In this article, we have reviewed the best video calling device for elderly. If you are in a hurry, the table below gives a quick snapshot of the top ones.
Contents
Are your parents or grandparents living alone? In America, 27% of adults over the age of 60 are living alone.[1]. This percentage of aging alone is higher than that in any other country.
While it is good to have independence and to be able to live with respect and dignity, many adults do suffer from frequent bouts of loneliness and associated depression.
Studies show that more than nearly a third of adults above the age of 45 feel lonely, and more alarmingly, nearly one in every four adults above the age of 65 are socially isolated [2]
Loneliness and social isolation are not matters which you can casually ignore. These problems are health risks that can lead to a higher chance of medical conditions such as dementia and Alzheimer’s.
On the other hand, who has the time to go and meet their parents? We all lead busy lives, where most of our time is devoted to working, and whatever little we get back we would like to spend with our children and better halves.
Thankfully, there is a very simple solution. In today’s day and age, video calls are a great way of staying connected.
You can chat or call with your loved ones and family members from anywhere in the world in a matter of a few minutes. To have these conversations with them, both you and your loved ones must have a smart and functional video calling device.
Let us have a look at the best video calling device for elderly. These devices are simple to use and help them stay connected and feel part of the social interactions.
Our Top Choice – Amazon Echo 5 Show
The Echo Show 5 (1st Gen, 2019 release) -- Smart display with Alexa – stay connected with video calling - Charcoal is our top choice for Best Video Calling Device For Elderly, because of the following reasons:
- Suitable for video calling and messaging.
- Voice-activated operation
- Useful for entertainment purposes.
- High definition display.
- Kid-friendly child lock.
- Voice controllable.
Best Video Calling Device For Elderly
#1 Amazon Echo 5 Show
The Amazon Echo show is among the best video calling devices for the elderly as you can instantly connect with your friends and family with this device. This device is suitable for video calling or messaging your loved ones.
Features and Benefits
- Entertaining: This Echo device can connect with the Amazon fire tv stick. You can stream the top movies and tv shows on the echo device by using this feature. The Amazon fire stick includes the top streaming platforms.
- Display: This device has a 5.5 inches wide high definition display. You can maintain your privacy with this device as well. The camera and the microphone of this device will switch off completely with a button’s single push. You will also get a camera shutter to block the camera.
- Voice Control: This device is compatible with the Amazon ‘Alexa’ smart system. Using this feature, you can control this calling device with your voice and speech. Alexa would respond to your commands as it recognizes your speech.
- Kid-Friendly: This video calling device is suitable for kids and young adults. It has a special child lock feature, and you can use this feature to set the age limit on the content that is visible and accessible to your child.
Why should you buy it?
You should buy this video calling device as it is pretty simple to connect and use. The elderly wouldn’t face any difficulties in using this device due to its simple operating nature.
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#2 Amazon Fire Tablet
The Amazon Fire tablet has a wide 10 inches wide display, and it has a high definition screen that can stream videos or movies in 1080 pixels high definition quality. You can watch all the best movies and tv shows on this tablet from the top platforms that include Netflix, amazon prime, Disney+, and so on.
Features and Benefits
- Video Calling: This tablet is also suitable for high-quality video calling as it contains a dual-band connection with enhanced Wi-Fi features. Video calls on this device have better audio and video quality.
- Powerful: This tablet is 30% faster than the traditional video calling devices. It has a 2.0 GHz octa-core processor with 2 GB RAM. The internal memory on this tablet is customizable. You either get the 32 GB variant or the 64 GB variant.
- Long Battery: This Fire Tablet has a long battery life on which this video calling device can run for up to 12 hours. For these 12 hours, you can chat, call, browse the web, watch movies or TV shows on this tablet.
- Charging: This tablet has a USB-C type port. This unique port can quickly charge the tablet. This tablet will fully charge in way less time than your average video calling devices.
Why should you buy it?
You should buy the Amazon tablet if you are looking for a reasonable and functional device for your elderly or kids. This tablet is not very expensive and possesses most of the features that a video calling device must-have.
