By now, I’m pretty sure you’re already familiar with Alexa, Amazon’s voice service that powers the Echo, Dot and Tap. She has numerous skills and capabilities to make her owner’s life easier and more entertaining. It’s like having a personal assistant without having to deal with a real person. Unlike real PA’s, Alexa is available 24/7 and can be accessed anywhere.
There’s more to these Alexa-powered devices than just a wireless speaker that plays music and read audiobooks, it can really help simplify lives – not just for the younger generation but even more so for aging adults.
Alexa has taken the world by storm; it has already become a staple in most households and let me tell you why it should also be a staple in yours.
Alexa can remind you to take your medications.
You or a caregiver can set an alert for med schedules or doctor’s appointment. Alexa will say “It’s 9:00 a.m. and time for your blood pressure medication,” or you can ask her when you should take your meds and she will remind you when.
Alexa will notify you of special events.
If you have a number of kids and grandchildren, keeping track of every family member’s birthday is quite a challenge. With your Alexa-powered device, you can set a reminder for birthdays, special occasions or just any scheduled event. You can even ask Alexa the number of days left before a certain event. For example, “Alexa, how many days are left till Christmas?”
Alexa can answer any question you have in mind.
The weather, the news, the sports scores… “Alexa, what day is it?” “Alexa, what is my daughter’s phone number?” “Alexa, what is my home address?” “Alexa, what is $3,600 + $315?” Basically, everything that the Internet can answer, Alexa can do as well. This is very helpful for aging adults whose memory isn’t as sharp as it used to be. In fact, there’s an article in AgingCare.com written by Rick Phelps who was diagnosed with Early Onset Alzheimer’s Disease, talking about how Alexa helped him as a Dementia patient.
Alexa can turn your lights on and off virtually.
The number of fall-related deaths and injuries in older adults has been increasing over the years and I believe that Alexa can help reduce the risk of falls, especially for those who are living independently. Alexa’s integration Philips Hue allows home owners to control their lights at home with voice. Let’s say you wake up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom or kitchen, you can ask Alexa to turn all the lights on even before you get out of bed – this diminishes the chances of falling in the dark.
Alexa can give you more independence and more control over your environment.
For older adults with mobility issues or health conditions like Parkinson’s disease, you can basically control your home with your voice through Alexa – lights, switches, thermostats, locks and more.
There’s just so much that Alexa can do to make lives easier. As of now, there are already over 3,000 skills available and it doesn’t stop there… I’m sure that there will be more in the upcoming years. The world’s most famous digital assistant just keeps on getting better and smarter every day.
