“Alexa, tell a joke!” I couldn’t resist the Amazon Prime Day Echo Dot special for $30. I broke down and bought one!
My only hiccup to the installation was adding the Echo Dot to the WiFi network we use at Charlestown. A separate portal network is used to add printers and devices like the Echo. Once I added the MAC address to the MyDevices website, the Dot connected.
I was testing out all the features and finally, Dan said, “It’s driving me nuts.” I find out you can add speakers to the Dot or use headphones. I especially like the command “Alexa, start my day.” She gives me an interesting fact for the day, the weather report, and top of the hour NPR news. The Alexa app even keeps track of the commands I have given. It’s magic to see the voice commands for the shopping list appear on the iPhone.
Dan is not so enamored as he is not a gadget fan. Amazon runs ads showing an elder sitting next to their Echo Show talking to family members. The Echo can even be used to check on family members. Front Porch Communities in California completed a pilot last year with residents of a CCRC. The final report mentioned,
The pilot attracted an enormous amount of attention from the media based on a story from the MIT Technology Review, which in turn attracted a diverse audience of companies (from startups to well-established firms), senior living communities, service organizations, and groups representing national and international interests. The potential of Voice First and smart home technologies to impact the lives of older adults has awakened the public imagination. The positive results from the pilot suggest that Voice First innovations warrant further exploration in the promotion of independence and wellbeing of older adults.
Civitas Senior Living in Texas has an Echo pilot underway. They are testing the use of Amazon’s virtual assistant, Alexa, in each resident apartment at Park Creek Independent Living in suburban Houston. I may consider getting a wifi outlet to turn on the bedroom lamp so we are not stumbling in the dark. I wonder how Dan would like the Keurig turned on from the bedroom?