interfere with others’ sleep.

Neck reading lights can be clipped onto your nightwear, but there are lights which you can put around your neck. These types of lights offer users a bright and exact illumination, and not only can they be used for reading, but they can also be used for knitting and drawing.

There are lots of different models out there and many have their own features such as various settings for different brightness levels and other models offering users the ability to move the light in a variety of ways.

ALSO READ: Life-changing technology for older people

Adjustable beds

Adjustable beds are one of the best bedroom gadgets for older people as they can help people who suffer from sore joints, mobility issues or other ailments to find a comfortable sleeping position.

There are various models and each bed has slightly different features. Some of the benefits of owning an adjustable bed is the fact it can elevate users to support their body with just a touch of a button and the various adjustable settings mean users can find a position that reduces any pain they are suffering from.

Smart bedside table

One of the more high-tech bedroom gadgets on the list is a smart bedside table. There are lots of different bedside tables available and what makes them ideal for older adults who suffer from mobility problems is that you can connect your phone to them through Bluetooth and can play your favourite music.

With built-in speakers, you can even answer your phone through the speakers and many models allow you to charge your phone as they have a wireless charging station that you can use. Smart bedside tables also have drawers so you can still store clothes and other bits and pieces in them.

By doing a bit of research you can find a smart bedside table that looks stylish and fits in with the design of your home.

The Tech Radar site is the source for tech buying advice and they recommend buying a smart bedside table.  Holly Brockwell says: “If you’ve got a Qi wireless charging phone, it’s worth getting one of these (smart bedside tables) just for the look on your favourite non-techy friend’s face when you show them. Putting your phone down on your bedside table to charge feels like the kind of magic we were promised in the future, and combining two things that are almost always together anyway makes so much sense. Far more sense than most smart home products.”

ALSO READ: 4 ways technology can improve your home

Hybrid duvets

Like many people, older adults can struggle to find their sleep temperature sweet spot and whilst sticking a leg out of the bed, rotating pillows and flipping the duvet may help in the short term, something you can do is to look at getting hybrid duvets.

What is a hybrid duvet? This is a commonly asked question, and a hybrid duvet is where one side is filled with duck down to make it soft and warm, and the other side is made with material and Stratos technology that helps to regulate your body temperature to ensure you are not too hot or too cold.

These types of duvets can absorb excess body heat and cool you down during the night and it releases the heat when you are feeling a bit chilly.

Smart blinds

One of the best smart bedroom gadgets that you can get is smart blinds. With this device, you don’t have to worry about opening or closing blinds ever again.

With smart blinds, you can control them with a click of a button, via an app on your mobile phone, or through voice control through one of your smart devices. Smart blinds are perfect for people with mobility issues that struggle to reach up and shut their blinds or for those hard-to-reach windows.

You can even time your electric blinds to open, close or tilt at a certain time of the day or night. There are smart blinds which allow you to control them when you are out and about.

Air purifiers

One of the best bedroom gadgets you can use is an air purifier and these gadgets have developed over the years. On top of acting as a fan and heater, many models can now capture bacteria, dust and allergens to clean the air in your bedroom.

Like many bedroom tech gadgets, the latest models have developed from the older versions and can now purify the whole room so you can sleep knowing your bedroom’s air quality is good.

Many newer models of air purifiers have a night mode and sleep timer functions, so it is quiet during the night, and they also have a voice control or allow you to control it through an app. That means you can control it from your bed, so you don’t have to get up during the night to switch it on or off.

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This guide includes some of the best bedroom gadgets that can help you get a good night’s sleep and will help people with mobility issues create a fully accessible bedroom.

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