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Where to begin for an Echo for seniors?

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xxnonamexx

Where to begin for an Echo for seniors?
« on: November 14, 2017, 08:09:50 pm »
I have been thinking of getting an Echo for my parents for Christmas. They aren't connected to cell phones. My father has an amazon account (who doesn't lol). However I think it might be good for my mother to speak and have a question answered. My mother always writes down her doctor appointments, peoples birthday, special occasions, notes o remind her, grocery list. She isn't good at using a computer. I purchased her an ipad 2 years ago to make it easier to start she got the hang of it but millions of tabs opened and clicks on ads which gives her issues for me to sort out. She listens to SiriusXM. She usually has a question and I tell her search on the internet and she mentions she doesn't know how so I was hoping if she asked Alexa she will get her answers. She cooks, bakes, maybe help with recipes, ask the time, weather. What is the best option? Thanks

Laurel

Re: Where to begin for an Echo for seniors?
« Reply #1 on: November 14, 2017, 10:10:19 pm »
I am a 68 yr. old senior, but I am getting pretty savvy with technical things.  I have Alexa Echo, Show and Tap, and rely on my Samsung Galaxy Note 8.  I would say that Alexa is not going to be a good answer for your parents.  It has lots of potential for fulfilling your concept, but really Alexa is still pretty limited to questions she will answer and questions have to be phrased in a certain way which can be tricky. Wouldn't it be easier to get her into using Siri on her ipad?  She has Sirius for her music and she probably is happy enough with that.  Siri can give her recipes when asked i.e. Siri show me a recipe for spinach dip.  Siri put an appointment on my calendar for Monday. (as long as you have the calendar set up).  Good luck. 

malliekm

Re: Where to begin for an Echo for seniors?
« Reply #2 on: November 14, 2017, 11:37:58 pm »
How old are your parents?  Mine are 78 and 83.  Dad uses a computer but his computer stays a mess and it's my job to keep it running.  Did I mention he's running Vista! :o 
Mom has a smart phone.  She's had it for 3 years and checks the weather, reads texts, uses the phone (every once in a while) and manages to remove app shortcuts and widgets and swear they disappeared on their own.  My job to fix it.
They thought they wanted a tablet.  I ordered it and set it up.  They sent it back in a week.
They still write out grocery lists.  They still write Dr appts and birthdays on a desk calendar.  It's the method they've used all their lives and at this stage, they're either too old to learn or just don't care enough about the technology. Mom has a gazillion yellow sticky notes all over her desk.  She's never going to tell Alexa or Google Assistant to set reminders, alarms or make a grocery list.   She remembers to ask Google or Alexa a question when I'm there LOL  She doesn't think about if I'm not  :o  I've learned that older people don't listen as fast as needed for these AIs.  Older ears, slower listening.  And older ears don't understand as well as they used to.  Also, you have to learn how to ask Alexa questions.  They may get frustrated trying to figure out how Alexa wants to hear the question.  And then there's memory issues.  If you get her one, just don't expect her to use it like you might think she will.  It's 2nd nature for me to quickly add to my shopping list on my GH or GA on the phone.  It's 2nd nature to set reminders on either device.  They're so woven into my life, it's scary!  Not so much my parent's generation.

Re: Where to begin for an Echo for seniors?
« Reply #3 on: November 15, 2017, 04:34:20 am »
to answer the original question as is, it can be very confusing.  so for clarification, do they have wifi internet or wired internet?   do they have a computer? 

asianrocker

Re: Where to begin for an Echo for seniors?
« Reply #4 on: November 15, 2017, 09:02:08 am »
Buying Google home is against my religion. But since your mom would ask a lot of questions,  Google home is her best choice.

It can do all the things that you listed I just don't know about sirius if it can link  to Google.

For your mom's need please don't buy her any echo product. All she will hear for all her question is I don't know.

idontspeakmonkey

Re: Where to begin for an Echo for seniors?
« Reply #5 on: November 15, 2017, 04:23:38 pm »
Here is what I did and Dad LOVES it and he hates all things tech.

My dad 90+ has always had a hard time with the computer and email and everything about it.  Once mom passed he was mostly helpless and very frustrated with the computer. 

His eye sight is failing, he is mostly home-bound other than church and doctor visits when he has a pre-arranged ride.

We went large screen on the computer - did not help
We went Giant ICONS - did not help
We went Giant Keyboard - did not help
We went high contract fonts - did not help
We tried apps to read email on the computer - did not help

I took a chance and lent him one of my "DOTS" and now like magic he is now connected again with the world.

