Voice assistant: Alexa assists in retirement and nursing homes
Alexa helps senior citizens in DRK facilities stay in touch with friends and family, manage their living space and organize their daily lives more independently.
(Image: Amazon)
DRK-Service GmbH is now cooperating with DiscVision Solutions GmbH to jointly support the introduction of “Alexa Smart Properties for Senior Living” in retirement and nursing homes, as well as outpatient care services of the German Red Cross (DRK). Alexa Smart Properties enables senior living facilities to integrate Amazon's voice assistant Alexa and offers a voice-controlled solution specifically tailored to the needs of seniors and their caregivers. DiscVision Solutions provides the necessary customized Alexa Skills.
DRK-Service GmbH is a subsidiary of the German Red Cross and has been supporting its associations and facilities with Red Cross services and products for almost 60 years. The aim of the collaboration with the solution provider DiscVision is to enable the use of Alexa voice technology in DRK facilities throughout Germany in the coming years.
Videos by heise
Pilot project running since 2022
This solution is already being used in the LeNa project of the Müllheim DRK district association. The project is primarily aimed at senior citizens in the district association area who are single and require care and assistance in their homes. The aim is to create new opportunities for social participation with the help of an Alexa-enabled Echo Show device from Amazon. “Alexa Smart Properties for Senior Living” has been available in Germany since the end of 2022. Residents of senior living facilities can use it to access information about the respective facility by voice or touch, call up entertainment offers, set appointment reminders and stay in touch with relatives. The system achieves the latter via the Alexa-to-Alexa function or video calls. Care staff can also use the Alexa communication functions to communicate with residents and, for example, make announcements or voice and video calls within the home. Finally, external offers relating to culture or exercise can also be made available to senior citizens.
The smart home functions are also available via Alexa, allowing senior citizens to control the lighting and temperature in their living area by voice, for example. The aim is for residents to live more independently and inclusively. According to Amazon, the system in turn saves valuable time that can be better used for personal care of the elderly. According to Meryem Tom, Director Alexa Enterprise EU at Amazon, the company has also received feedback that Alexa makes people feel less lonely. Amazon emphasizes that Alexa Smart Properties was developed with strict consideration of data protection. No voice recordings are stored, and no account information is required to use Alexa Smart Properties. Every Amazon Echo device offers multi-layered data protection and a microphone-off button to completely deactivate the microphones. (nij)
