Video Calling for Care Home Residents
The only system that asks nothing of the resident — and nothing of care home staff. Calls appear on the TV they already use.
Most video calling fails in care homes for the same reason
Every other option asks something of someone.
A tablet asks the resident to learn it. A smart speaker asks them to remember a command. A phone asks them to press the right button at the right moment. For someone living with dementia, poor eyesight, or simply the frailty that comes with age, that ask is the reason the calls stop happening.
And when the resident can’t manage it alone, the job lands on the care home team, setting up a device, holding it steady, ending the call. On a busy shift, there simply isn’t enough time to make sure this happens.
CallGenie was built to remove the ask entirely. Nothing for the resident to do. Nothing for the care team to set up. The call simply arrives on the television that’s already in the room, and returns it to its previous state after the call.
Why Families Use CallGenie in Care Homes
Moving a loved one into a care home is a big, often emotional decision for the whole family — especially when it puts a parent further away than before.
Families choose CallGenie because it gives them back the ordinary moments. Not a scheduled, staff-assisted call that everyone has to organise — just a familiar face on the TV, whenever they want to say hello.
For families
- Being able to check in regularly, even from another city or country
- Including Mum, Dad, or Grandad in birthdays, weddings, and Sunday catch-ups
- Staying part of each other’s everyday lives
For your residents
- Nothing to press. The call appears on their TV and answers itself. No remote, no buttons, no app.
- Nothing to learn. It uses the television they already know — the most familiar screen in the room.
- No moment to get wrong. They don’t have to accept, swipe, or unlock anything. The face they love is simply there.
For care homes
- Happier, more settled residents who feel closer to their families
- Easier conversations when care decisions need to be made
- A simple way to support emotional wellbeing — without extra admin
- The Do Not Disturb button pauses calls during personal care or mealtimes, and re-enables them the moment you’re done.
Sam is 101, and lives in a care home. His family never miss a call.
When Sam moved into his care home, staying in touch started to slip. At 101, smartphones had become hard to manage — and the calls that mattered were getting harder to make.
His son Jeff set up CallGenie so the family could video call Sam on his TV. Calls answer themselves. No remote, no buttons, nothing for Sam to do.
Built for Connection, Designed For Safeguarding
A camera in a resident’s room is a fair thing to ask about. So here’s exactly how CallGenie protects privacy, by design, not by promise.
Every webcam also has a built-in privacy shutter. For your team, that means CallGenie is a safeguarding-friendly way to support family contact — not a monitoring device, and never a camera anyone can use to watch a room.
✅ What It Does
- Auto-answers calls from approved family and friends only
- Shows the call on the resident’s TV, then returns it to whatever was on before
- Only powers the webcam during an active call – and shows a clear light when it is on
- Limits access to a pre-approved contact list
❌ What It Doesn’t
- It doesn’t record anything, ever
- It can’t be accessed remotely outside of an active call
- It won’t answer unknown calls — only approved contacts can get through.
- It can’t be turned on silently — when it’s active, it’s visible
Bringing CallGenie Into A Care Home
For Families
Speak to the care home first — they’ll need to give permission to connect the device to their WiFi, and it helps for staff to know it’s coming. Once it’s set up, agree the best times to call. Around mealtimes and personal care, the Do Not Disturb button keeps everything respectful, so calls land when they’re welcome.
For Care Teams
There’s nothing to set up and nothing to maintain — once installed, CallGenie runs quietly in the background. The Do Not Disturb button puts you in control of the room: pause calls during personal care, and switch them back on the moment you’re ready. Families take their lead from you.
CallGenie’s Here to Help
Whether you’re arranging this for one relative, or you’re a care home supporting families across your residents — we’ll make it simple.
Contact Us
Ask a question or check your television will be compatible with CallGenie
Phone
+44 (0)1252 918824
Address
45 Fairhaven Avenue, West Mersea, Essex, CO5 8EZ, UK