Seniors with Standalone Calling Devices (Portal/AmazonEcho)
Discussion
Hi
Would anyone have personal experience with any of the standalone calling devices such as Portal or Amazon Echo in a usage case with 90 yr old seniors / elderly who really struggle with technology and are on the cusp of dementia.
Any commentary on use in practice, availability of "drop in" features or whatever it's called when the recipient doesn't even have to answer the device much appreciated
Frustrating in many ways - mum has an ipad but zoom has too many steps to answer much less initiate and it just isn't happening. The ergonomics / wisdom of a standalone device is relatively compelling at the moment I think
Cheers
Would anyone have personal experience with any of the standalone calling devices such as Portal or Amazon Echo in a usage case with 90 yr old seniors / elderly who really struggle with technology and are on the cusp of dementia.
Any commentary on use in practice, availability of "drop in" features or whatever it's called when the recipient doesn't even have to answer the device much appreciated
Frustrating in many ways - mum has an ipad but zoom has too many steps to answer much less initiate and it just isn't happening. The ergonomics / wisdom of a standalone device is relatively compelling at the moment I think
Cheers
My parents and my MIL now have echo devices in their homes. Initially they all said that they could not see the point of them and worried about how to use them.
They now all think they are great and all enjoy talking with alexa!
They can all receive calls made over the devices okay but if they miss the call and get back to find a flashing light they then seem stuck and I get a call on the landline asking why alexa is flashing
None of them use the devices to call out, they use the landline or wait to be called.
They now all think they are great and all enjoy talking with alexa!
They can all receive calls made over the devices okay but if they miss the call and get back to find a flashing light they then seem stuck and I get a call on the landline asking why alexa is flashing
None of them use the devices to call out, they use the landline or wait to be called.
I’ve got a bunch of Echos for my 90 year old mother. They work remarkably well. Voice is a really good interface for the technophobic elderly. I’ve made outbound and inbound calls on them. It works, but it is a bit laggy, like a conf call. She knows (and has practiced) that if she gets stuck and asks it to call me - that it will do so.
They don't seem to sell it anymore but I've had great success with an Echo and an Amazon Echo Connect. Sits between the phone and the network. When the regular land line rings it announces who is calling. My mother in Law just says "Alexa, answer" and starts the conversation over the Echo. To dial out, we loaded the Alexa app and she just says to the echo "Alexa, call John" and it makes a regular call to John which again she conducts over the echo. Tech her the safe phrase "Alexa stop" and she knows if she ever gets confused she can just stop everything which prevents her from panicing.
In fact so useful it is we put one in our house. We've got Echoes everywhere so I can turn off the shrill handset ring and when someone calls we get an announcement everywhere in the house and garden and can answer wherever we are if we're not near the handset.
In fact so useful it is we put one in our house. We've got Echoes everywhere so I can turn off the shrill handset ring and when someone calls we get an announcement everywhere in the house and garden and can answer wherever we are if we're not near the handset.
All
Many thanks for responses - very interesting
Alexa devices obviously seem more popular here over Portal stuff.
It's the usage of the ipad - folded away - as opposed to a "permanent" stand alone that is the attraction of one of these
In a sense all I really want is a wifi baby monitor !
Many thanks for responses - very interesting
Alexa devices obviously seem more popular here over Portal stuff.
It's the usage of the ipad - folded away - as opposed to a "permanent" stand alone that is the attraction of one of these
In a sense all I really want is a wifi baby monitor !
Just to add, I put in an Echo Show with 10 inch screen at the MiL's (who is elderly and bed-bound) and set it up to accept drop-in connections from our accounts.
Mrs CnC video calls her mum daily and it has made a big difference. She is much more responsive than over a voice-only call.
The best thing about it is that her MiL does absolutely nothing - no neeed to press buttons, unlock the device etc..
