Video Calling for Dementia
For families supporting a loved one with dementia
There is nothing to press and nothing to remember. The call simply arrives on the television, the way a visitor might knock at the door.
CallGenie is a simple video calling device for those with dementia that works through their own television. It removes many of the barriers that can make smartphones, tablets, and apps difficult to use. Families, friends, and carers can make video calls using Microsoft Teams, while the person receiving the call simply sees it on their television. They do not need to pick up a device, open an app, remember a password, or press small buttons.
CallGenie Steps In When Tablets & Phones Let Them Down
The tablet is in a drawer somewhere, out of charge. The phone rings out because Dad can’t always remember how to answer it. And the simple act of seeing each other has somehow become the hardest part of the week.
For families supporting a loved one with dementia, keeping in touch with existing technology rarely works for long. This page explains why, and what does.
Why Standard Solutions Stop Working
Smartphones, tablets and video calling apps were designed for people who can learn, remember and adapt. For someone with dementia, that’s often no longer realistic, and it isn’t their fault.
The phone rings and they can’t find it in time. They find it but can’t remember how to answer. The tablet needs charging, needs unlocking, needs the right app opening. Each step that feels automatic to us is a potential point of failure for them.
Even when things do connect, a small screen held at arm’s length isn’t ideal for someone with hearing difficulties or failing eyesight. The voice sounds distant. The face is small. The connection feels thin.
Over time, these gaps tend to widen. Something that worked six months ago may not work today. Families find themselves troubleshooting more and connecting less.
How CallGenie Works for Someone with Dementia
CallGenie connects to your loved one’s TV. When you call, the TV comes on by itself, or switches over if they’re already watching something. Your familiar face fills the screen.
There is nothing for them to do. No button to press, no remote to find, no app to open. The call simply arrives, the way a visitor might knock at the door.
When the call ends, the TV returns to exactly what they were watching. Nothing is left on. Nothing needs turning off.
For someone with dementia, that matters more than any feature list. The TV is already familiar. The big screen is easier to see and hear. And because the call asks nothing of them, a bad memory day doesn’t mean a missed call.
How CallGenie Works
Make a Call
Family or friends make a video call to CallGenie using either your smartphone, tablet, or computer using Microsoft Teams. The user can make
Auto Answer on the Television
CallGenie will turn on the television, and switch automatically to the input for the video call. No buttons required.
Enjoy Your Call
Enjoy having your catch up with your loved one on the big screen. When you end the call on your device CallGenie will automatically switch the television back to the previous state, whether the previous channel or back into standby.
If They Want To Call You
CallGenie is built so that receiving a call asks nothing at all. If you'd also like your loved one to be able to call out, you can add a button.
Each button calls one person and carries their name. They plug into the unit behind the television, but it does mean they sit by the television rather than by the chair. That makes this part of CallGenie better suited to someone who can get up and cross the room.
Press one and it calls that person. When the person they've called hangs up, the television goes back to whatever was on before.
Two things worth knowing. The buttons don't beep, so the confirmation is the television coming on. And the name is printed, so it only helps if your loved one can read it. If reading is difficult, for any reason, start with a single button they can find by touch.
Buttons are an optional extra. If you'd rather keep things to receiving calls only, you simply don't add any.
What You Need At Your End
You call from Microsoft Teams on your phone, tablet or computer. That's the only part anyone has to operate, and it's the part you're doing, not them.
If you sign, it's worth thinking about your own camera position. Family members who use BSL usually prop the phone up or work from a laptop, so both hands are free and the signing stays in frame. At their end, you appear at full television size.
Group calls work too, so you can bring a second person into the same call.
Why CallGenie Works So Well for People With Dementia
CallGenie removes the barriers that make video calling difficult, at any stage.
Nothing to remember
No buttons to press and nothing to recall, so a bad memory day doesn’t mean a missed call.
Easier to hear
Voices come through the television, so they are easier to hear than a small handset.
No device to hold
No small screen to hold steady, no camera to point, no confusion about where to look.
Wakes the TV from standby
It works even if the TV has been left off. You don’t need to hope the timing is right.
Big screen, clear faces
The TV is the biggest screen in the house and the one they already know. Faces are easy to see.
It never changes
Set it up once. Whatever stage they’re at, the experience stays exactly the same.
Families have also found it useful in unexpected ways, being able to check in visually, speak directly to carers who are in the room, and in some cases stay present during a difficult moment when getting there in person wasn’t possible.
