Technology and digital independence
Using Video Calls to Stay Connected
Learn how to make simple video calls to see family and friends, with clear steps for setup, sound, light, and safety.
A video call lets you see the person you talk to. You see a smile. You see a new haircut. You see the kids wave at the screen. A plain phone call gives you a voice. A video call gives you a face too.
You do not need to be good with tech to do this. Most older adults are online now. Pew Research Center found that 90% of adults age 65 and older used the internet in 2024. Pew also found that 78% of adults age 65 and older had a smartphone in its 2025 survey. If you have a phone, a tablet, or a computer, you may be set to start.
Key takeaways
- A video call needs three things. You need a device with a camera. You need the internet. You need one app or tool to make the call.
- Pick one way to call. Learn that one way well. Do not try to learn five apps at once.
- Good light and a quiet room help more than a new device.
- Practice with a family member first. A short test call takes the stress out of the real call.
- Only answer calls from people you know. Never share a code or a password on a call.
Why seeing a face helps
Staying in touch is good for your health. The National Institute on Aging says social isolation means you have few contacts and few people to talk with on a regular basis. It says loneliness is the hard feeling of being alone or cut off. The institute notes that 1 in 4 adults age 65 and older are socially isolated. It also links loneliness and isolation to higher rates of depression, heart disease, and dementia.
A video call is not the same as a visit. Pew found that 68% of adults said virtual contact was useful, but not a replacement for in-person contact. That is fine. A call does not need to replace a visit. It just needs to fill the gap between visits.
The Administration for Community Living puts it in plain terms. Tech now lets you host a family dinner, meet with friends, or read a bedtime story to a child from far away, all without leaving home.
Video calls took off fast a few years ago. Pew found that 81% of U.S. adults had talked with others on a video call in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. One in five did so each day. For many families, that habit stuck.
What you need to start
You need a device with a camera, a mic, and a speaker. A smartphone has all three. A tablet has all three. Most laptops have all three too.
You need an internet link. At home, that is most often Wi-Fi. Pew found that 70% of adults age 65 and older had broadband internet at home in its 2025 survey. If your video freezes a lot, sit closer to the box that sends the Wi-Fi signal. Close apps you are not using. Ask others in the house to wait to stream a film until your call ends.
You need one app or tool for calls. Ask your family which one they use. Use that one. If your whole family uses one app, you only need to learn one set of steps.
If the text on your phone is hard to read, fix that first. Our guide on setting up a phone for larger text and easier navigation shows how to make words and buttons bigger. Big text makes the call buttons much easier to find.
Your first call, step by step
Start with a test. Ask a son, daughter, or friend to call you at a set time. Keep the first call short. Five minutes is enough.
Sit down and get set before the call. Charge the device, or plug it in. Set the tablet or phone on a stack of books so the camera is at eye level. If you hold it in your hand, your arm will get tired and the picture will shake.
When the call comes in, tap the green or video button to answer. Look at the camera, not just at the screen, when you can. Speak in your normal voice. There is no need to shout.
Learn the three buttons you will use most. One turns your camera on or off. One mutes your mic. One ends the call, and it is often red. Tap each one once in your test call so you know what it does. If you tap the wrong one, do not panic. Tap it again, or ask the other person to call you back.
End the call and do one more test the same week. The second call will feel much easier than the first.
Make the call easy to see and hear
Light matters. Sit with a window or a lamp in front of you, not behind you. If the light is behind you, your face looks dark. A plain wall behind you also helps the other person see you well.
Noise matters too. Turn off the TV. Close the door. Move away from a loud fan or a running dishwasher. Speak a bit more slowly than you do in person. Short pauses help when the sound lags a bit.
Captions can help if hearing is hard. The Federal Communications Commission says captions show the audio part of a program as text on the screen. For TV, the FCC says captions should be accurate, in sync, complete, and placed so they do not block the picture. Many call tools have a caption or subtitle setting too. Turn it on in your test call and see if it helps you. Captions are not perfect, but they can fill in words you miss.
If you wear hearing aids, ask the person to face the camera and speak clearly. Put the device volume up, and try the speaker setting so you do not have to hold the phone to your ear.
Long calls can tire you out. Pew found that four in ten people who used video calls in the first year of the pandemic felt worn out by them at least some of the time. Keep calls to a length that feels good. A good 20-minute call beats a hard hour-long call.
Stay safe on a video call
Only answer video calls from people you know. If a call comes from a name you do not know, let it go. You can call a real friend back on a number you trust.
Never share a password, a bank detail, or a one-time code on a call. A real family member will not ask for these. If a caller asks for money fast and tells you to keep it secret, hang up. Call that family member on their normal number and check.
Keep your accounts safe too. Our guide on managing passwords and account recovery safely shows how to set a strong password and a backup plan if you get locked out.
You do not need to have your camera on for the whole call. If you want a break, turn the camera off and keep talking. It is your call, and you set the pace.
Make it a habit, not a chore
A set time helps a habit stick. Pick one slot each week. Sunday at noon. Tuesday after lunch. Put it on your paper calendar like any other plan.
Mix up who you call. Call family. Call an old friend. Join a class or a group call at your library or senior center. The Administration for Community Living lists free help to learn tech skills. It names Senior Planet, a national program that helps older adults use tech to build social ties, health, and more. It also names Cyber-Seniors, which gives free tech support by phone and in daily online sessions.
Ask for help when you need it. There is no shame in that. Pew found that 65% of adults age 75 and older say they usually need help to set up a new device. Among adults age 65 to 74, the share was 48%. Needing help is normal. Ask once, write the steps down in big print, and keep the note by your device.
The same skills open other doors. Once you can join a video call, a video visit with a clinic feels less new. Our guide on using patient portals and online appointment systems shows the next steps for health care online.
Who covers what
- Medicare: Medicare does not pay for personal video calls with family and friends. A personal call is not a health care service. Medicare telehealth cover is a different thing. It pays for medical or health services you get from a health care provider by video. That kind of visit is covered in the hub's patient-portal guide, not this one.
- Medicaid: Medicaid does not pay for personal video calls either. Medicaid is health coverage for people who qualify. It is not a source of pay for personal calls.
- Private pay: any cost here is your own. That means the device and the home internet service you already have, and any app your family picks. Many call apps are free to use.
Sample Situation
Ruth is 78 and lives alone. Her grandson moved to another state for work. They used to talk by phone, but Ruth missed seeing him.
Her daughter set up one call app on Ruth's tablet. She wrote the steps on a card in big print. On Sunday, Ruth props the tablet on two books, sits by a lamp, and taps her grandson's photo to call. They talk for 20 minutes. She sees his new apartment. He sees her new plant.
One week the sound did not work. Ruth did not give up. She hung up, and he called her back. The sound worked on the second try. Now the Sunday call is part of her week, and she looks forward to it.
If a call goes wrong
Most problems are small. If you cannot hear, check the volume and the mute button. If they cannot see you, check that the camera is on and that nothing covers it. If the picture freezes, hang up and call back. If Wi-Fi is weak, move closer to the router or try a plain phone call that day instead.
Write down what fixed the problem. The same fix will work next time. If you get stuck often, ask your library, senior center, or a family member to sit with you for one call and check your setup.
Your next step
Pick one person to call this week. Set a date and a time. Do a short test call first, then enjoy the real one.
When you feel at ease with calls, you can use the same device skills for other tasks at home. A good next step is to look at our medication guides to learn about the medicines you take, in plain words you can trust.
Sources
Next step on Care and Living Guide
Medications and coverage — Look up a medication, its coverage, and its cost.