We are excited to see Amazon Alexa come out with a new, free feature in the Alexa app that provides parents, caregivers, adult children, and more with the ability to remotely check in on their disabled loved ones who live independently: the Amazon Alexa Care Hub.
Here’s how it works.
Users place an Echo device in their loved one’s home and then download the Alexa app onto their own phone. The Echo will monitor and alert the app-holder of the disabled individual’s activity, such as when they turn lights on in their home.
Not only that, but the app will send the user an alert when their loved one asks Alexa for help. With the emergency contact feature, the person in need is able to say, “Alexa, call for help,” and a notification is immediately sent to the caregiver. Once the user receives this notification, they have the ability to either call their loved one through the Care Hub directly or contact emergency services for help.
Last but not least, this product still features other services provided by Amazon Alexa:
- Ability to set up reminders
- Access to games and music
- Headspace meditation
- Caption controls for various devices
- + more
This is a fantastic resource for customers who do not want to put their elderly or intellectually disabled loved ones into a group home, which is especially helpful as the COVID-19 pandemic continues and families/caregivers are increasingly wary of the safety of those settings.
While the product is still undergoing beta testing among Amazon employees and their own loved ones, we are excited for the peace of mind this resource will give to special needs families as they do their best to care for the people they hold most dear.
What do you think of this new feature?