I set up a gmail account and Amazon account for him.
I have Gmail "import" email from his old account
I have Astrobot skill enabled in Alexa

I printed and laminated several large prints of instructions to lay around the house.

"ALEXA OPEN ASTROBOT" reads his email (he can say DELETE, ARCHIVE, REPLY etc)

Now instead of checking his email at most one time a day and then getting made because he cant read the screen or presses the wrong button, he now checks is email and the weather and the news 5-10 times per day.

He has tried to play music, but the commands are too complex "ALEXA PLAY JAZZ ON PANDORA"  he can't get the words out fast enough.

Next I will add Amazon Fire TV so he can say "ALEXA TURN ON MASH" (that is all he watches).  He can't really make out the program guide, but still wants the TV on.

I'm still on the fence about trying Alexa messages and phones and drop ins, but maybe one day.

Now all the kids and grandkids send him long stories in email about what is going on with them, and he can listen to the very long church newsletter emails, where before he could not read them.

He still does not use the reply feature (too complex) but everyone knows not to ask him questions in email.   He will pick up the phone and call if he has something to say back.


k9kids

Re: Where to begin for an Echo for seniors?
« Reply #6 on: November 15, 2017, 11:13:14 pm »
You should steer his music to Amazon music. Much easier to play certain genres or specific artists.

You might try an Audible account for listening to books.

My 92 year old mother has listened to over 200 books that way. Like your father she is blind too.

Next month when the Amazon Connect comes out she'll be able to use Alexa to make some calls for her.

Playing SiriusXM is a bit difficult for her because of the lengthy string of words needed to play a channel.

She has a unit in each of her rooms and I can hear her jabbering with Alexa all day long.

I know the 7 day weather forecast by heart by the afternoon.

Its been a true companion for her.

idontspeakmonkey

Re: Where to begin for an Echo for seniors?
« Reply #7 on: November 16, 2017, 08:29:46 am »
Thanks for the tips.

I did setup Audible, but I learned something new about my dad.  He hates to read or listen to books.   You could have knocked me over with a feather.  I read and/or listen to about 50-100 books a year.   I can only assume all the studying he had to do in the seminary put him off books.

I did not do the full on Amazon Music, since I did not want to pay for anything until I knew he was going to use it.

k9kids

Re: Where to begin for an Echo for seniors?
« Reply #8 on: November 16, 2017, 08:38:13 am »
Make it easier for him to use and he probably will.

Pop won't be with you forever. Make him happy.  :)


marcel_911

Re: Where to begin for an Echo for seniors?
« Reply #9 on: November 18, 2017, 07:14:09 pm »
My dad is 84 and uses an iMac. It surprises me sometimes how he manages considering how he interprets things.  A web browser means nothing to him. To him it's Google. He has no concept of a URL bar.

Anyway, he bought a Dot a few months ago and from day one struggled hearing what it was saying. I have lost count of how many times he'd day, "What did she say?". He now has a Show and struggles just as much understanding what Alexa is saying because of the low frequencies on in the audio.

The Show is better though as it does display text of what it's saying a lot of the time.

Sometimes the Dot would wake up spuriously then say something along the lines of "I didn't get that". My dad would hear it say something and think it was something important and try to get it to repeat it wasting his time since it was nothing anyway.

If your hearing is deteriorating then I don't think an Echo is a good idea.

zaphod

Re: Where to begin for an Echo for seniors?
« Reply #10 on: November 18, 2017, 07:33:04 pm »
my mother is 78 her mind is still sharp as ever she just never really got tech. every power outage for years i would get called to set her vcr clock...so she isn't tech friendly but i have made the basics of alexa and echo use work with and fit her life. she uses it daily and for our family it has become a great aid.

to begin with i keep everything as simple as i can for her. when setting up lights for example i tell her if for any reason she can't get alexa to turn on a light she just needs to go and manually flip the switch off and back on. then i can address the issue regardless of cause without her being concerned about her not having access to 'things.'

for our mom independence is more important than most anything. so i only setup a few automated things but only after sitting down with and discussing the matter. trying to find how her needs, our needs could best be met. easing her tech fears was no easy job, still isn't.

