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Amazon is adding a couple of nifty new features to its caregiving service Alexa Together. Firstly, we have a Circle of Support that allows users to add more caregivers so everyone in the family can keep in touch with their aging loved ones and help them out when needed. The other feature is called Remote Assist and it lets caregivers remotely set up Alexa Routines for the person receiving support.
Amazon adds new features to Alexa Together
With Circle of Support on Alexa together, aging people can have up to 10 caregivers. The primary caregiver, as well as the person receiving support, can add or remove new “circle members” via the Alexa app. They can be trusted relatives such as siblings and cousins or friends, close neighbors, or the spouse of the primary caregiver. They can be anyone who can stop by to visit the person when needed.
This feature makes things easier if the primary caregiver lives far away from the person needing care and assistance. All circle members will receive daily alerts, notifications, and check-ins through the activity feed. As such, elderly people will always have someone to assist them. Circle of Support is now available to all Alexa Together users.
Remote Assist, on the other hand, is “coming soon”, and it’s an opt-in feature. The person receiving care will have to choose whether they want to enable Remote Assist for their primary caregiver. If enabled, the caregiver will be able to remotely set up Alexa Routines for the person.
Routines automate various Alexa actions that a person repeats at a set time every day. For instance, if the person turns off their alarm in the morning and follows it up with turning on the bedroom light, asking about the weather, and then asking Alexa to play the news, Routines will kick off all these actions at once. They don’t need to separately ask Alexa for every action.
These features bridge the distance gap
Alexa Together is designed to enable people better assist their elderly loved ones. But if you live away from them, it might not be feasible to frequently visit them in person. Perhaps, not all caregivers live with the person they are taking care of. According to Amazon, more than 25% of Alexa Together users communicate across state lines and 65 percent across different cities. This is where the newly added features come in handy. If you’re away, you can add additional caregivers who can stop by your loved ones and assist them when needed.
Alexa Together costs $20 per month or $199 per year and is available in the US only. Amazon offers a six-month trial of the service.