Family & Tech: How to Monitor Mom and Dad Without Becoming Big Brother --- In-home sensors and location trackers can help families keep tabs on aging loved ones

“Living apart from an aging parent brings worries: How do you know if mom or dad has fallen? Did they get to their destination safely? What if they wandered off?

 

The recent disappearance of Nancy Guthrie has brought these worries to the forefront. While an abduction is a rare event, falling and getting lost are common problems for older people, and quickly getting help for a relative in need is critical.

 

There are devices and services that allow family members to keep tabs on their loved ones remotely, and receive instant notifications if something has gone wrong. But there are also barriers that might stop you from adopting these technologies.

 

For one thing, loved ones don't necessarily want their home to become a house-arrest situation, with cameras pointed in all directions and sensors and alarms on every door. As a result, newer, more subtle technologies for monitoring -- in-home radar instead of cameras, wearables that provide other benefits, and only trigger alerts when there's a real emergency -- are gaining in popularity.

 

That's why any decisions to introduce new technology should be accompanied by a discussion of privacy and well-being.

 

Despite all the progress, there's currently no single, overarching solution.

 

"Do you want to manage 15 different apps and get 15 different notifications?" says Andy Miller, senior vice president of AARP's AgeTech Collaborative, a business accelerator program.

 

He suggests choosing two or three services that can provide immediate updates on loved ones.

 

Here's a look at the most popular options for both in and out of the home.

 

Wearables, cameras

 

It often pays to start with a wearable that provides multiple benefits, including fall detection and emergency-contact alerts. Most newer Apple Watch models, some Garmin smartwatches and some Samsung Galaxy Watch models offer this.

 

While these devices can be useful both in the home and when the person is out and about, they also need to be kept charged, which can be a liability, says Miller.

 

Security cameras can detect motion inside or outside, so family members can quickly find out if an aging relative with cognitive issues has left home.

 

However, people aren't always fans of cameras and some experts are concerned about how long makers of internet-based cameras retain the footage, and who can access it. It's longer than we might think.

 

In-home sensors

 

Pontosense developed a radar system that it says can accurately detect a person's movement and vital signs from 20 feet away. It doesn't use cameras or microphones. Families usually install one small device in the corner of each of three rooms in a house -- the bedroom, bathroom and main living area.

 

"It's a passive thing in the background," says Travis Peterson, Pontosense's chief commercial officer, adding that the company doesn't store any data related to a customer's movement or activity.

 

In its app, fall-alert notifications are on by default, but families can choose to get alerts when their loved one has entered or left a room, gotten out of bed or been to the shower.

 

A weekly report details the person's sleep habits and mobility. If he or she gets up frequently at night, it might recommend night lights. If a decline in mobility is detected, it might suggest a walker.

 

The system can also be used to alert a call center, which can contact emergency services.

 

The cost of the do-it-yourself kit ranges from $500 to $900 depending on how many radar nodes a customer buys.

 

There is a monthly charge of approximately $65 for the app-related services, including any calls to the emergency center.

 

For Comcast customers who lease an Advanced Xfinity Gateway modem, there's an integrated Wi-Fi motion sensor.

 

By monitoring disturbances in the Wi-Fi networking signal, the system can notify you when someone has entered or exited the home at certain times of day or night, for example.

 

Location tracking

 

It's one thing to know how an aging relative is doing inside, but it can be more worrying when they leave the house. Some families have used the low-cost option of AirTags to track loved ones when they go for a stroll.

 

A more comprehensive option is Life360, the location-sharing app popularized by parents who want to keep tabs on their teen drivers.

 

The company has seen a shift in recent years, as more grandparents have joined their family on the app, outpacing the growth of other age groups.

 

The company introduced a new no-show alert last fall: Parents set an expected school arrival time and it notifies them if their child doesn't show up. Now adults are using that feature to ensure their own parents get to doctors' appointments and other places on time, says Life360 Chief Executive Lauren Antonoff.

 

For aging relatives who are still driving, family members can receive reports of sudden stops or fast accelerations as well as a notification of a crash.

 

"We hear from a lot of families getting more comfortable with their teens going out into the world, but they're becoming less comfortable with their parents going out," Antonoff says, adding that Life360 is investigating new ways to cater to an aging population.

 

Getting around

 

For older adults who no longer drive, GoGoGrandparent offers car pickups that can be requested by phone, and provides family members with notifications about the trip.

 

Ride-share services Uber and Lyft now also offer services for seniors.

 

Lyft Silver has a simpler app with larger text and icons, phone support and the ability to request a car that is easy to get in and out of. Uber's senior accounts work through a family profile, letting people book rides for their aging relatives and receive live trip updates.

 

The Uber app also has a Simple mode with larger text and fewer buttons.

 

AARP's Miller says there's no shortage of gadgets to help older adults stay in their homes safely, but we're still far from an easy fix. "The future is, how do we get all of these things to talk to each other and get one notification?" he says.” [1]

 

1. Family & Tech: How to Monitor Mom and Dad Without Becoming Big Brother --- In-home sensors and location trackers can help families keep tabs on aging loved ones. Jargon, Julie.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 23 Feb 2026: A10.