Quiz: Do You Know How Technology Can Help You Care for a Loved One?

The newest smart TVs act more like the camera on your laptop computer or smartphone, becoming a big screen for video calls rather than an always-on security camera. And ambient sensors without cameras or microphones use radar, AI and cellular connectivity to figure out when someone is standing, sitting, lying down or has fallen, making that information available to a caregiver without putting the care recipient center stage in a sort of surveillance theater.

A federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study more than a decade ago looked at nonfatal injuries from 2008, and what researchers found confirmed what a lot of people suspected: A bathroom’s hard tile, wet surfaces and cramped space are unforgiving for those who might trip or lose their balance.

About 80 percent of those injured in the bathroom fell, and that rate rose steadily with age, more than doubling for those 85 and older compared with 75- to 84-year-olds. Women fell in the bathroom more than men. More than two-thirds of injuries happened in bathtubs or showers; about a quarter occurred near the toilet.

Installing grab bars is a low-tech solution to preventing injuries. Designers have gotten into the act, creating toilet paper holders that can help steady someone experiencing low blood pressure when standing too quickly after using the commode and shampoo shelves and soap baskets that serve dual purposes in tubs and showers.

The key to success when installing any grab bar? Anchor it to a wall stud so it can bear a user’s full weight when needed.

But wait, there’s more: Internet-connected scales can track weight and other body measurements and import the data into a health app or share it with caregivers and physicians.

A higher-tech toilet seat that is close to being offered for sale measures heart rate, blood oxygenation and blood pressure — important because part of the reason bathroom injuries occur near the commode comes from a condition that older adults can develop called orthostatic hypotension. The feeling of dizziness when you quickly go from sitting to standing occurs because of a drop in blood pressure.

And that bidet seat? Well, it may not be a device that Americans grew up using, but bidets have been around for hundreds of years, and versions that aren’t separate from a toilet have been in use since the 1980s. Use of a bidet means less worry about irritating any hemorrhoids or running out of toilet paper. Some bidet seats can shower the tush with warm water and dry it off with warm air, too.

Voice-controlled smart speakers can serve numerous purposes in multiple rooms. In the kitchen, you might ask it to suggest recipes. In the bedroom, it can play soothing music to help you get some shut-eye then become the morning alarm that wakes you.

People can chat with a smart speaker and ask it all sorts of questions, summoning the digital assistants inside the speakers by saying trigger words, such as “Alexa,” “Hey, Google,” “Hey, Siri.” Smart speakers are relatively inexpensive, though you’ll pay more for models with visual displays that let you watch videos or participate in video calls.