About two years ago I received a call from my mother. “You know,” she said, “Alexa is doing really well. I was feeling a little depressed so I told Alexa to play nice music and that's exactly what she did. Within a few minutes I felt much better!”
Alexa had become not exactly a companion, but a presence in my mother's house – one that made both her and me feel a little better. This was at least part of what I was hoping for when I first bought an Echo device. Sites focused on elder care are full of advice on how to add Amazon's smart speakers as a useful tool, and Amazon's technology is designed to make technology more accessible and accessible – goals that are often theirs when not always successful either.
My mother grew up at a time when just having a phone at home was new and exciting
That's how it started. My mother had spent most of her life as a teacher in the New York City public school system, a smart, smart woman with a master's degree in education, a progressive political viewpoint, and a sometimes irritating ability to take charge in almost any situation. But by now she was in her late 90s and beginning to have serious problems with her health and short-term memory. Despite her determination to remain independent for as long as possible – by playing games on the computer, keeping up with the news and writing extensive diary entries about her daily activities – this increasingly affected her ability to complete simple tasks and learn new ones skills and independent living.
We were able to hire a helper to help her during the day – preparing meals, cleaning up, and helping with other tasks that she was now unable to do herself. But my mother was also stubborn, refusing to have anyone there at night or to wear any kind of emergency call button in case she needed help. I lived about 40 minutes away and only spent weekends with her. We needed a way to make sure she was okay when she was the only person in the apartment.
So I got her an Amazon Echo Show 8 Smart Display in hopes that this could be the start of a smart home system that would help her stay safe and active. It all depended on how well my mother, who grew up at a time when having a phone at home was new and exciting, would accept the device. The Echo's 8-inch screen was large enough to be easily viewed, but small enough that it didn't overwhelm the room. She could interact with the personal assistant while the camera would allow me to interact with her remotely. I set it up and introduced her to Alexa.
And – it worked. Somehow.
I thought we could start using it as a way to communicate visually. That was pretty much a failure. My mother was used to calling people on a phone, and while she was impressed with the “see the person you're talking to” idea, she wasn't particularly keen on using it herself. “It’s not for me,” she said firmly.
OKI thought There is always that “Drop-in” function. I was able to monitor what was happening in the apartment. However, the Echo Show was housed in a small room next to the kitchen that we called “The Den,” where my mother ate her meals, wrote in her diary, and spent much of her time—and so she could only “see” her in this room and in the kitchen. Once, when I suggested putting cameras around the apartment, I got one of her looks—the one that made me feel like I was five years old again. A camera in the bedroom? Absolutely not.
But luckily there were some things the Echo helped with. It was around this time that my mother's old clock radio on her bedside table finally gave up the ghost. With some trepidation, I replaced it with an Echo Dot with a clock – and was delighted when my mother told me she loved it! Not only could she see what time it was, but she could also ask Alexa what the weather was, right from her bed. And what made me happy was that I was able to teach her to shout “Alexa, call Barbara” when she needed me in an emergency. Between the Dot and the Show, Alexa could now respond no matter where my mother was in the apartment – including in the bathroom with the door closed. (I checked.) She only used the feature a few times and never for a real emergency, but it was there “just in case.”
However, the most important gift the two Echos gave my mother in the end was music.
Decades ago, my parents purchased the most modern audio technology available at the time: a modular stereo system that consisted of a record player, a receiver, an AM/FM radio, and a cassette player. Now it sat unused because it had become too complicated for my mother. But with the Echo, she could play music whenever she wanted. She didn't even have to remember the names of the songs she liked or the musicians she once loved. All she had to do was say, “Alexa, play soft music” or “Alexa, play happy music.” Alexa played old blues, folk, or big band music. And I got a call about how she had listened to her music and how good it made her feel.
Did the two Echos do everything I hoped they would? Well, yes and no. They definitely provided my mother with an easy and friendly way to get information and reminders. More importantly, they provided a way to contact me in an emergency. But I never found the time to install other smart setups available. At least at the time, it was too complex a task to handle.
In fact, Amazon has been experimenting with expanding the usefulness of its smart devices for seniors. I never got around to trying Amazon's $20-a-month Alexa Together service, which came with its own 24/7 emergency service – and it apparently wasn't very successful, as it was discontinued in June of this year. I might have opted for the cheaper Emergency Assist feature, which allows users to contact emergency services and was introduced last September. But at this point my mother was cared for around the clock by family and helpers and was no longer dependent on them.
Still, it was good to have the echo. Towards the end of her life, when my mother was bedridden and too weak to speak, I could sit next to her and say, “Alexa, play some Woody Guthrie” or “Alexa, play some Bessie Smith” or “Alexa, play something. “Count Basie.” The music started, my mother smiled – and felt better for a while. And while Amazon's smart speaker wasn't the perfect answer to all of our needs, I'll always be grateful to Alexa for those few moments.