In this episode of the Raising Tech Podcast, Transforming Technology Culture in Senior Living, powered by Parasol Alliance, Matt Reiners, Chief Growth Officer, chats with Akshita Iyer, Founder and CEO of Ome, about her inspiring journey to create a smart knob that can turn any stove into a safer, smart appliance.

After a personal experience with her mother, diagnosed with Parkinson’s, left the stove on and started a kitchen fire, Akshita developed a device that retrofits gas and electric stoves to automatically shut off or adjust burners. The knob looks just like a regular stove knob but adds smart features like cooking timers, safety locks, and data tracking to help prevent fires and support aging-in-place.

They dive into the challenges of getting people—especially older adults—comfortable with smart home tech. The best part? The knob lets users cook like they always have, with extra safety benefits built in, making it a great fit for senior living communities. They also touch on how integrating smart technology into daily life can boost home safety and provide helpful insights.

Risk is a big concern in senior living communities where residents want to retain their independence; however, cognitive decline and dementia may also cause residents to forget to turn a stove off, starting a cooking fire. Over 65% of multi-unit building fires are caused by unattended cooking and as Akshita started talked with senior living communities, most said they had had incidents where a whole building had to be evacuated due to a cooking fire.

The Ome Smart Knob isn’t just about hardware. The data it provides can alert caregivers and family members to anomalies, like mom always cooks every morning but hasn’t cooked for three days, and help with tough decisions, often subjective, about whether a parent can continue to use appliances or even move from independent living to assisted living. From a marketing perspective, the Ome Smart Knob may become a safety differentiator.