Technology Helps Older Adults Stay Home. Who Helps with the Technology?
Most of what gets written about technology and aging-in-place is about what the device can do. A story out of Maine this month asks a better question: who gets the device, and who shows them how to use it?
The Portland Press Herald reported on October 17 about two Maine programs. Lifelong Maine has put 606 free Echo Dot smart speakers into homes across the state, focused on people over 65. Within two months of getting them, 72% of recipients said they felt comfortable using them. Separately, Maine CITE, the state's assistive technology program, nearly doubled its device loans between 2023 and 2025, to 994 a year, on an annual budget of $510,000 that comes entirely from federal funds.
What the Maine Numbers Show, and What They Don't
This is one state, reported by one newspaper. I have read the article, not the program data behind it, so treat these figures as a local data point and not a national finding. The 72% measures comfort, not outcomes. It says nothing about safety or health.
Comfort still matters. Patricia Oh, who founded the Lifelong Maine program, told the Press Herald: "If they're comfortable using the device now, they're going to be more comfortable using it when they might need it more." That is a plain, practical idea. People adopt technology when it is already part of their day, not when a crisis hands it to them.
The Access Gap Is the Real Story
The same article reports that about 9,000 Maine homes and businesses had no access to internet service or technology of any kind as of late 2024, according to the Maine Connectivity Authority. It also notes that the state projects nearly 75,000 more residents age 65 and older by 2032.
Put those two facts next to the program results and the pattern is clear. Free devices work when someone can connect them and someone teaches the user. A device in a home with no reliable internet, or with no one to help, is a box on a shelf. Funding, connectivity, and training decide who benefits, and those are not evenly spread.
The Home Is the Platform
To be clear, this section is my professional reading, not something the article reported. The Maine devices were handed out through a volunteer-supported program, not installed by home modification professionals, and the story does not discuss the houses themselves.
But I look at that program and see the questions my field asks every day. Where does the speaker sit so the person can reach it and hear it from the chair they actually use? Is there an outlet there? Does the wireless signal reach the bedroom? Is the lighting in the hallway something a voice command can help with, or does it need rewiring first? None of that is about the gadget. It is about how a person lives in a specific house.
Where Each Professional Fits
An occupational therapist can match a device to how someone really performs their daily routines, and can tell the difference between technology a client will use and technology a family wishes they would use. A remodeler can add outlets, run wiring, and improve lighting while the walls are already open. A designer can place and integrate devices so the home still looks like theirs. A real estate professional can help families think about connectivity and setup when a move is on the table.
None of us needs to be a technology expert. We need to ask who will set it up, who will teach the user, and what happens when it stops working.
Starting Simple
For families, the best first step is small. Before buying any device for a parent, ask three questions. Will they actually use it? Does the home have the internet and outlets it needs? And who will help when something goes wrong? If you can answer all three, you have a plan. If you cannot, you have found the real work.
If you specify or install technology in client homes, CAPS certification training covers how to match solutions to the person and the house. Current course dates are on the training page.
Fritzi Gros-Daillon, MS, CAPS, SHSS, is an NAHB Master Instructor and 2019 NAHB Educator of the Year. She teaches CAPS courses nationwide.
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