Start with the task, not the device
Technology is useful when it solves a problem the person recognises and can use comfortably. The starting point might be calling family, remembering appointments, asking for help at home or avoiding unwanted calls. Ask about preferences, hearing, sight, dexterity, confidence and internet access. A simpler option or a written routine may work better than adding another device.
For safety equipment, clarify what it can and cannot do. A personal alarm may call a monitoring centre or chosen contacts, but it does not prevent every incident. How personal alarms work explains response plans, coverage and costs. If a landline is unavailable, alarms without a landline covers the connection questions to ask before deciding.
Voice-operated help may make selected tasks easier, while still needing a backup for urgent support. Smart speakers and voice assistants covers setup, access and privacy. Online grocery shopping explains safe account access, substitutions and delivery planning.
For simpler everyday calls, easier-to-use phones covers buttons, hearing and sight features, and questions about digital landlines.
Check how help will reach the person
Before choosing an alarm or phone, test it in the places it will be used and make sure the person can charge, wear or operate it. Agree who responds to alerts and what happens if the first contact is unavailable. Automatic fall detection may miss some falls or raise an alert when one has not happened, so keep a human response plan. Automatic fall detectors and their limits can help you compare how these systems work.
A phone should be comfortable to hold, easy to see and clear enough to hear. Set up only the features the person wants, and practise calling a trusted contact and emergency services. Choosing a simple mobile phone covers practical considerations. Tablets and video calling covers accessible setup, national health apps, digital skills support and online safety. For current national portals, features and formal family access, see NHS App and online health services. Review settings together rather than taking over the person’s account or private messages.
Reduce pressure and protect privacy
Scams often rely on urgency, secrecy or impersonation. Agree a simple pause-and-check routine: end unexpected calls, use a trusted number to call an organisation back, and do not share passwords or one-time codes. Discuss how the person wants support if they receive a worrying message, without blaming them for responding to a convincing approach. Romance and impersonation scams explains how to check a family emergency, avoid ‘safe account’ pressure and report a payment. For uninvited visitors, doorstep scams and rogue traders explains how to verify a caller, refuse pressure and report concerns.
Keep devices updated where practical, use strong separate passwords and ask a trusted person or local service for help with settings. The right level of support is the one the person consents to and can sustain. Revisit it if a phone, network, home or contact changes, and make sure they know how to ask for help if the technology fails.