Alexa and My Mother: Learnings for Teaching Older Adults Technology

By: Bruce Candy.  Updated: February 08, 2023.

 

Teaching Alexa to older adults

 

Over the past few years, I have been the major caregiver for my mother, who lives 350 miles away.

 

This article is partly about my experiences using Alexa to help her, and partly to share some things I have learned about what is important in teaching technology to older adults in ways that mean they will actually take advantage of the benefits of that technology.

 

My Experience Leveraging Tech to Care for my Mother

Over the past few years, I have been the major caregiver for my mother, who lives 350 miles away. Caring for my mother has granted me a first-hand understanding of how technology has improved her safety and well-being, as well as how she has adapted to using these new devices in day-to-day activities. I have also witnessed the problems seniors can have with technology.

 

We Started with Alexa in an Echo Dot: Companionship

We started by purchasing my mother an Amazon Echo Dot. My goal with this gift was to provide her with companionship since she lives alone and often spends extended periods by herself. Alexa would improve her spirits by giving her something to interact with, day or night.

 

More and More Use Cases

Once I installed Alexa, my mother quickly learned to ask for the weather, music and time.

As she became more comfortable with Alexa, she started asking me questions about the device and became excited about Alexa's responses.

During emergencies, Mom learned to contact me with her voice using Alexa. I also used Alexa to contact her when she did not answer the phone.

 

Then Came COVID and Echo Show

The second part of our journey began when COVID-19 was at its peak.

The family wanted to see my mother on her birthday, even though we couldn’t gather in person. So, I bought her an Alexa Echo Show, which allowed her to see and talk to the family. The Alexa Echo Show kept her from being isolated during this tough time.

 

Bruce and Alexa devices

Caption: Author Bruce with some of his Alexa devices.

 

Then Smart Home Devices

I then started to investigate how smart home devices could improve her safety.

We bought smart lightbulbs and set them up throughout the house.

I purchased two Ring doorbells, so she could see who was at the door and interact with them without having to get up and open it. The Ring doorbell also allowed me to interact with people at my mother's front door from hundreds of miles away. On one occasion, I was able to scare away a stranger at the rear of the house. Installing the Ring doorbells was a good decision.

 

There Was an Initial Learning Curve. I Needed a Book. Could not Find a Good One.

Though my mother adapted well to Alexa, the initial introduction was awkward.

To help her better adjust to the technology, I looked into purchasing books about skills, commands and setup. The books needed to explain how Alexa could meet her needs.

I began my research and could not find a book about how Alexa can support everyday needs and situations. None of the material I read addressed how Alexa and its companion devices could improve the lives of older individuals in the ways I had witnessed with my mother.

 

 

So, I Wrote a Book on Alexa for Older Adults  :)

Upon seeing this gap in the available literature, I became motivated to write Ask Alexa.

The book aims to give older adults a tool to “Age in Place.” Age in Place has various definitions; the one I like the best is "to enable older people to maintain independence, autonomy and connection to social support, friends, and family.”

Ask Alexa is available for preview and purchase on Amazon.

 

What's in the Book

In the book, you will find skills and commands categorized by the following daily activities and physical conditions:

 

  • Food and Nutrition
  • Medication
  • Loneliness
  • Memory
  • Entertainment 
  • Safety and Security
  • Accessibility
  • Transportation
  • Pets
  • Wellness, Physical Fitness, Exercise
  • Faith, Meditation; Sleep Sounds
  • Weather, News; Traffic

 

Voice-activated devices like Alexa are the gateway to helping these adults in areas where they are uniquely vulnerable.

Because of the rapid changes in voice technology and the devices they control, I also created a website to offer even more advice on the options available for seniors: www.seniorpeer.com.

 

 

Conclusions About Teaching Tech to Older Adults

Caring for my mother has granted me a first-hand understanding of how technology has improved her safety and well-being, as well as how she has adapted to using these new devices in day-to-day activities. I have also witnessed the problems seniors can have with technology.

 

Lots of Older Adults Need Tech

By 2038, there will be 17.5 million households in their 80s. Technology is essential for older adults to stay in their homes longer. Programs that teach technology to seniors should change their current teaching methods to focus on these seniors’ needs.

