Graycare (graycare.net) is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Learn More
“Hey Echo, play that funky music like it’s 1999!”
Here's how it happened.
Here's how Amazon Alexa/Echo #ad started a spontaneous dance party in my living room.
The whole family was boogying in the living room on a Thursday afternoon to some warm reggae vibes.
I hadn't seen my dad laugh with such joy in months.
That was the first few days after getting our first-ever Echo device and putting it in our living room.
As a private family with mild dysfunction - typical American caregiver household - we weren’t expecting Alexa to bring us together like that.
I must recreate this. For my family. For my caregiver friends reading this.
I’m NOT a certified doctor or nuthin’. Graycare is NOT a Doctor.
I think the professionals with the degrees call it MUSIC THERAPY.
From personal experience, I say YES - Amazon Alexa is good for seniors and family!
The idea behind music therapy is, you can increase cognitive function aging people, by getting them listening, and moving, enjoying, and grooving.
A common case in elder care is that of people living with dementia (PwD) [1], by listening, singing, or dancing to music. Music is a pretty fun family activity, and with an Echo device in the room, it can happen in a snap.
Maybe the dance parties I'm planning to throw aren't part of a professional music therapist's dementia treatment plan, but my family is all aboard for fun.
But recent 2017 research does suggest dancing is a positively stimulating activity for people with dementia. [2]
Safety-first Amazon smart device dance parties might be good for seniors, the aging, those with dementia, and their caregivers, as researchers learn more...
We have the newest 5th generation Echo Dot in our living room. We use the free music service without any monthly subscription.
To play music with your Echo device in the room, just say "Alexa, play some music". Even better, tell Alexa what genre of music to strike the right mood, "Alexa, play uplifting reggae music".
I like to say please when speaking with Echo, because respectful communication is good all the time, whether your talking to a person or a computer.
I can only speak from personal experience with my dad's groovy moves inside my living room.
He hasn't quite gotten the hang of it yet, but he's interested in getting to know Alexa more.
My dad is eager to learn where, when, and how to use his Echo to make his life easier. I'm hopeful that all Alexa's little Skills are going to accumulate into a life-changing caregiver helper.
The JBL Boombox 2 a non-Amazon bluetooth speaker that "Plays it Loud" and a simple easy-to-hold and easy-to-connect design for seniors who want to get the party started.
If you have the app installed, and you want to bring your Amazon Music selections outdoors, any wireless battery-powered bluetooth speaker will work nicely with your smartphone to play music in the sunshine.
As an aspiring disc jockey to meet the emotional needs of aging seniors with memory loss, I recently bought a pair of JBL EON ONE Compact professional bluetooth speakers for organizing senior-friendly events in the Middle of the Mitten.
References
[1] Conceptualizing Caregiving Activities for Persons with Dementia (PwD) through a Patient Work Lens. Ponnala S, Block L, Lingg AJ, Kind AJ, Werner NE. Appl Ergon. 2020 May.
[2] Music therapy is a potential intervention for cognition of Alzheimer’s Disease: a mini-review. Rong Fang, Shengxuan Ye, Jiangtao Huangfu & David P. Calimag. Translational Neurodegeneration volume 6, Article number: 2 (2017).
UPDATE: This post was updated in April 2024 to reflect Amazon Alexa technology’s feature which allows you to change the wake word from default “Alexa” to preferred “Echo,” “Amazon,” “Computer,” or “Ziggy”. You can change yours using Amazon official instructions, here.
