By John Brown, CSA
CEO, Oasis Senior Advisors Austin & Central Texas
Founder, Senior Industry Services (SIS)
For many families, Best Buy still brings to mind televisions, laptops and appliances. But Best Buy Health reflects a much larger shift: technology companies increasingly see aging at home, caregiver support and care coordination as important challenges that technology may help address.
Best Buy Health describes its goal as helping people age independently and safely by combining AgeTech with human support and services.[1]
For seniors, families and senior-care professionals across Austin and Central Texas, that raises an important question:
Can technology actually help a senior remain independent longer—and where are its limits?
This is part of the Senior Industry Services AgeTech series, following What Is AgeTech? How Technology Is Changing Aging and Senior Care in Central Texas.
Best Buy Health Is More Than a Medical Alert Button
One of the most recognizable pieces of Best Buy Health's aging-at-home strategy is personal emergency-response technology.
Its Urgent Response solution includes mobile and home-based medical-alert devices. Depending on the device and service, features can include two-way communication, GPS, wearable pendants or wristbands and optional fall detection.[2]
When help is needed, users can connect with Best Buy Health's U.S.-based Caring Centers. Best Buy Health says its agents can assist with medical emergencies, falls or injuries and other urgent situations. Its Social Care services can also help connect people with resources involving issues such as transportation, food insecurity and social isolation.[2]
With compatible fall-detection technology, the system may initiate a call for help even when the individual cannot press the emergency button.[2]
But Best Buy Health's strategy now goes considerably further than the traditional medical-alert button.
From Medical Alerts to a Broader AgeTech Ecosystem
Best Buy Health's current AgeTech offerings extend into medical-alert devices, senior-friendly phones, assistive and enabling technology, ambient monitoring and technology support.[1]
Some of that technology may already look familiar.
Its Enabling Tech program identifies options such as smart locks and lighting, thermostats, video doorbells, security cameras, sensors, smart calendars, tablets, smart speakers, Wi-Fi equipment and medical-alert devices.[3]
These aren't all products most people would traditionally think of as "senior technology."
That's part of what makes AgeTech interesting.
A smart lock may make appropriate access easier for an authorized caregiver. Automated lighting may make navigating a home at night easier. A video doorbell may help someone with limited mobility see who is at the door. Tablets and smart speakers can support communication and connection.
The technology already exists.
The challenge is matching the right technology to the actual problem a senior or caregiver is trying to solve.
The Human Side of AgeTech May Matter Just as Much
One of the biggest barriers to senior technology isn't necessarily the technology itself.
It's using it successfully.
A sophisticated monitoring system doesn't accomplish much if someone doesn't understand it, won't wear it, forgets to charge it or becomes frustrated trying to use it.
That is one reason Best Buy Health's use of Geek Squad Health is particularly interesting.
Best Buy Health says Geek Squad Health agents provide installation and setup in the home, in stores or over the phone, along with ongoing troubleshooting and technology support. The company also offers technology classes designed to help seniors become more comfortable using AgeTech and everyday technology.[4]
That highlights an important lesson for the entire AgeTech industry:
The best technology in the world isn't very useful if the senior can't—or doesn't want to—use it.
For families helping an aging parent, the best technology may not be the device with the most features.
It may be the technology Mom or Dad will actually use consistently.
Could AgeTech Reduce Healthcare Utilization?
Best Buy Health has also studied whether personal emergency-response technology combined with human support could have measurable effects beyond peace of mind.
Best Buy Health and Baylor College of Medicine conducted a six-month pilot involving older adults at high risk for falls.
Best Buy Health reports that access to personal emergency-response system (PERS) devices and 24/7 human support was associated with a 31% reduction in healthcare visits and associated costs during the pilot.[5]
That result needs to be understood appropriately.
It was a pilot study and should not be interpreted to mean that every senior using a medical-alert device will experience the same reduction in healthcare utilization or costs.
But it raises an important question for the future of senior care:
What happens when technology helps identify a problem—or connects someone with help—before that problem becomes a larger healthcare crisis?
That is one reason AgeTech is increasingly relevant not only to families, but also to health plans, healthcare providers and senior-living organizations.
What Could This Mean After a Hospital or Rehabilitation Stay?
This technology becomes especially interesting during a Hospital-to-Home transition.
A senior may have been independent before a hospitalization but return home with a very different baseline.
They may now be using a walker. They may be weaker. Medications may have changed. They may have new therapy appointments or restrictions. Their spouse or adult children may suddenly be providing much more support.
Technology can potentially become one piece of that transition plan.
A personal emergency-response device may provide faster access to help. Monitoring technology may provide additional information. Connected devices may make it easier for family members to remain involved.
But technology doesn't answer one of the most important questions after discharge:
Who is actually available when Mom or Dad needs hands-on help?
That distinction is critical.
What This Means for Central Texas Families
Consider how this can play out across our region.
An adult daughter may live in South Austin while her mother lives in Georgetown.
A son in Round Rock may be trying to keep an eye on a father living alone in Canyon Lake.
A family in Steiner Ranch may be helping a parent after rehabilitation while juggling work, children, medical appointments and caregiving.
Families throughout Cedar Park, Leander, Lakeway, Buda, Kyle, San Marcos, Waco and surrounding Central Texas communities can face similar challenges.
Technology can help close some of that distance.
It can provide alerts, communication and information.
But it does not create a caregiver who can physically respond.
That is why AgeTech works best when it is considered as one part of a larger care plan rather than the care plan itself.
