Alexa Smart Properties, part of Amazon, announced that the company will enable senior living and healthcare providers to integrate Alexa into their properties and empower residents and patients to stay connected, informed and entertained, just by asking Alexa.
Alexa executives said in a press release that Alexa will enable interactions with friends and family and create a more connected environment. It will also enable residents to communicate with staff, participate in property activities, and stay engaged with their community, by just asking Alexa.
This, according to the press release, can enable hospitals to increase productivity, conserve medical supplies and protective equipment such as masks, gloves, and gowns, and can free up staff time to provide more personalized care. Healthcare properties can also enable HIPAA-eligible skills to connect care providers with residents and patients in an environment designed to protect their health information. Additionally, both solutions include familiar Alexa capabilities such as in-room smart device control, entertainment, and access to information.
Senior living communities have been hit hard by COVID-19, and senior residents report finding it challenging to stay in touch with their loved ones. According to Alexa executives, the product enables senior residents to connect with friends and family often. Moreover, friends and family can check in with senior residents through inbound calling. Senior residents can stay more connected with their community by asking Alexa for the menu of the day, by joining bingo night on video, or by connecting with other residents on an Alexa call.
No personal information is shared with Alexa to use the device, and voice recordings are not saved, according to company executives. Every Amazon Echo device offers multiple layers of privacy protection, and residents and patients can disable Alexa’s ability to hear and respond to the wake word at any time simply by pressing the mute button on top of their Echo device. Amazon implements administrative, technical, and physical safeguards for protected health information received as part of HIPAA-eligible skill interactions.
