Echo Device info for Loved Ones in Nursing Homes / Assisted Living

[geekette]

Email clutter seems to be a female phenomenon. Of the three female friends I see regularly, none has less than 100 unread emails and one has over 500. Drove me batty. The curse of my engineering mind until I surrendered.

Text messages seem to get good response (after I set up a Spam blocker for them)

Cheers

Um, no, this is not a female thing.

 

[geekette]

We've been lucky, as except for when Mom first arrived, and was quarantined, and when facility has an outbreak, we can schedule inside or outside visits with her (only so many slots, only between 1 and 4 pm), and can always do window visits (her eyesight is not great so window isn't something she likes, unless her dog is out there). I do a lot more phone time as I'm hours from her, and it is clearly good for her.

Wacky part - they won't take her to get new glasses. I, however, can pick her up from an eye appt and take her to Costco to fill the scrip. Strict time limits ("essentials" only), but, me and her in a car. Baffling. I am not sure what kind of fancy dancing my sister had to do to arrange it, but it definitely helps that I live alone and stay home. And 'could manage' the wheelchair.

Meanwhile, thank you so much for the tip on Echo. My mother is seriously technically challenged. Do Nothing, It Just Happens is right at her speed.

 

[1st Class]

How sad that it took legal intervention for something so basic as an e-visit with Mom. Makes one wonder what they're afraid of ...

BTW, you may have just set precedent. Hopefully others will follow your lead.

Enjoy your time with your Mom! She's very fortunate to have a child who cares enough to push for this. Social contact makes all the difference.

 

[Sandi Bo]

We did it (well sort of, in progress). Not all that easy, but definitely worth it, I think. We purchased an Echo Show for my Mom. My sister can be with her and her and I pretty much have my Mom's setup. I created an Amazon account for my Mom, she had gmail, and I created a gmail voice account to link to her Echo Show. Something's are kind of klugy, I have to delete my Alexa app on my phone, reinstall it, and login to my Mom's. Being on my Mom's, I configure who we will allow to contact my Mom's Echo Show (just us kids and grandkids). I don't think we'll give everyone dropin - my Mom can answer the Echo call. We think, we'll see My sisters and I will be able to dropin if we need to.

If people don't have an Echo Show, they can install the Alexa app on their cell phone and call my Mom's Echo Show (if I have given them permission). That will allow them to do video calls with my Mom. Sure, we could have done FB Messenger, Zoom, or Duo. We have done them all. Usually somewhat comically - she'll have her camera pointing at her floors or walls in stead of her face, or off. I sure think the Echo Show will be an easier mode of communication with her. Next up, I think we can do zoom calls (something they are just rolling out for the Echo?). I will report back as we maneuver through that.

(Side note - about not being able to find her cell phone or turn it on -- realized my Mom wasn't finding hers because my sister had gotten her a new case with hearts and diamonds on it, she wasn't realizing it was her cell phone sitting on the table when I'd call and ask her to turn it on for a FB message call).

We are considering putting and Echo Show in her living room, also, currently just have one (an 8") in the kitchen.

Nothing brightens my mother's face more than seeing her grandkids or great grandkids.

Thanks for posting this information, hope your Mom is doing well, Laura! @Cornell

Sandi

 

[Cornell]

We did it (well sort of, in progress). Not all that easy, but definitely worth it, I think. We purchased an Echo Show for my Mom. My sister can be with her and her and I pretty much have my Mom's setup. I created an Amazon account for my Mom, she had gmail, and I created a gmail voice account to link to her Echo Show. Something's are kind of klugy, I have to delete my Alexa app on my phone, reinstall it, and login to my Mom's. Being on my Mom's, I configure who we will allow to contact my Mom's Echo Show (just us kids and grandkids). I don't think we'll give everyone dropin - my Mom can answer the Echo call. We think, we'll see My sisters and I will be able to dropin if we need to.

If people don't have an Echo Show, they can install the Alexa app on their cell phone and call my Mom's Echo Show (if I have given them permission). That will allow them to do video calls with my Mom. Sure, we could have done FB Messenger, Zoom, or Duo. We have done them all. Usually somewhat comically - she'll have her camera pointing at her floors or walls in stead of her face, or off. I sure think the Echo Show will be an easier mode of communication with her. Next up, I think we can do zoom calls (something they are just rolling out for the Echo?). I will report back as we maneuver through that.

(Side note - about not being able to find her cell phone or turn it on -- realized my Mom wasn't finding hers because my sister had gotten her a new case with hearts and diamonds on it, she wasn't realizing it was her cell phone sitting on the table when I'd call and ask her to turn it on for a FB message call).

We are considering putting and Echo Show in her living room, also, currently just have one (an 8") in the kitchen.

Nothing brightens my mother's face more than seeing her grandkids or great grandkids.

Thanks for posting this information, hope your Mom is doing well, Laura! @Cornell

Sandi

Hi! I am so glad you did this. One thing,...Only people who have an Amazon device (like a Show) can do a drop in. Otherwise, they can "only" made traditional video calls w/the Amazon app to your mom. But she has to understand how to answer the call.

This thing has been a massively positive development . We had a brief time (summer) where we could visit w/my mom in a courtyard, 6' apart with masks on. The visits were horrible. To see and converse w/my mom w/o a mask is a godsend.

I also learned that my mom's Echo Show has a motion sensor. When she is sitting in front of the camera (for instance, eating a meal, as we have her device on her dining table), I get a motion alert on MY echo. I know then my mom is sitting right by her device and I then know it's a good time for me to drop in for a call. Amazing stuff.