Best Buy Health Is Also Moving Into Senior Living
Another development worth watching is Best Buy Health's work with senior-living communities.
The company says its senior-living offerings include medical-alert technology, ambient monitoring, Urgent Response, fall-risk mitigation, social-isolation initiatives and Geek Squad technology support. Best Buy Health positions these tools as ways to support resident independence and safety while also supporting community staff.[6]
This illustrates an important point:
Technology and senior living aren't necessarily competing solutions.
Technology may support independence whether a senior is living in their longtime home, independent living, assisted living or another supportive environment.
As care needs change, however, technology alone may no longer be enough.
What Should Families Ask Before Choosing AgeTech?
Before purchasing a medical-alert, monitoring or smart-home system for a senior, families should think beyond the device itself.
Ask:
- What specific problem are we trying to solve?
- Will Mom or Dad actually wear, charge and use the device?
- Is automatic fall detection included, optional or unavailable?
- Does the technology require cellular service, Wi-Fi, a landline or a smartphone?
- Who receives an alert?
- Who can physically respond when something happens?
- Is GPS important because the senior walks, drives or spends time outside the home?
- Who will install, teach, update and troubleshoot the technology?
- What happens during a power outage or connectivity failure?
- What information is being collected, and who can access it?
- What happens after an alert if the senior needs ongoing assistance?
- Most importantly, is the technology addressing the actual risk—or giving everyone a false sense of security?
These questions become especially important when adult children are trying to coordinate care from a distance.
Technology Is a Layer of Support—Not the Entire Care Plan
This may be the most important lesson as AgeTech continues to expand.
A medical-alert device can be a valuable layer of protection.
But it cannot provide bathing assistance.
It cannot safely transfer someone from a bed to a wheelchair.
It cannot prepare every meal.
It cannot provide dementia supervision or prevent every wandering incident.
It cannot provide overnight hands-on assistance.
And it cannot eliminate caregiver exhaustion.
When falls become recurrent, medication management becomes unreliable, wandering becomes a concern, personal-care needs increase or a spouse or adult child is burning out, families may need a more comprehensive care solution.
That could mean additional home care, respite, adult day services, assisted living, memory care, a residential care home, independent living with additional support, or another combination of services.
The goal shouldn't be to use technology to keep someone home at all costs.
The goal should be to use the right combination of technology, family support, professional care and the right living environment to help a senior remain safe, connected and as independent as possible.
The Bigger AgeTech Story
Best Buy Health is interesting not simply because of the products and services it offers today.
It represents something bigger.
A company millions of Americans know primarily as a consumer-electronics retailer now has a healthcare business focused on AgeTech, aging independently, human support, health plans and senior living.[1]
For Central Texas seniors, families and senior-care professionals, that creates possibilities worth following.
But technology works best when we understand both what it can do and what it cannot do.
At Senior Industry Services, we'll continue exploring AgeTech, aging at home, caregiver technology and emerging senior-care solutions to help Central Texas seniors, families and professionals understand how these tools fit into the much larger picture of aging well.
And when changing care needs mean a family needs to consider assisted living, memory care, residential care homes, independent living or other senior-living options, Oasis Senior Advisors Austin & Central Texas provides local, no-cost guidance to help families understand and compare their options.
Technology can extend independence. Human guidance helps families recognize when the care plan needs to change.
About the Author
John Brown, CSA
CEO, Oasis Senior Advisors Austin & Central Texas
Founder, Senior Industry Services (SIS)
Hospital-to-Home | One Call. Many Solutions.
John works with Central Texas seniors, families, healthcare professionals and senior-living providers to navigate changing care needs, hospital and rehabilitation transitions, assisted living, memory care, residential care homes and other senior-care solutions.
Editorial Disclosure
Senior Industry Services and Oasis Senior Advisors Austin & Central Texas are not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Best Buy Health. This article is provided for educational purposes and discusses publicly available information about emerging AgeTech solutions. Product features, programs and services may change. Readers should verify current information directly with Best Buy Health.
Sources & Further Reading
[1] Best Buy Health — Company Overview
Best Buy Health describes its AgeTech strategy, human-support model and goal of helping people age independently and safely.
https://www.bestbuyhealth.com/company-overview/
[2] Best Buy Health — Urgent Response
Information about medical-alert devices, fall detection, Caring Centers, Urgent Response and Social Care.
https://www.bestbuyhealth.com/urgent-response/
[3] Best Buy Health — Enabling Tech
Information about assistive and enabling technologies including smart-home, security, communication and medical-alert technology.
https://www.bestbuyhealth.com/enabling-tech/
[4] Best Buy Health — Geek Squad Tech Support
Information about installation, setup, ongoing troubleshooting and senior-focused technology support.
https://www.bestbuyhealth.com/geek-squad-tech-support/
[5] Best Buy Health & Baylor College of Medicine — PERS Pilot Study
PERS and Social Support Reduce Healthcare Visits and Improve Self-Reported Health in Older Adults at High-Risk of Falls: Pilot Results. Published October 20, 2025.
https://www.bestbuyhealth.com/insights/studies/pers-and-social-support-reduce-healthcare-visits-and-improve-self-reported-health-in-older-adults-at-high-risk-of-falls-pilot-results/
[6] Best Buy Health — Senior Living
Information about Best Buy Health's AgeTech offerings for senior-living residents and communities.
https://www.bestbuyhealth.com/senior-living/
Continue the SIS AgeTech Series
What Is AgeTech? How Technology Is Changing Aging and Senior Care in Central Texas