Smart home for dementia: what DIY setups can and can't do
A smart home for dementia can do a few useful things well: spoken reminders, physical buttons that replace confusing menus, routine prompts at fixed times, simpler TV control, and reducing the cognitive load of everyday devices. The two guides below — Home Assistant reminders built around a Voice PE button, and colour-coded TV buttons — are practical examples of that.
What a DIY smart home cannot do: it isn't a medical device, an emergency system, fall detection, wandering protection, or a substitute for care. Every guide here is for routine support, reassurance, and daily orientation — alongside whatever else is in place.
Voice reminder button
A one-button voice helper. Press once, hear the time, the day, today's plans, and any reminders the family has added. Built with the Home Assistant Voice PE and a shared Google Calendar.
Colour-coded TV buttons
Six big coloured buttons that replace the TV remote — radio, news, three favourite YouTube playlists, off. Built with an LG WebOS TV, a Google TV dongle, and six Zigbee buttons. No menus, no voice commands.
Don't want to DIY?
RemindMeVoice is the managed version of the voice-reminder button — a pre-configured device, a phone app for family to manage reminders, and someone to email when something needs attention. Same idea, none of the Home Assistant.