 

[Cornell]

How sad that it took legal intervention for something so basic as an e-visit with Mom. Makes one wonder what they're afraid of ...

BTW, you may have just set precedent. Hopefully others will follow your lead.

Enjoy your time with your Mom! She's very fortunate to have a child who cares enough to push for this. Social contact makes all the difference.

I just saw your comment now. In all honesty - I don't think her LTC facility is "hiding" anything. They are a top notch place. I think it's a matter of them being lazy and not willing to assist w/something outside the norm.

 

[Old Hickory]

This thread is timely as we (my siblings) are looking for something similar to help monitor for our elder mother who is still at home. She has daily short visits but we were thinking of a system to monitor her movements about the home while no one is with her. Sensors and cameras that would provide an alert to a smartphone. We want more than "I've fallen and..." type of monitoring.

 

[isisdave]

Please don't take this wrong. My niece has one of these, and I'm impressed with its capabilities.

How about a Furbo dog camera? https://shopus.furbo.com/

The lens is exceptionally wide angle, it has bidirectional audio. It can detect and report barking and smoke alarms -- maybe that would work with a whistle around the elder's neck, or even just a shout.

You can also have it dispense a treat, but I guess that wouldn't be too useful.

 

[Sandi Bo]

My Echo update. My Mom has moved into an Assisted Living facility since this discussion started. The AL has been great as far as allowing us to use Alexa. Their only rule is not recording. Mom has dimentia/anxiety and the video aspect has been a godsend. After initial setup, the Echo has been super simple to use. 3 of us can dropin (I can from my own Echo or from the Alexa app on my phone). I am the controller of who can call or drop in. Moving from place to place is as simple as connecting to the available wifi.

Recently Mom was hospitalized and then in rehab. We took Alexa to rehab. They were not an Alexa fan. Often we found Alexa face down or on do not disturb. They said it was okay to have, but that they didn't like it on during PT in the room. Here's a recent picture. I must have a sick sense of humor as I got a good laugh. Poor Alexa, I guess in time out -- in the corner, unplugged, facing out the window (shade down). When I plugged her back in 'do not disturb' was on. I took Alexa home rather than let things escalate further.

Back at AL now, with Alexa friendly folks. The PT guy evaluating her today said 'I saw her look at Alexa to know what day it is' and he laughed (you can train a person with dimentia to lay down new tracks, she likes to know what day it is, and this works). We might need to look into that furbo, the downside on the Alexa is that it's not cordless, and must be pointed optimally. We can leave Alexa on my Mom's kitchen table and point thru her bedroom door to her bed, this allows us to drop in and see that she is in bed.

 

[pedro47]

My Mother's nursing home shut down this past week because of recent COVID cases with residents and staff. Mom spent a week at the hospital with a UTI / sepsis and we noted a decline both mentally and physically. We have arranged outpatient hospice care so nurses will visit with her at the nursing home 2 - 3 times a week. We felt the nursing home was not giving her good medical care.
Unfortunately this pandemic has taken a toll ..

Sepsis took my mother-in-law away. Please be pro active.

 

[pedro47]

For those of you who have a loved on in assistance living or a nursing home that you cannot visit during Covid, I have an update on this.....finally our family was able to get this Echo Show in my mom's apartment.

The management of her facility kept giving us the runaround but we got an elder care lawyer to write a letter on our behalf and they agreed to let my mom use this.

Today it got set up and it has brought some joy to my mom. My mom has to do NOTHING -- she just hears a "beep" and then we show up on her screen to start a conversation. When we are done, she doesn't have to do anything either. She loves the independence and the fact that no staff member has to assist her with a FaceTime call.

It was so great to see my mom without a mask on and to see her in her own home (vs these yucky visits that we had over the summer in a vestibule area). My daughter previously has not been able to visit my mom (only people over 18) so for the first time since August 2019 when my daughter left for Switzerland, my mom got to actually see my daughter. Finally! some progress.

This is a great device for the elderly that have cognitive issues. Takes some work to set up but completely worth it. And the smallest Shows are on sale now for under $50.

Cornell, do not give up. Please keep on fighting the nursing home management. You only have one Mother.

 

[isisdave]

The new 10-inch Echo Show actually moves, and will follow you around the room. I'm not sure if it does it by sound or video or both, but it's amazing. And a little creepy.

The 8-inch model doesn't move, but DOES manage to track you quite a bit, including zooming in or out to try to make your image the right size.

 

[easyrider]

This thread is timely as we (my siblings) are looking for something similar to help monitor for our elder mother who is still at home. She has daily short visits but we were thinking of a system to monitor her movements about the home while no one is with her. Sensors and cameras that would provide an alert to a smartphone. We want more than "I've fallen and..." type of monitoring.

Knowing what I know now I might install a blink camera.

Bill

 

[Tia]

My mom is in a memory facility, my aunt in a nsg home , both in Minnesota. We were able to visit both last summer making appointments ahead and wearing a mask. Mom's appointment visits were 2 hours/time. This summer we saw both no appointment just filling out a form with ~6 questions ie do you have symptoms or been exposed. MIL is in assisted in Iowa, her facility allows visits to her room if you have had the vaccine, and she can go out and come back whenever with whoever.

My friend has to make appointments to see her mom in a nsg home here in CO , they are limited to 15minutes. Before this there were only window visits there.

Seems to me each facility has someone reading the same guidelines and making up their rules that vary widely.