What Families Say About CallGenie
Stories from real families. These are some of the families who have found a way to stay close.
“Dad doesn’t have to do anything to make it work, with the telly switching itself on when I call him and off at the end of the call. This product is amazing and has made a huge difference to both my life and my dad’s life.”
“As my mum’s dementia progressed she was starting to struggle to use her tablet to make video calls. CallGenie lets the whole family keep in touch with my mum, including relatives from the other side of the world, without mum having to do anything.”
“We can call him anytime of the day and he doesn’t have to do anything, just be sitting in his chair. It turns his telly on or over, then when we’ve chatted it turns his telly back over or off.”
“We even talked to the paramedics while they were assessing mum after she felt unwell. This system doesn’t require mum to press anything or remember anything.”
Tried, Tested and Trusted by Families Across the UK
Every device is set up remotely by our team. We work directly with each family before the first call is made. There are no call centres and no automated support lines, just straightforward, personal help from someone who understands what families are going through.
CallGenie is recognised by organisations that families and professionals already trust.
AgeSpace
Recommended by one of the UK’s leading eldercare guides.
NHS Highland
Listed by name in the Technology Enabled Care guide to simple video calling devices.
West Lothian HSCP
Featured as assistive technology for preventing social isolation.
What you get, and what happens next
CallGenie arrives ready to work. Everything needed is in the box, including the unit, the camera and the cables that plug into the television. There’s no app for your loved one to download and no account for them to set up.
You plug it in, connect it to their Wi-Fi and their television, and then we finish the setup with you on a video call. That session is included, not an extra.
There are no monthly fees. You pay once. Twelve months of support and warranty come with it, by email, phone or remote access, so most problems can be sorted out without anyone coming to the house. You can extend that cover to one of our annual service plans if you’d like.
Only the people you add can call in. Nobody else can reach the television.
And if we can’t get CallGenie working properly on their television, you get your money back under our refund policy.
Will it work with their television?
Almost certainly. CallGenie works with televisions from 20 to 75 inches. It needs a feature called HDMI-CEC, which is standard on nearly all smart televisions and on most sets made since 2010. The exception we know of is televisions running Amazon Fire TV Edition, including Amazon’s own branded sets, which we can’t control.
If you’re not sure, send us the make and model and we’ll check before you order. It’s the first thing we’d ask anyway.
VAT relief
If your loved one is chronically sick or disabled, CallGenie can normally be bought without VAT. Most long-term conditions qualify, including arthritis and Parkinson’s, and lasting effects of a stroke.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will someone with dementia be able to use CallGenie?
Yes, and that’s precisely the point. There is nothing for your loved one to do. When you call, the TV comes on and your face appears on the screen. They don’t need to press anything, remember anything, or do anything at all. CallGenie is designed specifically for people who find technology difficult or confusing.
Does the TV need to be switched on to receive a call?
No. CallGenie can wake the TV from standby, so even if your loved one has turned it off or fallen asleep in front of it, your call will still come through. The TV turns on by itself when you call.
What happens if they’re already watching something?
CallGenie interrupts whatever is on, your call appears on screen, and when the call ends the TV automatically returns to what they were watching. Nothing gets left on. Nothing needs switching over. It picks up exactly where it left off.
Is CallGenie suitable for someone with advanced dementia?
Yes. Because the experience never changes and the call places no demands on your loved one, CallGenie works at any stage, often more so as other forms of communication become harder.
What if they forget the call is happening?
That’s one of the things families tell us they appreciate most. If your loved one drifts off or loses track mid-call, it doesn’t matter, you’re still there on the screen, and the call ends normally when you hang up. There’s no confusion about how to finish the call or what to do next.
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Can I use it to speak to carers as well?
Yes. Several families use CallGenie to check in with carers who are in the room, pass on instructions, or stay present during appointments and visits. Because it works through the TV, everyone in the room can see and hear the call clearly.
What do I need to set it up?
CallGenie connects to your loved one’s TV and requires a broadband internet connection. We set everything up remotely with you, we walk you through the process and do test calls to make sure everything is working before you go live. You don’t need to be particularly technical, families tell us the setup is simpler than they expected.
Is there a monthly subscription?
No. CallGenie is a one-off purchase, there are no monthly fees or ongoing contracts.
Ready to Stay Close?
CallGenie is a one-off purchase, set up personally with our team, with no monthly fees and no ongoing contracts. If you’re not sure whether it’s right for your situation, we are happy to answer questions before you buy.
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