Smart Home Features Can Help Seniors Live at Home Longer

The youngest Baby Boomers are in their 60s and making it clear they want to live at home for as long as possible. Greg Rhoades, a certified Aging in Place Specialist and smart home expert at Leviton, reveals how today’s smart technology can help them achieve that goal.

According to the results of an AARP survey, 75 percent of Americans over the age of 50 would like to remain in their home for as long as possible — however, only 34% of adults aged 50–80 believe their current home has the features needed to do so.

Considering the median U.S. home was built roughly 44 years ago (as of 2025), these residences most likely aren’t up to date when it comes to modern accessibility. For homeowners wishing to age in place, everyday challenges can carry real risks — from navigating a dark hallway at night to needing backup power during a storm.

Fortunately, smart home products can remedy some of these situations.

With power failures happening more frequently due to the strain on the nation’s electrical grid, homeowners of all ages are investing in a form of backup power or generators. For older adults who rely on medical devices, refrigerated medications, or simply need a safe, well-lit environment, power outages are a major concern.

There are solutions on the market – including Leviton’s Load Center with Wi-Fi Smart Breakers – that provide an automated backup power system. How do these work? In Leviton’s case, essential circuits for appliances – such as the refrigerator or water heater – can be designated in the My Leviton smart phone app. After a grid failure, the company’s Whole Home Energy Monitor automatically turns off high-current circuits to conserve backup power for essential needs.

With homes increasingly relying on electric-powered appliances, many homeowners are interested in  future-proofing their homes with a load center that can handle an increased output. (In Leviton’s case, its Load Center is available in a 400A model to meet the growing demand for highly electrified homes.)

Solutions for seniors with dexterity issues

In addition to the programmed scenes in the app, there is also voice control — a convenient  solution for elderly residents who lack the dexterity to tap open a smart phone app or operate a wall switch. Many smart devices, including those in the Decora line, can be controlled via voice commands or programmed as scenes. In addition, Leviton’s Anywhere Switch and Dimmer Companions can pair with Decora Smart devices for wireless lighting control for a single light in multiple convenient locations, including right beside the bed.

More lighting and control companies are offering motion-sensing capability for residential as well as commercial clients. For homeowners, that motion-sensing option can be useful when finding their way  in dark rooms and hallways. Some systems have a night setting that turns on lights at a lower, more relaxed level for softer illumination. Leviton also offers a built-in Guide Light that gently illuminates pathways without the need for bright, overhead light.

Tailored to seniors’ abilities

In the case of the Load Center With Wi-Fi Smart Breakers – which might seem beyond the scope of an elderly person to monitor – Rhoades notes that, just like the installation of a legacy breaker box, the smart version is installed and set up by a professional. However, instead of going to the breaker box itself to look at the indicators, homeowners can receive safety and energy information right on the app. If a breaker trips, for example, a pop-up alert will appear on the user’s smart phone. 

For those residents who are not especially tech-savvy, the functions have been streamlined for ease of use.

“App accessibility is important to Leviton and something our in-house user experience team focuses on during development,” Rhoades states. “It’s not just icon placement or larger fonts, it’s ensuring colors are contrasted properly and interfaces have as few ‘clicks’ as possible for users to accomplish goals, benefitting all customers.”

The physical hardware for the Load Center is also an important consideration. “While older-style breakers can be difficult to determine if they’re on/off, and hard to transition to the other state, Leviton wanted our breakers to feel more like a light switch that’s simple to turn on and off. Large red or green color indicators on each breaker confirm the on/off state as well.  Blinking LEDs with clear ‘GF’ or ‘AF’ indicators for potential faults are bold and bright when safety is a concern,” he says.

After the professional installation of the smart load center system, the day-to-day operation and customization of Leviton’s product is designed to be straightforward for homeowners of all ages.

Residents can use the app to view whole-home energy usage, monitor individual circuits, receive alerts if a breaker trips, and remotely control or schedule circuits. The interface is a simple dashboard with labeled circuits and clear status indicators to help users quickly understand what is on or off. Integration with My Leviton also reduces the need to physically access the electrical panel, which is usually located in less accessible locations such as a garage, basement, or outdoors.

There is another benefit to the app system — it can provide caregivers or family members with access for monitoring their loved one’s home remotely. Through the app, electrical activity can be observed and alerts sent out automatically without requiring in-person checks. The My Leviton platform runs on standard iOS and Android devices, which include built-in accessibility features such as text scaling, screen zoom, and voice control.

Additional options for those with physical limitations

Hands-free capability is becoming increasingly popular for the aging population — and not just for convenience. The company’s Decora Smart Wi-Fi devices are compatible with popular voice assistants such as Amazon Alexa, Hey Google, and Apple HomeKit/Siri.

Leviton Decora Smart Wi-Fi devices feature both app-based control through the My Leviton app and voice control through popular assistants – i.e. Amazon Alexa, Hey Google, and Apple HomeKit/Siri – and can be used to dim lighting, turn lights on or off, and activate pre-set scenes.

Elderly residents who may not have the voice strength or clear enunciation to be understood by a digital device may find motion-sensing controls a better option. 