#3 Amazon Echo Show Second Gen
The Amazon Echo show is a very convenient device to use for the elderly. This device is completely compatible with the Amazon Alexa. The Amazon Alexa allows you to control all the smart devices in your home through voice commands.
Features and Benefits
- Video Calls: You can make video calls with exceptional video and audio quality due to this device. This feature helps the elderly as they can connect with their friends and families with this video calling device.
- Entertainment: The wide 10.1 inches high definition display on this calling device also serves as an ideal entertainment source. You can link this device with your fire stick to stream the best movies and TV shows on the echo device.
- Child Control: If you have young adults or children at home, then you can even set a child control on this device. This child lock restricts or blocks all the inappropriate content from the web and only displays the content that falls under the age limit.
- Maintains Privacy: This video calling device ensures that your privacy is maintained at all times. You can disconnect the microphone and the speaker with a single click of a button. You can also block the view of the front camera by using a shutter.
Why should you buy it?
This Amazon echo has a unique ambient lighting feature. This ambient lighting helps the person to have a peaceful sleep. Any person suffering from insomnia or sleeplessness can benefit from this feature of the Amazon echo.
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#4 Facebook Portal Video Calling Device
The Facebook Portal is one of the best video calling devices for the elderly as voice controllable. The portal calling device is compatible with Amazon Alexa, allowing you to operate this device with your speech.
Features and Benefits
- Video Calling: This device has a smart calling feature. This feature controls the camera while you are on the call. It automatically zooms or pans out the camera in and out of the frame. This smart feature recognizes the number of faces in front of the camera and tries to bring all of them inside the frame.
- Smart Sound: This device has a very good sound quality. Video calls over this device will have better sound clarity and bole, and its smart sound feature also minimizes the background noise for crystal clear conversation.
- Immersive: You also get immersive AR effects with this portal device. You can use these effects to make a likable and engaging environment for your kids or grandkids. This device is also a substitute for entertainment devices as it allows you to stream your favorite music, movies, and TV shows.
- Functional: You can also use this device to hold group meetings or discussions. You can have a group video conference call with over 50 people with this device. This feature is pretty useful in a corporate setup.
Why should you buy it?
This video calling device is compatible with third-party smartphone applications such as Whatsapp and messenger. You can video call people that are close to you via these apps, and it isn’t even necessary for the receiver to have the same video calling device.
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#5 Samsung Galaxy Tablet
This tablet has a premium metallic finish that makes this tablet very appealing, and you also get a variety of colors to choose from while you purchase this model. It also has a unique design that has minimum embellishments and maximum screen space.
Features and Benefits
- Video Calling: The eight inches wide high definition display on this tablet enhances your experience. You can chat with your friends and family from anywhere in the world. This video calling feature is quite beneficial for the elderly as they can feel lonely quite a few times.
- Long Battery: This tablet has a good and long battery life. You can continuously use this tablet for 13 hours once it is fully charged. Apart from video calling, you can shop, browse the web and get on social media platforms
- Great Sound: With the dual surround sound speakers present in this tablet, you can also use this for entertainment purposes. Watching any movie or tv show on this device will be an immersive experience.
- Memory: The in-built memory in his device is 32 GB. However, if you want more storage and space, you can expand its storage to up to 512 GB by adding additional memory chips. The maximum screen resolution of this tablet is 1280×800 pixels.
Why should you buy it?
You should buy this tablet as it is a multipurpose device. It has many additional features that suit the users, which can make this tablet a good and fun time for the user.
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#6 Facebook Portal Video Calling (Gen1)
This video calling device is a good option for the elderly as it has a built-in Alexa, they can use this Alexa feature to control all the smart devices in their homes. These smart devices must also be compatible with Alexa. People who have mobility issues can benefit a lot due to this feature.
Features and Benefits
- Smart: The camera on this device is smart. It can automatically detect the number of people and faces in a frame at a time. Using this feature, the camera automatically pans in and out to accommodate all the people.
- Audio: You have an improved audio and video experience with this device. It has a unique feature capable of removing all the background noise from your calls or video calls. This feature acts as a noise filter that eliminates background noise and enhances user audio.