In terms of the "baby monitor" aspect, the other thing we did was to install a Reolink CCTV system (reason was to monitor that the carers from the previous agency were actually turning up, which they weren't on several occasions). This also works really well, and on the odd occasion that the Echo appears to connect, but cannot see her mum, it's easy to check on the CCTV if the Echo is where it should be. Occasionally the carers forget to put it back facing her mum when they leave.
Mrs CnC video calls her mum daily and it has made a big difference. She is much more responsive than over a voice-only call.
The best thing about it is that her MiL does absolutely nothing - no neeed to press buttons, unlock the device etc..
In terms of the "baby monitor" aspect, the other thing we did was to install a Reolink CCTV system (reason was to monitor that the carers from the previous agency were actually turning up, which they weren't on several occasions). This also works really well, and on the odd occasion that the Echo appears to connect, but cannot see her mum, it's easy to check on the CCTV if the Echo is where it should be. Occasionally the carers forget to put it back facing her mum when they leave.
I echo (no pun intended) C n C's comment.
Bought 10" Echo Show for my parents and another for MIL (all aged 85+) and through lockdown they made the world of difference. Having easy to use video calling has been brilliant (we enabled drop in). MIL also uses hers exclusively now for phone calls, rather than getting up to the phone (note she is partially sighted so finds the normal phone a bit difficult). Looking at the history they seem to also be asking about the weather, playing radio and stuff so they are doing ok. We have also setup with a load of family photos so they get a digital photo frame included !
Of course they must be linked to a smart mobile for setup etc, so each parent needs one even if they rarely use it.
Bought 10" Echo Show for my parents and another for MIL (all aged 85+) and through lockdown they made the world of difference. Having easy to use video calling has been brilliant (we enabled drop in). MIL also uses hers exclusively now for phone calls, rather than getting up to the phone (note she is partially sighted so finds the normal phone a bit difficult). Looking at the history they seem to also be asking about the weather, playing radio and stuff so they are doing ok. We have also setup with a load of family photos so they get a digital photo frame included !
Of course they must be linked to a smart mobile for setup etc, so each parent needs one even if they rarely use it.
4anascooter said:
I echo (no pun intended) C n C's comment.
Bought 10" Echo Show for my parents and another for MIL (all aged 85+) and through lockdown they made the world of difference. Having easy to use video calling has been brilliant (we enabled drop in). MIL also uses hers exclusively now for phone calls, rather than getting up to the phone (note she is partially sighted so finds the normal phone a bit difficult). Looking at the history they seem to also be asking about the weather, playing radio and stuff so they are doing ok. We have also setup with a load of family photos so they get a digital photo frame included !
Of course they must be linked to a smart mobile for setup etc, so each parent needs one even if they rarely use it.
Not sure on what you mean by this?Bought 10" Echo Show for my parents and another for MIL (all aged 85+) and through lockdown they made the world of difference. Having easy to use video calling has been brilliant (we enabled drop in). MIL also uses hers exclusively now for phone calls, rather than getting up to the phone (note she is partially sighted so finds the normal phone a bit difficult). Looking at the history they seem to also be asking about the weather, playing radio and stuff so they are doing ok. We have also setup with a load of family photos so they get a digital photo frame included !
Of course they must be linked to a smart mobile for setup etc, so each parent needs one even if they rarely use it.
MiL doesn't have a mobile of any description. I set it up at my house using my Amazon account, enabled drop-in, and also authorised drop-in for my wife (as one of my contacts), and also added the contact for one of MiL's friends (who has an Amazon account) and enabled drop-in on that contact also.
I then took the Echo show to MiL's, and connected it to wifi at her house (I actually installed a 3/4g wifi router on a GiffGaff SIM as she doesn't have broadband), tested it and left. Both myself, my wife, and MiL's friend have all been able to drop in on MiL without any problems.