“Our Motion Sensing Dimmer (D2MSD) activates lights when someone enters a room, and turns them off when they depart,” Rhoades explains. “It can even virtually link to other smart devices in the room — so your ceiling fans, outlets, and other devices also trigger on/off based on occupancy. It also has an adjustable range for larger rooms or smaller hallways. Through the My Leviton app, the light level can be scheduled. For instance, the night setting feature allows users to custom-set the illumination percentage, so a quick trip to the bathroom in the middle of the night doesn’t activate lights at 100%, but perhaps 25% instead.”

In the case of Leviton’s product, the dimmer’s PIR Motion Sensor has up to 900 square feet of coverage and a vertical view height of 30 feet. Along with the device’s Occupancy Mode, the lights will turn on as soon as movement is detected without the need for exaggerated hand gestures — and won’t false trigger for a pet.

The dimmer’s motion settings are customizable through the app, including adjustable motion sensitivity and auto-off timing. These features allow users to tailor how long lights remain on after motion is detected, which can help accommodate slower movement patterns, such as walking from a bedroom to a bathroom at night. Through the app, users can also program other Decora Smart devices to turn on – like a plug-in dimmer on a table lamp – when the motion-sensing dimmer detects movement.

Another solution is the Decora Smart Scene Controller, which allows the resident to assign different scenes or commands to the device’s four buttons — so that one button press can control every device across the entire home.

“These commands can be as simple as turning on/off or dimming certain lights or as elaborate as creating a ‘Nighttime’ scene that dims lights, adjusts the temperature and plays a calming playlist,” he says, adding, “‘All Off’ is a favorite as well, rather than roaming around the home when ready for bed or leaving the home.”

Many devices have scheduling capabilities as well, so residents do not need to pull out their phone or use their voice. Auto-shutoff timers can set lights to always turn off after X minutes or Y hours, which is a convenient, energy-saving option for forgotten areas like basements or pantries. 

For added convenience, some devices, like several Decora Smart models, can be installed in traditional wired 3-way or multi-way configurations – such as a kitchen where two switches across the room might control that same pendant. In addition, the Decora Smart Anywhere Dimmer and Switch Companions provide wire-free control points that pair with a primary Decora Smart device and can be placed in convenient locations such as hallways or staircases without additional wiring. “These act as additional control points for the same lighting loads or scenes. They can be 3M sticky-taped next to the bed, on the wall next to an easy chair,” Rhoades comments.

Seniors who aren’t app-savvy will be happy to know that once the app is set up and connected to the home’s Wi-Fi network, they won’t need to keep opening the app to operate their lighting if they are using motion-sensing, scene scheduling, and voice control.

How to have a successful sales conversation

Since consumers of retirement age are especially budget-conscious, they might assume the cost of implementing smart technology is out of reach. That’s where a good salesperson can help mitigate those fears by offering layered options.

According to Rhoades, smart lighting controls run about $30-$50 depending upon the device. Salespeople should mention that consumers can start small and expand anytime in the future. For example, many homeowners begin with the porch light to address a safety concern, then they add more devices, such as the entryway, common spaces, etc. Smart plugs can be used instead of smart breakers to turn off appliances, electronics, and other household devices inside and outdoors.

“Leviton’s Smart Load Center system is a modular solution, so total installed cost varies based on home size, number of circuits, and electrical scope,” Rhoades says. “The Load Center’s all plug-on design and convertible main breakers offer a customizable system, allowing for upgrades as electrical needs change without having to replace the entire panel. For example, plug-on surge protective devices can be easily installed as well as smart circuit breakers that – when installed with the Leviton Whole Home Energy Monitor – can be controlled and monitored from the residents’ or their loved one’s smart phone.”

The Whole Home Energy Monitor enables the features of the Smart Breakers and provides communication to the app. For homes with backup generators, My Leviton provides a cost-effective way to integrate with an automatic transfer switch. Rather than installing a secondary essential load panel to power critical circuits from a generator, Rhoades said the app provides an interface where users can change their essential and nonessential circuits at any time, with no need for re-wiring. The energy monitor integrates with automatic transfer switches via contact interface and will automatically shed nonessential loads when grid power fails.

Rhoades explains that a larger, all-electric home that has multiple high-demand systems running at the same time – such as EV chargers, heat pumps, induction cooking appliances, electric water heaters, solar and battery storage, or pool equipment –  could benefit from a smart load center. 

“As homes continue shifting toward electrification, electrical demand is increasing. In some newer homes, or older homes undergoing major renovations, a traditional 200A service may become limiting as additional electric-powered systems are added,” he comments.

The conclusion is that it’s never too early to start future-proofing. “Even if a homeowner does not currently need 400A service, many are preparing for future additions and resale value for future homeowners with EV chargers, electrified HVAC systems, and expanded smart home infrastructure,” he notes.

With no end in sight for demands on the power grid, homeowners of all ages are wise to devise a plan that will reduce their energy consumption as much as they can. Fortunately, there are more products on the market than ever before to help them achieve that.