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Choosing a display

Wall calendar, smart display or day calendar?

If you’re looking for something to help a parent keep track of the day, there are three common options. Each has real strengths. This guide walks through them honestly, so you can choose what suits your family.

By Phil Martin, founder of Daily View · 6 minute read

First: what does your parent most need to know?

Before comparing products, it helps to think about the questions you hear most often.

Wall calendars and whiteboards

The classic option: a paper calendar on the wall, a whiteboard in the kitchen, or a notepad beside the chair.

Good for

  • Costing very little
  • No technology, Wi‑Fi or charging
  • Being familiar and easy to write on

Watch out for

  • Someone needs to be there to update it
  • A month-view grid is busy, and it can be hard to tell which day is today
  • Old notes can linger after plans change

Best for: families who live with their parent or visit every day, and are happy to keep it updated by hand.

Smart displays

Devices such as the Amazon Echo Show or Google Nest Hub combine a screen, a speaker and a voice assistant. They can show a clock, photos and a shared calendar, and many families like them for video calls.

Good for

  • Updating a shared calendar from anywhere
  • Video calls and photos
  • Spoken reminders

Watch out for

  • They’re built to do many things — news, suggestions and rotating content can push today’s plan out of view
  • Calendar text is often small, or only shown briefly
  • Voice assistants can be confusing, or set off by accident
  • Menus and features can change with software updates

Best for: families who want video calling, and have someone comfortable setting the device up and simplifying it.

Day calendar clocks

Sometimes called dementia clocks or day clocks, these are digital displays that show the day, date and time in large letters — often with the part of the day, such as “Morning” or “Afternoon”.

Good for

  • Being very clear and easy to read
  • Nothing to learn — just plug it in
  • No Wi‑Fi needed
  • Answering “What day is it?” and “Is it morning or evening?”

Watch out for

  • They usually can’t show appointments, visits or messages
  • Where reminders are offered, they’re set on the clock itself
  • Nothing can be changed from a distance

Best for: someone whose main worry is losing track of the day or time, rather than what’s planned.

At a glance

Wall calendar Smart display Day calendar clock Daily View
Shows the day and date clearly Not always Often, among other things Yes Yes
Shows what’s happening today Yes, if kept up to date Sometimes, briefly No Yes, including what’s next
Updated from a distance No Yes No Yes
Calm, uncluttered Depends how it’s kept Often busy Yes Yes
Needs Wi‑Fi No Yes No Yes
Video calls No Yes No No
Typical cost A few pounds Roughly £50–£250 Roughly £25–£100 Free during early testing, on a tablet you may already have

Prices are a rough guide and vary by model and retailer.

Where Daily View fits

Daily View was designed for the gap between these options: the clarity of a day calendar clock, together with what’s happening today — kept up to date remotely by family and carers.

It runs in the web browser of an ordinary tablet, which stays plugged in and shows just one thing: today. There are no apps to open, no notifications and no voice assistant. If your parent wants to look further ahead, they can open a simple calendar of the days to come from the screen itself.

To be clear about what it doesn’t do: it needs Wi‑Fi, it doesn’t make video calls, and it’s still at an early stage. It can happily sit alongside other options — for example, a smart display for video calls and Daily View for the day’s plan.

See it for yourself

The demo shows exactly what your parent would see on their screen.

Try the demo Already have a tablet? Check it will work.

Questions or thoughts on this guide? Email phil@dailyview.org.