Alexa for the Elderly — How Voice User Interfaces Can Improve the Lives of Older Adults Living Alone

635,000,000 is the 2017 estimated number of people above 65 years of age on our planet. Aging is inevitable and natural: if we are lucky we age. Getting old, while normal, brings a large variety of changes in our bodies and minds. Some people might develop mobility reductions; others be challenged with their diminished cognitive abilities. Many will see their levels of social interactions drastically reduced. Almost all of the elderly however, need to maintain their independence. I believe the current state of technology of Voice User Interfaces (VUI) can give some of that independence back to older people living alone.

For the last three years I have been working with voice related technologies, specifically with Alexa, which is Amazon’s cloud based voice service. As an Alexa evangelist in Europe, I have spoken with a lot of developers, brands and health professionals interested in how Voice User Interfaces can improve the life of the elderly. I have a personal interest in this topic and this article is a summary of these conversations.

Most older people are able to talk and listen. They might however have trouble standing up to reach a device. Or once within reach, they might have troubles using the device’s capacitive-screen based Graphical User Interface. Enter Voice User Interfaces (VUIs), the most natural type of interface to technology that has been created so far. Following the fantastic growth in natural language understanding accuracy of the last few years, Voice Users Interfaces are now a reliable means to interact with computers. There are four main areas in which voice-enable devices can make better lives for elderly living alone:

Addressing social isolation

Years ago, I was on the Board of Meals on Wheels of the Palm Beaches, a volunteer organization that delivers meals to senior citizens in their homes. Some of the people we served told us that the volunteers’ short daily visit was their only opportunity to talk to another person. Social isolation is a reality for many elderly living alone.

While in-person visits remain the best form of interaction, they are not always possible, the opposite in many cases. Voice technology can help in two ways. First, a computer to talk to can be a powerful ally in fighting loneliness. While still far from the marvelous level of richness of human-to-human conversation, with Alexa (and her skills) you can have a conversation nonetheless.

Second, Alexa-enabled devices can help families and households to be more connected. Alexa has communication features that can be used to video call or message other Alexa-enabled devices or supported mobile devices.

Increasing safety for those living alone

Technology can help in making life safer for the elderly in their homes. Using voice interfaces makes it even more accessible. A voice assistant can let the older adult’s family know when they are OK or when they are not. This is what the Alexa skill Ask My Buddy does, by offering a check-in feature to signal that all is well. AI-powered devices can also provide proactive reminders to take pills, like LifePod. Technology can also predict and prevent accidents by studying behavioral patterns. Totemic Labs is focusing on doing this.

The elderly companion voice experience Marvee, offers a wellness check function called Morning Beacon. Marvee goes beyond physical well-being. It has a function to request a social visit and a means to access family news upon request

FrontPorch, a not-for-profit provider of retirement living communities in California, has partnered with Marvee in running a 6 months pilot of voice technologies for older adults. The results showed that the participants felt the device made their life easier. They felt also more socially connected to family and friends.

Elderly well-being

A voice says a lot, even beyond the words it utters. Researchers around the world are exploring how to detect vocal patterns that might indicate Parkinson’s or even heart disease. Think about the potential this field represents to help our elderly. Using voice assistants to detect the onset of degenerative neurological diseases would be fantastic.

While symptom detection is a crucial part of the fight against neurological diseases affecting the elderly, prevention helps even more. A couple of years ago I heard about a concept called “Cognitive Fitness” and I fell in love with its positive connotation. Cognitive Fitness focuses on keeping the mind fit through memory and other cognitive experiences. Aiming on maintaining a person’s fitness of mind does not imply that there is a problem or a condition to be cured. Positivity helps!

From memory games to full-fledged well-being platforms, voice enabled devices provide a low-friction interface to create daily engaging experiences for the elderly.

An example of an integrated solution dedicated to the elderly is the Independent Living Platform, built by the Liquid Studio team at Accenture. This pilot leverages Amazon Echo Show devices to create a household companion for the elderly to assist with everyday tasks. The solution is organized around three scores: mind, body and home.

Keep in mind also that an artificial intelligence does not get frustrated. Older adults suffering from dementia might keep asking the same question over and over. Alexa will answer repeated questions as many times as they are asked. Without the frustration that might be experienced by human caregivers.

Controlling the domestic environment with voice

Simple things become more difficult with age. We know that our sight, hearing, motor capabilities will diminish. Smart home devices, when paired with voice interfaces, can help us control our environment without the need to stand up or even see a display. The challenge for the elderly might be setting up these devices. You might look at this challenge as a business opportunity. Why not provide this as a paid service for older adults and their families?

Some voice experiences ideas to build

• The elderly have not lost the need to be social, it’s just harder for them to connect. How about voice experiences to connect seniors? Make it easier for like-minded older adults to find each other.
• Leverage the growing research on how to detect the early signs of degenerative diseases from voice.
• Create elderly-specific games and entertainment experiences. Daily engagement is the measure of success of an Alexa skill. With most elderly living routine based lives, there is an opportunity for constant and predictable usage of your skill.
• Older adults seem to enjoy remembering past events from their lives. Why not create delightful Alexa skills to help them recollect and organize memories?

The takeaway

I believe this is one of those opportunities to do socially meaningful work and good business at the same time. Hopefully, we all agree about the relevance of helping our elders in living better lives. We have the technology today to design delightful voice experiences for millions of older adults in their homes.

Consider that aging is something all humans have in common. Anything you create can, and should be, built with scale in mind. The underlining questions your technology solution will answer, will likely apply to elder care across the world.

This article is an overview of some of the solutions being built today. By no means comprehensive, I covered only those projects and products I have direct knowledge of. If you read this, you might be working on something related. I encourage you to reach out to me directly, or leave a comment below, as I would like to hear your thoughts and questions or perhaps to feature your solution in future articles.

Thank you.

#alexa #voicefirst #innovation #eldercare #aging #eldertech #seniorliving