Amazon Care Hub: Alexa for Senior Family Care

Amazon has recently unveiled a new suite of functionalities designed to enhance the utility of its Alexa devices for elderly individuals. Through the introduction of “Care Hub,” a new component within the Alexa mobile application, family members can, with the consent of their older relatives, monitor their general activity levels and receive notifications should assistance be requested.

The core concept behind Care Hub, as explained by the company, is to provide families with peace of mind regarding the welfare of aging loved ones, while simultaneously respecting their autonomy.

This application of Alexa technology is not entirely new. The devices are currently utilized in assisted living communities and various care facilities through collaborations with external service providers.

Amazon emphasizes that while family members will have visibility into their loved one’s Alexa usage, privacy will be maintained by presenting information in a generalized manner. For instance, while it will be possible to determine that a parent listened to music, the specific track played will not be disclosed. Instead, all activities will be categorized for review.

Furthermore, users can establish notifications to alert them in the event of inactivity or upon the first daily interaction with the device.

Should the individual require assistance, the designated family emergency contact can remotely connect via Care Hub or initiate contact with emergency services.

These new capabilities require a dual opt-in process, meaning both the family member and the individual being monitored must actively establish a connection between their Alexa accounts through an invitation procedure. This process begins within the new Care Hub feature in the Alexa app and is subsequently confirmed via text message or email.

While this may appear to be a sufficient safeguard for privacy, many older adults may find technology challenging or avoid it altogether. Even seemingly straightforward tasks—such as using a smartphone, email, or texting—can sometimes present difficulties.

This creates potential scenarios where a family member could configure the Care Hub system by gaining access to an individual’s accounts without their explicit consent or by creating a new email address specifically for this purpose.

Alternatively, a family member might subtly mislead their parent or loved one by offering assistance with the Alexa device setup, and then requesting access to their phone under the guise of confirming setup details.

A more effective approach to protecting user privacy would involve Alexa periodically confirming with the individual whether they still consent to the Care Hub monitoring feature and notifying them through the Alexa mobile app if monitoring remains active.

Naturally, many older adults may welcome the opportunity to stay connected with family, particularly if they live far away or experience feelings of isolation due to the coronavirus pandemic and associated social distancing measures.

Amazon has announced that Care Hub is currently being released in the U.S. and will continue to refine the feature set based on user feedback.