Amazon Alexa to Assist Hospitals, Senior Citizens

Washington: Amazon has launched two new Alexa integration initiatives for hospitals and assisted-living homes.

According to reports, they're controlled by Alexa Smart Properties, which allows businesses to have a centralised Alexa system.

In an interview with the media, Liron Torres, worldwide leader for Alexa Smart Properties, stated, "Early on in the pandemic, hospitals and senior living communities reached out to us and asked us to help them set up Alexa and voice in their communities."

She explained that hospitals wanted to contact patients without wearing protective equipment, and senior living organisations wanted to link residents with family members and staff.

Senior care facilities can utilise Amazon Echo devices to transmit announcements or other communications to residents' rooms through the programme.

Many institutions used printed out sheets of paper pushed under resident doors to indicate changes in protocols, such as around meals or quarantines, during the COVID-19 epidemic. They may deliver messages directly into patient rooms using the Alexa software.

Torres explained, "Staff can be more available for other tasks."

Residents may also make calls to relatives and friends using Alexa without having to rely on a service person. Approved contacts would be allowed to phone in via Alexa as well. When residents and family members arrive, the institution might allow them to call a list of allowed contacts.

Atria (a global senior living community network) and Eskaton (a California-based senior living community network) are both introducing Alexa to some of their facilities, according to Amazon. Amazon wouldn't reveal how much the programme costs these businesses.

The Alexa Smart Properties initiative in hospitals allows nurses to contact patients without having to visit patient rooms using calling and intercom-like drop-in functions. Patients might use the tool to ask questions, and nurses could use it to check on how someone is feeling.

"This enables hospitals to increase productivity and be able to save on medical supplies," Torres explained.

Alexa may also be used by hospitals to give information and notifications to their patients.

To avoid drop-ins, patients might turn on "do not disturb," according to Torres.

Alexa will be added to the facilities of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, BayCare Health System in Florida, and Houston Methodist, according to Amazon.