Utilising your old smartphone for the remote family video and messaging might be the best option and is the alternative to standalone Hardware devices

If your remote family member has a tablet or smartphone, you can also help them get set up with apps such as Skype, Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp, all of which do video calls. If you all happen to be in the Apple Eco-System you can also use FaceTime

Many of these apps are basically smartphone versions of the software on the smart displays - Google Duo, for example, is what Google's Nest speakers use, while Messenger and Whatsapp integrate with Facebook's Portal devices.

Alas a new smartphone, even a mid-range one, can be much more expensive and reusing a very old smartphones without the latest OS and security upgrades will have privacy implications.