I've also since set one up for my dad (linked it to my wife's Amazon), and we can both drop in on him too. He also has no smart mobile phone of any type. His links to the wifi at the care home he's at. In his case, as he's 200 miles away, I set it up at home first and simulated the care home wifi using my mobile phone as a hotspot (same name and password as care home wifi). Tested it worked, then posted it to the care home. When they switched it on, it connected to their wifi automatically and we could drop in on him. As we don't use the photo storage on my wife's account for anything else, I uploaded a bunch of photos to it, and they now appear on his device if he says "Alexa, show photos".
Edited by C n C on Wednesday 9th June 17:03
4anascooter said:
I echo (no pun intended) C n C's comment.
Bought 10" Echo Show for my parents and another for MIL (all aged 85+) and through lockdown they made the world of difference. Having easy to use video calling has been brilliant (we enabled drop in). MIL also uses hers exclusively now for phone calls, rather than getting up to the phone (note she is partially sighted so finds the normal phone a bit difficult). Looking at the history they seem to also be asking about the weather, playing radio and stuff so they are doing ok. We have also setup with a load of family photos so they get a digital photo frame included !
Of course they must be linked to a smart mobile for setup etc, so each parent needs one even if they rarely use it.
Thanks this is very helpful. Bought 10" Echo Show for my parents and another for MIL (all aged 85+) and through lockdown they made the world of difference. Having easy to use video calling has been brilliant (we enabled drop in). MIL also uses hers exclusively now for phone calls, rather than getting up to the phone (note she is partially sighted so finds the normal phone a bit difficult). Looking at the history they seem to also be asking about the weather, playing radio and stuff so they are doing ok. We have also setup with a load of family photos so they get a digital photo frame included !
Of course they must be linked to a smart mobile for setup etc, so each parent needs one even if they rarely use it.
1) You initiate the call you end from your phone how - thru an alex app?
2) What is the exact answering process for this set up parent end?
Drop In on - I assume nothing
Drop In not activated - "Alexa Answer" ?
3) If mum is compus mentis enough to initate a call will it automatically video call my phone via the app or will she need to make a decision about video call or just calling my phone?
Thx a lot
I can confirm that you can set the whole lot up under your own account - the elderly parent does not need a phone. God knows what Amazon’s data analytics thinks I am now….
One thing that has been really good is I’ve got her some LIFX smart bulbs. Rather than trying to work out where the lights are when she wakes up in the night, she justs ask for them to be switched on. Same when walking round the house at night - rather than fumbling for the switch (or more likely thinking she can navigate using the force), a quick “Alexa, turn the lights on” works perfectly.
One thing that has been really good is I’ve got her some LIFX smart bulbs. Rather than trying to work out where the lights are when she wakes up in the night, she justs ask for them to be switched on. Same when walking round the house at night - rather than fumbling for the switch (or more likely thinking she can navigate using the force), a quick “Alexa, turn the lights on” works perfectly.
rxe said:
I can confirm that you can set the whole lot up under your own account - the elderly parent does not need a phone. God knows what Amazon’s data analytics thinks I am now….
One thing that has been really good is I’ve got her some LIFX smart bulbs. Rather than trying to work out where the lights are when she wakes up in the night, she justs ask for them to be switched on. Same when walking round the house at night - rather than fumbling for the switch (or more likely thinking she can navigate using the force), a quick “Alexa, turn the lights on” works perfectly.
Thanks. Yes I look fwd to the sanitary pads advertisementsOne thing that has been really good is I’ve got her some LIFX smart bulbs. Rather than trying to work out where the lights are when she wakes up in the night, she justs ask for them to be switched on. Same when walking round the house at night - rather than fumbling for the switch (or more likely thinking she can navigate using the force), a quick “Alexa, turn the lights on” works perfectly.
Lights - good shout yes my girlfriend has become addicted to this in her place. I'm a bit slow to have the stasi listening device in my home but my parents life will be less interesting to the authorities
Interesting to know that you dont need separate accounts (for MIL etc)....though not sure how her contacts would be unique to her Alexa and my contacts to mine ?....Would we not have to share the same contact list ? Would not want all my contacts appearing on her device, as she might accidently call my mates !!!
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