Is Alexa a Secret Weapon for Supporting Seniors at Home?

Using Alexa to help maintain and support

Good health starts with healthy routines. Why not use technology to help create and maintain a supportive routine. Alexa devices are inexpensive and can provide an unexpected amount of support with very little effort. She provides not only reminders but also safety support in the home for people with mobility limitations. . In this article we will explore how to set up Alexa to support your healthy daily life.

‍The Set Up

This may seem like the easy part. Open the box, plug it in, and connect to wi-fi and you are in business right?

Well yes, but the thing people miss about using Alexa in a support capacity is placement. While the average home size in the US is 2,261 sq ft, most people only occupy a small portion of that on a daily basis. The bedroom, living room and bathrooms are the most used spaces in American households.  So it’s really important, especially if safety support is one of your goals, to have coverage in those rooms. For example the bathroom is a common location where falls happen. . So a device needs to be within audible reach of that room. 

Considerations:

• Consider setting up a separate device in the bedroom and living room. 
• If you can’t set one up in each room, try to ensure the device is set up in a central location that can be heard from most areas in the house.
• Make sure each room has a stable Wi-Fi signal. If it doesn’t, you can get Wi-Fi extenders to help boost the signal in that room

‍Support with Safety

Alexa is a great supportive device for safety reasons, especially if you or someone you love is at  risk of falling. But, in order for Alexa to be able to help there are several considerations:

• Location of Alexa device. Remember, if the Alexa device is out of range, it won't do anyone any good. 
• Who should be contacted. Many people don’t realize this but Alexa can’t just call 911 directly. If you want to be able to ask Alexa to call 911 directly, you will need to add 911 to your contacts list. You can also designate an emergency contact in the Amazon Alexa app. This critical configuration will ensure that you are set up to get help in an emergency. 
• Training. It sounds a little silly to people who grew up in the digital age, but after setting up this safety feature, practice  communicating this new capability with your family and friends. Practice it, drill it, and mention it several times.
• Drop In Capability. Alexa has a native capability to drop in on devices and ask how everything is going. It’s really a neat feature, especially for those who have to work but want to virtually check in on someone else. This is a great option for checking in on the people who don’t have a habit of keeping their phones close by.

‍Support with Routines

Alexa’s native reminder feature is a fantastic way to support the completion of daily tasks. The set up is very simple and can improve compliance with essential care activities. Let’s review  a few of them. 

• ‍Set up a reminder for sleep and wake-up times. All you have to do is ask, Alexa can set up reminders for going to bed and waking up. Just let her know the times and days and she’ll do the rest. She can also take it a step further and activate smart devices in the home to support sleep and wake cycles. For instance, in the morning around wake up time Alexa can turn on your lights or turn on the coffee pot.  

• ‍Set up a reminder for sleep and wake-up times. All you have to do is ask, Alexa can set up reminders for going to bed and waking up. Just let her know the times and days and she’ll do the rest. She can also take it a step further and activate smart devices in the home to support sleep and wake cycles. For instance, in the morning around wake up time Alexa can turn on your lights or turn on the coffee pot.  
• ‍Setup reminders for medical appointments. Missed medical appointments are estimated to cost the US healthcare system $150 billion dollars every year. Additionally it can have impacts on  personal health and wellbeing. Why not use Alexa for reminders to these important appointments?
• ‍Setup medication reminders. Issues with medication adherence are even more costly to the US healthcare system at an estimated $500 billion dollars annually. Setting up reminders can prevent unnecessary hospitalizations and death.
• ‍Get into an exercise routine. Not only can you set up reminders for regular workouts, you can store those workouts in Alexa. She can open up “my workouts” and guide you through an exercise routine. Can you imagine the health benefits of starting a daily routine that supports total health and wellbeing?

‍Supporting supporters

Maybe all this sounds great, but slightly intimidating. Don’t worry. YouMeCare is built for support. Our YouMeCaregivers can come in and help you get totally set up with Alexa and provide day-to-day support. Same-day and next-day appointments are available! Just reach out if you need any extra help.