It can be difficult to find a balance between living an independent, high-quality life and staying safe, especially when you have a disability. Where do you look for help and resources? How do you stay up-to-date on the assistive technology options out there?

At SimplyHome, we are always looking for resources and information to share that can be of value to the community of people living with a disability. So when we find a company that could be a great benefit to individuals and their loved ones, we want to make sure you know about them, too! After all, the road to empowerment and independence means bringing to light all different types of information.

LifeZest is a company whose work we believe is important. LifeZest offers on-site articles and resources that help people discover assistive technology solutions. They have become a go-to resource for people looking for information on ways they or their family members can become independent and live a high quality of life. Brian Morris, Co-Founder at LifeZest, is one person behind the scenes of this family-owned business based in Ohio.

The goal at LifeZest? To help people with disabilities and their family members discover technologies that foster greater independence and peace of mind. 

“Ultimately, we want to help people improve quality of life,” said Brian. 

How It Works

If there’s a resource that can help families and individuals, LifeZest will cover it on their site. Topics range from The Best Colleges for People with Disabilities to How To Pay For Assistive Technology. “We wanted to offer different funding avenues people can explore since affordability can become a limiting factor,” said Brian.

Some of their articles compare features and prices, such as supportive smart home technology devices. So that people who have disabilities and their family members can go to the site to decide which device might be best for their needs. And not every solution they share on the site is high-tech or device-related. Some of Brian’s favorite articles on LifeZest are those that cover bicycles and adaptive clothing. “If we can play some small role in helping a child experience the thrill of riding a bike for the first time, we can feel good about our work with LifeZest,” said Brian.

The articles and resources shared by LifeZest are honest and unbiased. “Trust is paramount, so we strive to compare potential solutions to make it easy to understand which is best for a given situation. We ask ourselves whether we would recommend a given solution to our own family members, why or why not.” 

At LifeZest, It’s Personal.

The resources and articles they share are highly personal. Three members of Brian’s family have disabilities - Dale, Jason and Carla. Dale has Cerebral Palsy and is developmentally disabled. He is also nonverbal. Jason and Carla each have Down Syndrome and Carla also has Alzheimer’s. 

“We started LifeZest because we wanted to help our own family members who have disabilities enjoy greater independence,” said Brian. 

For Brian, the main questions in need of solutions were:  

• How can Dale, Jason, and Carla each receive support for their specific needs and have independence through technology?

• How can we help them have a high quality of life? 

• How can we have peace of mind knowing they are safe? 

Brian explained that for Dale and Jason, independence was the easy part since they already had the skills to live on their own. “But such independence carries concern about security and communication. What if there were an emergency and they needed our help?” said Brian. 

Carla was already living in Brian’s parents’ house. “But we still wanted her to have her own personal space where she could enjoy the same independence and freedoms as everyone else. Still, safety was a concern. For instance, Carla loves to swing outside, but she is also prone to wandering - a potential danger. How could we help her enjoy a simple pleasure without putting her at risk?” 

Carla also gets a lot of joy from music, but Alzheimer’s made it difficult for her to operate standard music devices.

 Independence Through Technology

So they turned to technology. New devices and systems could help them remotely support their family members’ well-being without infringing on their independence. “The ultimate goal is to improve their quality of life while minimizing the inherent risks of independence,” said Brian. 

The solution for Dale and Jason is the Ring doorbell and Nucleus for security and communication. Because Dale is nonverbal, video-based systems are ideal. 

For Carla, she was able to get a Simpl music box. “This device allows us to load many different songs (similar to an MP3 player), and Carla can lift a lever to play it. There is a large button under the lever she can use to skip songs. Those are the only two functions on the device, so it offers simplicity yet empowers Carla to enjoy her favorite music,” said Brian. To help with concerns of Carla wandering, she and her family use the Ring Doorbell.

But at the time of Brian’s and his parents’ search for help for their family members, there wasn’t a one-stop-shop resource that made it easy to choose which solution was best for each person’s specific needs. 

“That’s when we decided to create LifeZest to help other families and individuals discover technology that fosters greater independence, remote support, and peace of mind.”

When Brian and the LifeZest team make decisions about which resources to write about and share, there are a few things they consider:

They evaluate the impact technology has on daily living. “Does a given solution naturally fit into daily life flow, or will it become a new hurdle or complication? Some people living with disabilities face daily frustrations that have nothing to do with personal safety or communication,” said Brian.  

He gave the example of an MP3 player, as these can be difficult for some people who have Down Syndrome to use. “Are there simpler versions that can eliminate such frustrations and enable those people to enjoy the music the rest of us take for granted?” said Brian.

 They also consider the reality of price points. 

“Some solutions are simply not available to some people if they don’t have financial assistance. So we seek low-cost and even low-tech alternatives to try to help everyone who has a disability, not just those who have access to funding.” 

LifeZest regularly receives thank-you messages and comments online for helping people discover assistive technology. “When readers thank us for telling them about a certain technology option, we feel we’re making a difference,” said Brian. 

LifeZest also receives suggestions that help them to improve resources. 

“We wrote an article about the best apps for people with disabilities. Several readers messaged us to tell us about some of their favorite apps we had missed. We added them to our article,” said Brian. 

“We have a desire to collaborate with the community to build a resource that anyone can use to discover assistive technology solutions that improve quality of life. Our hope is that our articles and resources help people discover the right technologies for their specific needs.”

Looking for Assistive Technology Solutions? Here are some of Brian’s Favorite Articles:

Shopping for Adaptive Clothing is Easier than Ever as Market Expands

How to Pay for Assistive Technology Devices 

Simple MP3 Players for People with Disabilities

Bikes for Children with Disabilities

3 Must-Listen Disability Podcasts

Best Phones for People with a Disability

Best Automatic Pill Dispensers for People with Disabilities

The LifeZest team also includes Brian’s brother Eric, and their parents, Ann and Ed, all of whom are Co-founders. Ann is a retired DD teacher. Eric and Ed, in addition to Eric’s wife, Danielle, and Brian’s wife, Lizann, are all providers for the state of Ohio.