Smart speaker devices like Amazon Echo make use of artificial intelligence called Alexa for virtual assistant services that assist seniors in various activities such as making lists, captioning videos and video calling their loved ones. This virtual assistant provides seniors with assistance for making these important life tasks. Some smart speakers are equipped with medical alert systems designed to increase senior safety. These services work through subscription-based packages that enable users to contact emergency services or family members through features like Drop In. Object Recognition Amazon Alexa is an intuitive voice assistant you can control with simple voice-commands. It can answer questions, launch playlists and phone calls as well as set routines involving multiple tasks at the same time - such as turning off alarm clock, dimming lights and starting coffee pot in the morning! Built into many smart speakers but easily add-able to other devices such as thermostats, lights or soundbars - and has even the capability of setting alarm clock, dimming lights and starting coffee pot when morning arrives! Alexa utilizes automatic speech recognition, natural language processing and object detection technologies to interpret voice-activated requests from Amazon's cloud servers. After hearing a wake word, it records and transmits user's request directly back into its cloud servers for analysis with various tools in order to provide an action or response (such as playing music from Spotify). Once again, Alexa devices provide instantaneous responses--either spoken out loud, displayed on screen (if applicable) or sent directly to an app--allowing users to keep tabs on what is going on around their house as well as communicate with loved ones who also own Alexa devices via Alexa Drop feature. Emergency Contacts Seniors need to carefully consider who their emergency contacts will be in case they become incapacitated and cannot speak for themselves. A close relative or friend who can act on their behalf could prove invaluable should something happen that prevents them from speaking up themselves. Many smartphones feature an In Case of Emergency (ICE) feature that enables users to store emergency contacts, medical information, and other details in case of an emergency situation. Life alert Accessing this data without using a password makes it simpler for first responders or family members to assist an individual during an emergency situation. Android devices often come equipped with this feature and it is easy for seniors to use it. They can add the names, relationships and phone numbers of up to two emergency contacts into their list and set it to send round robin alerts if they stop moving for an extended period of time - this may come in handy if a senior falls or experiences sudden jerk that makes them incoherent or unconscious. They will also receive alerts if their wearable device presses the help button; and can adjust its sensitivity as needed. Flash Briefings Flash briefings can be an easy and efficient way to provide content to your audience, while an Alexa skill gives you much more freedom and data. We spoke with Daniel Hill, whose two-minute news briefing earned over 21,000 subscribers within just a year! Daniel learned from his own experience that people engaging with Alexa value brevity. While podcasts may go on for hours, flash briefings need to stay under ten minutes in order to maintain listener interest. When creating a flash briefing, he recommends starting by creating an eye-catching headline and description. People will use these to search for it in the Alexa app; be sure to include relevant keywords as well as an attention-grabbing title. Next step should be creating a preamble which will play before audio clip is played back; also be sure to choose an ad type as well as server space to save a.JSON file that will direct Alexa towards your audio file. Skill Answers Seniors desire to remain active, independent and live the best lives they possibly can. Knowledge is vital in meeting this goal; Alexa Skill provides users with questions and answers that help in understanding different topics, refreshing knowledge or learning new information they may have forgotten or considered false previously. For instance, if you have religious questions this skill provides answers as well as four possible choices to pick from for each query - making this fun yet educational tool perfect for seniors! Alexa skills for seniors will quickly become indispensable. They can enjoy this game alone or with others for added socialization; playing it requires concentration skills that may contribute to improved mental wellbeing for them and others in the room. Homepage: https://getfamilyr.com/