 

"Flashy Objects" is the Wrong Approach

Modern senior programs are heavily focused on technology.

Seniors are asked, "Do you want to learn about this flashy new device? Let us teach you about it because other seniors have found that this device makes a difference in their lives."

This approach does not work for older seniors.

These individuals have seen an endless amount of technology firsts, such as the color television, the transistor radio, and man walking on the moon. The number of new technologies and resulting devices has grown exponentially during these seniors' lives. Today's technologies are the result of tech they developed, commercialized and used.

All this is to say that flashy new objects do not excite them.

 

Focusing on the "Benefit": Better Quality Life

Instead, we must focus on teaching seniors how modern technology can make their lives easier.

In essence, we must create need-based teaching. Older seniors need to feel comfortable and confident while learning. Curriculums should focus on the specific ways that technology can help seniors in their day-to-day lives, rather than teaching them about how it works and all its fancy features.

 

Follow up Essential

It is essential that tech education continues after the initial classes.

Most programs do not follow up with their seniors, which is a significant missed opportunity.

Follow-up allows you to see if the older students are still using and understanding their devices properly. If seniors do not fully understand how the device helps them, they might not turn it on at all and miss out on its benefits. The goal is for seniors to become more confident and comfortable using technology to support their safety and well-being.

 

Takeaways for Tech Teaching

In conclusion, technology is necessary for older seniors to stay in their homes as long as possible. The problem is that seniors need to be inspired to learn about these highly technical devices. Follow-up is a crucial step once the equipment is in place. Teaching technology to older seniors should focus on their needs, well-being and safety.

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

*Disclosure: If you use the links above when you buy products we write about, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases as an Amazon Associate or other affiliate program participant. This does not affect the price you pay.

In some cases, we ask the vendor to loan us the products we review (so we don't need to buy them). Beyond this, we have no financial interest in the products discussed here, and this article is not sponsored or supported in any way by any product vendor. See How we Fund our Work.

 

 

Help Support our Research

We hope you found this work useful. If you like what we do, and would like to see it continue, please consider contributing time, ideas, or some funding to help support our work.

We are currently raising contributions from those who find our work valuable to complete some new research initiatives, all targeted at helping older adults live better for longer. And we are always looking for contributions of ideas about what to work on, or help executing some of our projects.

Learn More: Help Support our Research.

 


 

Reader Comments: "Alexa and My Mother: Learnings for Teaching Older Adults Technology"

 

from faengelm (member) at February 09, 2023

Hello Bruce,

Thanks for posting this excellent article.

Discuss, Comment, Ask Questions


 

 

Featured Research

 

Medical Alert Systems: Help

Medical Alert Systems GuideWe kept getting asked "which medical alert system is best?"; and "how do I choose the right medical alert system for me?". This independent, objective, hands-on research tries to answer those questions. If you are looking for a medical alert system, either for yourself or for an older adult such as a parent, this piece of research is for you.

Choose the Right Medical Alert System for YOU

 

Useful Apps Club

Useful Apps ClubUnlock the potential of your smartphone or tablet to improve your life. The Useful Apps Club is for older adults and Boomers who have a smartphone or tablet (or are thinking of getting one) and need help to turn it into a useful tool. We are focused on finding Apps that can change your life, and teaching you how to use them. 

View: The Useful Apps Club

 

Reduce Fall Risk

Avoid FallsRead the "best of the web" on: Avoiding Falling. Our team of clinicians and citizen analysts has scoured the web for the best available answers to a set of questions designed to help you make falling less likely, and make the consequences if you do fall less bad.

View: Avoid the Perils of Falling

 

Avoid Social Isolation & Loneliness

isolation and lonelinessOur community is exploring ways to avoid becoming isolated and lonely as we grow older. See what we are discovering — including one group of older adult's "recipe" for overcoming loneliness.

View: Isolation & Loneliness Hub

 

Medication Management Tools

medication management toolsPoor medication management is one of the key reasons people are forced to stop living independently. There are a wide range of tools that can help you manage your medications — and avoid, or at least postpone, that fate. We have researched which products work best for different types of people, ranging from simple inexpensive pill boxes and reminders to complex "automated" pill dispensers.

View: Medication Management Hub

 

Key words: 

Last Updated: February 08, 2023.