Amazon Alexa Together: $19.99 Elder Care Subscription

Amazon Launches Alexa Together Subscription for Elder Care

Amazon has officially released the Alexa Together subscription service. This new offering is designed to provide support for families who are caring for elderly relatives living independently.

Expanding on Existing Features

First unveiled during the company’s fall 2021 event, Alexa Together builds upon the foundation of Amazon’s Alexa Care Hub. It is available as a subscription for $19.99 monthly or $199 annually.

Alexa Care Hub represented Amazon’s initial effort to transform Alexa devices into tools for supporting aging family members. This service allowed relatives to monitor older loved ones – with their consent – and receive alerts based on specific activities, such as a call for help.

Key Features of Alexa Together

Alexa Together enhances the Care Hub feature set with several additions. These include access to an emergency helpline, fall detection capabilities, and a remote assist function.

The remote assist feature enables family members to manage settings on the elderly person’s device. An activity feed keeps family members informed about their loved one’s engagement with Alexa or other smart home devices, and alerts them to any unusual inactivity.

Consent and Emergency Assistance

All features require explicit consent from both parties involved, with a joint sign-up process. This ensures a privacy-focused approach.

In emergencies, the elderly person can simply say, “Alexa, call for help.” A trained agent will then connect them with the appropriate emergency services – police, fire department, or ambulance.

Fall Detection Integration

The system integrates with third-party devices like those from Assistive Technology Service (ATS) and Vayyar. These devices can detect falls and proactively request assistance.

Vayyar Care is a wall-mounted sensor that identifies falls, while SkyAngelCare by ATS is a wearable fall-detection pendant. Amazon plans to add support for more devices in the future.

Remote Management Capabilities

The Remote Assist features allow family members to manage device settings remotely. This includes setting reminders, adding contacts, managing shopping lists, and linking music services.

This functionality provides IT support without requiring the elderly individual to contact Amazon directly.

Activity Monitoring and Alerts

The activity feed provides updates to family members regarding their loved one’s daily routine and interactions with Alexa and smart home devices.

Alerts are sent if there is a period of inactivity, prompting family members to check in and ensure everything is well.

Trial Period and Existing User Benefits

A six-month free trial is available to allow customers to evaluate the service. Current Alexa Care Hub users will receive a complimentary one-year subscription to Alexa Together, valid until December 7, 2022.

Future Enhancements

Amazon intends to expand Alexa Together to support multiple caregivers, including family, friends, and neighbors. Further features are also planned for future releases.

Expanding Healthcare Initiatives

Amazon is significantly investing in using Alexa for elderly and infirm care. Beyond Care Hub and Alexa Together, the company is deploying Alexa in hospitals and senior living centers, such as Atria, Eskaton, Cedars-Sinai, BayCare, and Houston Methodist.

They are also collaborating with partners like K4Connect, Lifeline Senior Living, Aiva, and Vocera to develop specialized solutions using Alexa Smart Properties tools and APIs.

Consumer vs. Business Solutions

While many existing elderly care solutions are geared towards business-to-business (B2B) sales, Alexa Care Hub and Alexa Together target the consumer market with a subscription model.

Device Compatibility

Alexa Together is compatible with supported Alexa devices, including the Echo, Echo Dot, and Echo Show. It can be purchased as an add-on service or bundled with a device.