we placed just one alexa enabled light in each room, all others she still operates manually. i named each one of those lights so she could easily remember them. i named them by the room they are in, e.g. the kitchen light just named 'kitchen.' i then explained to her all she needed to remember was the room she was in and to say alexa for example kitchen on or off. she got that immediately with no refreshers needed. she has two plugs also, one for her coffee maker and the other for seasonal use like her fan.

the drop in feature has been a true stress reducer for both. having that setup, all she needs do is remember the 'names' to drop in to. she drops in on me every morning. she lives alone so you can imagine the benefits of that feature for her peace of mind and ours. unfortunately she tends to fall. that's why we put echos in most every room. i also put in two echo linked cameras. bonus with them she has additional means to get alexa's attention so to speak and get help if needed.

i made her a cheat sheet a 6x6 card with those main commands and names on one side. on the reverse names of places to drop in to, how to change volume, what light colors mean. she knows how to ask alexa basic questions, weather, conversions e.g. tablespoons in a pint, she's good there. her hearing isn't what is was so i made a point of placing the echos at eye level. that way if she doesn't hear them go off she can see the light rings moving. last but not least she knows where the power strip is that the modem/router is. that way she can power cycle it easily with the flick of a switch if i am not there to do it for her.

the most important hurdle for me was to remove the intimidation factor.  to simplify echo use so as to ensure it got used regularly, multiple times a day. skills go both ways with respect to the saying, 'use it or lose it.' for us this endeavor it's working. hopefully it will for you as well.

Laurel

Re: Where to begin for an Echo for seniors?
« Reply #11 on: November 18, 2017, 11:39:53 pm »
Zaphod nice to read your post.  You obviously love your mom.

mike27oct

Re: Where to begin for an Echo for seniors?
« Reply #12 on: November 19, 2017, 04:11:51 am »
I am surprised no one has yet told the OP about the Silver Edition Echo specifically for seniors as advertised a few months ago on SNL.  This is perfect for non-tech savvy parents and grandparents.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvT_gqs5ETk

BTW, I turned 72 last month and I do NOT need the Silver model, My regular Echo works just fine, as well as my many Dots, Taps, Google Homes and all the other tech devices in my house.  The problem is not one's age, it is their mindset!   Some old fogies just don't want to move forward -- like a sister in law we sent a Dot to this past month who said she had no use for it, so after declining our offer to help, we told her to return it for Amazon credit!  Heck with her!

Re: Where to begin for an Echo for seniors?
« Reply #13 on: November 19, 2017, 10:48:09 am »
I am surprised no one has yet told the OP about the Silver Edition Echo specifically for seniors as advertised a few months ago on SNL.  This is perfect for non-tech savvy parents and grandparents.

There is that!... Good Call, Mike.
2 Echo Dots 2nd gen
2 echo dots gen 3 (no clock) -2 Echo Dot 3rd gen with Clock
1 echo dot Gen 4 with clock
1 Echo Spot
4 10" Fire Tablets
1 15' Echo show
23 Hue Lights 1 Hue bridge - 1 Amazon Smart plug outlet
One Ring Doorbell Pro
4 cell phones with Alexa app installed!
You should see My Apple Device List!

malliekm

Re: Where to begin for an Echo for seniors?
« Reply #14 on: November 19, 2017, 01:58:26 pm »
I am surprised no one has yet told the OP about the Silver Edition Echo specifically for seniors as advertised a few months ago on SNL.  This is perfect for non-tech savvy parents and grandparents.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvT_gqs5ETk

BTW, I turned 72 last month and I do NOT need the Silver model, My regular Echo works just fine, as well as my many Dots, Taps, Google Homes and all the other tech devices in my house.  The problem is not one's age, it is their mindset!   Some old fogies just don't want to move forward -- like a sister in law we sent a Dot to this past month who said she had no use for it, so after declining our offer to help, we told her to return it for Amazon credit!  Heck with her!

He's alive!  Good to see you posting again :)
Here are my "old fogies".  Mom tries to move forward and wants to but didn't start until 3 years ago with her first smart phone.  She learns a little bit more each time I'm there.  She's excited about the GHMs she's ordering on Thanksgiving.
 Dad...well he was somewhat techie but he was also a major in the Army and had a "my way or highway" mind set.  You can't operate a computer with that kind of thinking.  That's what Bill Gates is for ;)  Now, sadly, at 83 dementia is starting to set in and he does things like unplugs the printer and calls to tell me it's not working and there are no cartridges in it :(  Bless his heart. This picture was taken two years ago at 76 and 81.  Sometimes it's hard to think of them as elderly.