Does anyone have and use Alexa? I was reading an article about how this can be useful for someone with dementia, and it sounded like it might be a good thing for my mom. I would welcome any input.
Does anyone have and use Alexa? I was reading an article about how this can be useful for someone with dementia, and it sounded like it might be a good thing for my mom. I would welcome any input.
If someone has dementia, how would they know to use it or remember to use it? That isn't meant to be at all snarky. I just spend the day with my mother and even stuff she used to know 5 years ago eludes her now.
I have several Alexa devices. I think if you start with simple commands, it could work, but I'm a little bit with herbgeek, I'm curious as to why Alexa is said to be good for dementia patients. What are you thinking she could use it for?
ETA: I found this article which answers my own question.
Also, the Amazon Dot is relatively inexpensive, so you could always try it and see if she finds it useful, and if not, you won't have spent much money.
Slightly off-topic... my DH can never get the name of Alexa right. He'd call her Alexis, or he'd forget to call her anything at all. So my kids sent him this YouTube SNL video, which was so perfect for him. I hope you don't think I'm being disrespectful to older people--I am one--but I think this is hilarious!!
"Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it--every, every minute?" Emily Webb, Our Town
www.silententry.wordpress.com
I love it. 😆
Catherine, I loved your clip!
My 95 year old momma has many Alexa devices. She's got another thing from Apple that links her contacts also, so she can command "Alexa, call my daughter!" No need to dial. small.digits with failing fingers and eyesight. Oh, she's legally blind.
She sets reminders and alarms.
She asks for the news and weather daily.
She has several music channels created, along with being able to get any music available in Amazon Prime.
She doesnt , but one can build a shopping cart for purchases. I think it can also pair to other apps like grocery store shopping/shipping sites.
You can command smart thermostats or get electrical plugs that control with Alexa.
She also has the video one, and my brother can drop in and view her and she can hold the mail up for him to read. Lol! Really!
The video is hilarious and the article looks like a good one, thanks Catherine!
Herbgeek: No snark perceived! I was thinking she could ask it questions, e.g. "What was Bob Hope's wife's name again?" She could ask it to play songs, she could ask it what day it is, as many times as she wants! I think we could just use a post-it with the device's "name." Given her cognitive issues, I don't think she would ever use it to its fullest potential, but I could imagine her getting some value from it. I would also need to learn more about the device and its functions in order to better understand its potential.
Lmerullo: Thanks for the real-life examples of how you mother uses it. Reminders and alarms would be very useful.
We got an Echo device for my mother-in-law, age 86, after she began not hanging up the phone and we were unable to reach her for hours on end.
She doesn't use it for much, but we do. We've set lots of reminders on it for everyday routines, and we also use it to talk with her on occasion. Also, she is unable to set the alarm on her clock radio and we can use it as an alarm clock also. We set it at maximum volume and with a slower voice so that she can understand it better. It was worth the $35 or so we spent. We showed her how to communicate with it, and she enjoyed what we demonstrated, but she was not very successful in doing it herself - she wouldn't speak the name "Alexa" quickly enough, or she would wait too long to tell Alexa what she wanted. We'll keep trying, but we live 500 miles away, so can only demonstrate when visiting. I think she would enjoy the grocery list feature, as she tends to lose pieces of paper.
I have THREE Echo Dots. One in the LR, one in the BR, and one in the bathroom. I mostly use them for listening to streaming radio. I have a smart plug on my bedside lamp and one on the main lamp in the LR. I love just telling Alexa to turn the light on. I don't use it for reminders or timers or anything like that. I prefer to READ my information, not have someone tell me about it. But for someone with vision issues, it would be very helpful.
That's so funny, Catherine! That's my BIL exactly. He gave up on "Alexis" because she never answered him.
My therapist told me the way to achieve true inner peace is to finish what I start. So far today, I have finished two bags of M&Ms and a chocolate cake. I feel better already!
OMG! I'm thinking that video clip is a preview of my future. ROFLOL.
To give pleasure to a single heart by a single act is better than a thousand heads bowing in prayer." Mahatma Gandhi
Be nice whenever possible. It's always possible. HH Dalai Lama
In a world where you can be anything - be kind. Unknown
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