New Amazon Echo Feature Allows Monitoring Of Your Loved One Aging In Place

When you purchased an Amazon Echo for your loved on this holiday season you may have thought you were getting them a nice voice assistant that would help them answer some questions, read them the news, and play their favorite music. All of those features are true and wonderful for loved ones who are aging in place. Did you know that Amazon has introduced a new feature that will be good for you, as their caretaker, and possibly life saving for your loved one?

The new features are called Care Hub and it connects an Alexa enabled device in your loved one’s home with your Alexa app. Here are some of the features that are enabled;

• Notification of the first activity of each day
• Notification if no activity is detected after a certain specified amount of time
• A complete read-out of daily activity (privacy features are included in this.)
• Easy two-way chat or phone call ability directly to the device if there is cause for concern
• Initiate a call to the caretaker’s phone by simply saying, “Alexa, call for help.”

While the Care Hub may cause some privacy concerns, it certainly has benefits that seem to outweigh those concerns in allowing you, as the caretaker of your loved one who is aging in place, to maintain a direct connection with him/her throughout each day and be notified if there is any cause for concern.

Connected devices are not the only answer as home health care agencies in Connecticut can offer check-ins on your loved ones as well. The Care Hub offers just one more point of contact with your loved one to confirm that he/she is doing well and does not need any help.