Digital devices

sunshine5

I have a Google dot in bedroom and Amazon Alexa in living room. I am planning to add a screen device to help in the kitchen. DH also has fun talking to

It.

Any experience which one works better for dementia/ home use?

Pam BH

I'm sure a lot of members will chime in with suggestions and have had success with them, but with DH's hallucinations and delusions, Alexa wouldn't be a good idea for us. Wish it was different because they're a wonderful help.

Lynne D

Hi Sunshine!

My HWD will not use those devices, however I use them a LOT (music, weather, turning on lights, locking the door…) I got an Echo Show for the bedroom. I keep it on Do Not Disturb mode so that it displays the date, time, and links to my photos. I believe it keeps my husband more oriented to the date and he enjoys the photos. I also turn off  DND  mode and “drop in.” I can see if he is in bed. Very handy.

toolbeltexpert

Sunshine we have 3 echo shows,bigger is better. 1 is an 8 inch screen the others are 5. We do video chat with her sister. Play our favorite music, they all have cameras and have a drop in feature I can check them anywhere on my cell. These are of course tied to Amazon. You can Download apps and play movies with any of them. The first generation is what I have. The newer generation 2 has a camera that follows you around your room. That feature may make the extra cost worth it. Hope this is helpful. I would like to say my dw never uses them but lives the rotating picture with time and date. She depends on those for what day and month it is plus Time. She has never asked it a question. But I have ours preprogrammed to answer a question in a certain way.  I ASK ,ALEXIA, WHO IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMAN IN THE WORLD, AND ALEXIA REPLYS WITH MY WIFES NAME.  YOU SURE COULD HAVE SOME FUN WITH THAT FEATURE.

jmlarue

I'm a bit of a techno-geek. I have Alexa Show in 4 rooms - living, kitchen, master bdrm and my office. All are fully operational (in setting) to ask Alexa questions, program reminders, use as an alarm clock, and act as an intercom. Sadly, the dementia progression has stolen every recollection DH ever had about these devices. If I set a wake up alarm in the bedroom, he is incapable of turning it off. The problem lies in the PWD losing the ability to remember the name of anyone or anything. He can't remember my name or his own son's names - he certainly can't remember Alexa - or Siri - or Hey Google.

In spite of this, I find the devices invaluable for setting daily reminders like, "Bob, It's bedtime" or "Bob, Time to take your medicine" or for setting wake up alarms (I just have to be the one to dismiss them). I also use it to drop in on the living room or bedroom Show devices when I'm in my office to see if he's calm/comfortable or wandering. Lastly, I have Alexa connected to my cellphone calendar & get alerts for upcoming events. This sometimes gets his attention, but not always.

If you decide to try this, I do highly recommend you choose one with the video display. The disembodied voice from the Amazon Echo and Google Dot can be really disorienting to a PWD. That's why I no longer use these older devices as a home intercom. It's better if he can see my face on the screen when I talk to him.