Alexa Together: A game changer for senior care?
Amazon is launching a new subscription service in the US for seniors and their caregivers
Amazon announced on December 7 a new subscription service for US-based seniors and their caregivers: Alexa Together (no information on international launches thus far).
In a nutshell, here is what the voice-assisted service can do:
- The senior customer gets “24/7 hands-free access to an Urgent Response professional emergency helpline”.
- Fall detection response via third party devices.
- Activity feed and custom alerts can “help reassure caregivers that their loved one is up and going about their day”.
- A “Remote Assist” feature that the senior customer can enable if desired.
- The service starts at $19.99 a month (or $199 a year), though Amazon is offering a free, six-month trial.
Given the proliferation of Alexa-powered devices (40+ million Alexa users in the US alone according to reports), this may be a sound strategy for Amazon (who hasn’t been shy about its healthcare ambitions).
On the other hand, critics of voice assisted technologies will certainly point out one thing: data privacy around senior care is (often) paramount. Senior citizens, their loved ones and caregivers often value discretion and may think twice before entrusting Alexa for such purposes. There is also consent… how can all parties absolutely make sure they understand the service and terms of use. But these are probably topics for further discussion.
This story was first published on The PhilaVerse (my Substack newsletter).