- Stay Connected: You will be able to maintain a great relationship or stay in touch with your close friends and family members with this device. You can chat and call them with this device, and it isn’t even necessary for them to have this device with them.
- Better Experience: With this device, your storytelling experience to your children or grandchildren will change completely. It has special animations, sounds, and augmented effects that make the whole thing more immersive and fun.
Why should you buy it?
You should buy this Facebook video calling device as it uses private encryption. The private encryption used while you are calling or video calling maintains your privacy. End-to-end encryption prevents any hackers or scammers from gaining access to your conversations.
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Buyer’s Guide: Best Video Calling Device For Elderly
Functional
The best video calling devices for the elderly must have a functional and ergonomic design. One of the main features that a good video calling device must possess is having high-quality video calling.
To ensure that you can have a video call with your friends and family members from anywhere in the world, these devices have superior microphones and speakers. The microphone and the speaker in these devices are full-duplex. These speakers enable both the users to talk and listen at the same time.
Power
A video calling device with high-quality specifications is also necessary; you must purchase devices with a higher amount of memory storage and RAM. The high amount of memory storage and RAM increases the operational speed of the device.
Most of these video calling devices are multipurpose; these devices are compatible with video or music streaming devices, so you can even use them for entertainment purposes. You can easily watch the best movies and Tv shows on them by connecting them to your streaming platforms.
Privacy
Privacy is a major security concern for any person. While talking on a video call over the internet, we are exposing ourselves to the internet. Sometimes hackers can take advantage of this and gain access or control over our devices’ cameras or mic to infiltrate our privacy.
The majority of these video calling devices have a quick access button that cuts the connection to the microphone and the camera. Some of these devices also include a shutter that blocks off the view from the camera.
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Frequently Asked Questions: Best Video Calling Device For Elderly
Can video calls be hacked?
Yes, video calls can be hacked if you do not use a safe or secure video calling platform. The majority of the popular platforms for video calling have safe and secure encryption. This encryption prevents the hackers from hijacking the call and gaining access to your information.
Is the Facebook portal safe for the elderly?
Yes, the Facebook portal is a safe and functional device for the elderly. It does not have additional flashy or complete features that might confuse people. You will get few features in them, but they will work and perform brilliantly.
What are the other options for video calling for the elderly?
There are a few other excellent options for the elderly:
- GrandPad: GranPad is an elderly-friendly tablet. It is designed to make things like video calling, storing photos, playing games, and checking mails very easy for seniors
- ViewClix: ViexClix is a digital picture frame device that can also be used for video calling. Its best feature is its simple interface and easy-to-use apps compatible with all devices.
- Konnekt Videophone: This is another simple yet powerful device that has been created keeping an elderly audience in mind. It has a one-touch calling feature, which lets it connect to any device worldwide using Microsoft Skype.
- Google Nest Hub and Duo: If you have an Android smartphone or tablet, you can use the combination of Google Nest and their video calling app Duo to convert your device into a voice-controlled video calling phone. This makes it very easy for seniors to operate it. Google Nest can of course be used for a wide variety of applications, it can even be used as a smart controller for your elderly loved one’s home.
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Conclusion
Our elderly can never be as tech-savvy as the younger generation. However, thanks to advanced technology, many companies have now come up with easily accessible video calling devices. These devices are very easy to use and learn, making them perfectly suitable for our older visitors.
In our opinion, the Echo Show 5 (1st Gen, 2019 release) -- Smart display with Alexa – stay connected with video calling - Charcoal is the best choice among the various options that we have considered, because this device is compatible with the Amazon ‘Alexa’ smart system. Using this feature, you can control this calling device with your voice and speech.
The Fire HD 10 Tablet (10.1" 1080p full HD display 64 GB) – Black – Without Lockscreen Ads (2019 Release) is our next best choice because it is 30% faster than the traditional video calling devices. It has a 2.0 GHz octa-core processor with 2 GB RAM.
If you are looking for a value for money option, you can also consider the Portal from Facebook. Smart, Hands-Free Video Calling with Alexa Built-in (Gen 1), which offers great value and features at a very reasonable price point.
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References:
[2] Loneliness and Social Isolation Linked to Serious Health Conditions (cdc.gov)