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I haven’t purchased or tested Amazon's paid "Alexa Together" voice-enabled caregiver technology.
The key word that’s holding me back is “remote”.
If the "Alexa Together" subscription is made for remote caregivers, then does it work for caregivers living with aging family under the same roof?
I’m a third-in-line caregiver to my dad still using Echo Devices and the free version of the Amazon Alexa App with the Echos and my dad.
Before I buy something, I like to know why. I’m already supporting my father’s care by setting up my family members to benefit from using the free version.
If I already own an Echo. should I upgrade to a paid version of "Alexa Together" in 2025?
Why is "Alexa Together" good for family caregivers of the elderly and disabled? Would this paid service work for my multi-generational family?
Amazon's "Alexa Together" is a subscription service that costs about twenty bucks per month in 2023 when writing (subject to change later), or maybe less when you buy a full year subscription.
"Alexa Together" connects family members to support each other's day-to-day care via internet-connected Echo devices and apps.
And that’s one good tech-savvy way to do caregiving when living apart, I think.
Click here to read the Amazon.com Official Documentation: What Is "Alexa Together"?
By having an Echo in the place where your aging family spends time, their home gets a smart new voice that can help different family members out in different ways.
Say “Echo, call my favorite son.” …and she’ll call me.
Say “Echo, Drop In on my dad.” …and she’ll connect me like a two-way video intercom to the recliner my dad watches baby animal documentaries in.
Say, “Echo, turn on the living room lights.” …and she’ll help my dad see things after dark.
Say, “Echo, add milk to Mom’s shopping list.” …and she’ll take note so you can bring your shopping list with you to the store later on your iPhone's Amazon Alexa App.
Try These “Echo Regular” How-To’s to Get a Taste!
Using all a simple alarm setup, or more advanced automation, you can setup customized alerts received by the senior in your family.
For example, maybe you want to set up medication timers, or any of the 1,000s of things caregivers gotta handle on top of elderly care.
Some control over photo sharing and a special activity feed on your elder’s Echo are included.
As a caring family member or professional caregiver, you can receive your own updates about the status of the elder’s health.
Anytime you want, check-in on on the activity of the elder in their home, so make sure nothing out of the ordinary has taken place.
It’s peace of mind when living apart, to know they’re probably doing just fine at any point you open the app to see for yourself.
It’s either that, or you could crash the party and move in with your parents to give care in-person. That’s where I am now, so I’m thinking I don’t need these updates when my dad’s in the next room.
We might be beyond the point of independent living that "Alexa Together" can support - to no fault of the Amazon company. Pesky aging and Parkinson’s!
If your senior family member has a small mobility problem or a more serious situation take place in the home, they can call for help.
If an Echo device is nearby and can hear them, then "Alexa Together" can connect them to the 24/7 urgent response voice call support (real person?) and also notified responsible family members.
Common cases include minor bumps and falls or cooking booboos, so put Echo devices in the bathroom as well as the kitchen, living room, and bedroom for rather complete coverage.
Probably in a small home or apartment, one of those Echos can hear your independently-living family member call for help in case they need it.
You test by shouting “Echo, Call for Help” from the basement, to see if the upstairs Echo can hear you when you need it.
DISCLAIMER: I don't know the solution. You want an emergency service that works during emergencies, but typically emergency services don't want non-emergencies there. So, testing an emergency service is akin to "Crying Wolf", and should be treated with respect.
“[To build your Circle of Support…] You can add up to 10 caregivers to your "Alexa Together" subscription. Caregivers without Circle Host privileges cannot send invites.” Read Amazon.com’s official documentation: “Send/Accept an 'Alexa Together' Invitation”
If the whole idea behind "Alexa Together" is enabling the senior’s independent living while caregivers remain remote, then the Circle of Support is made up of all people connected via Amazon voice services in support of the senior.
A Circle of Support like that could become your mini social network of people who care about the aging person in your life.
As a current non-user, I don’t know the details of how it all works. I assume there’s one master caregiver who owns the Echos and Amazon Account, and this master selectively enables which types of support different people in the Circle of Care can give.
This mumbo jumbo means you can protect your loved one’s privacy while building a care team of family members, friends, and formal caregivers.
Family members of the elderly can act as a personal assistant to complete clerical tasks like shopping lists (which can also work with Amazon Shopping), and a limited list of Echo device settings, like the remote IT guy/gal you are!
Get That Info: What’s the best way to setup an Echo device for older people?
In 2023 the confirmed method to setup "Alexa Together" fall detection is via SkyAngelCare’s wearable or Vayyar’s wall-mounted third-party products which require Alexa Together. (They’re made to work with Alexa Together exclusively.)
Rumor has it you can use Echo and Echo Dot’s motion detection by mounting the Echo on your wall and setting up fall detection.
Read More: "Alexa Together" fall detection might be reactive response or preventative protection.
As a family caring for an aging parent or relative, do I need to pay for "Alexa Together" premium services, or is just buying an Echo devices enough?
My answer is, my household uses the free version of the Amazon Alexa App, Amazon Music App, and Amazon Photos App to manage several Echo Devices, all connected via internet in our home.
We have an Amazon Prime subscription. That makes listening to Amazon Music and watching Prime Video from our home’s many Echo devices an afternoon delight.
If you own an Echo device, then I suggest you consider an Amazon Prime subscription to get way, way better music, movie, and entertainment options on your Echo.
So far, my family has decided not to sign up for "Alexa Together". My oversimplified reason is: “We’re currently four adults in one household, with one member needing care. "Alexa Together" is primarily designed for remote caregiving, so its extras don’t benefit caregivers living with the person they care for.” (This is my interpretation, not fact.)
As a caregiver to the elderly, what’s better about "Alexa Together" than my current setup of Echos I already paid for and free Apps enhanced by my current Amazon Prime subscription?
Setting up "Alexa Together" starts from the Alexa App.
Read it on Amazon.com: “Set Up Your 'Alexa Together' Connection”
If you go to the official Amazon.com "Alexa Together Support Page" #ad, you’ll quickly find a list of common questions and issues Alexa Together users encounter:
I believe the main benefit you get by paying Amazon for a monthly subscription of "Alexa Together" premium voice-enabled caregiver technology - the main difference is in the Circle of Support.
I currently use the free version, I own the Echos, so it’s mostly just me in charge.
This is based on months first-hand experience using Amazon Echo Devices, Amazon Alexa App, Amazon Prime Video App, and Amazon Music App with a Prime Subscription on top…
I can add just ONE family member to my account.
I can setup up to 10 different Profiles (people’s voices which Alexa voice services will recognize).
But "Alexa Together" lets up to 10 different people with phones or Echo devices provide certain aspects of support to my dad.
This review is particularly helpful to people who already own Echos and use Amazon voice services (known as "Alexa", "Echo", "Amazon", "Computer". or "Ziggy", as part of their family schedule. Especially as pertains to using Echo devices with aging family members, we’re wondering whether or not "Alexa Together" actually offers us anything better than Amazon's free voice-enabled internet-connected smart home electronics.
What do you get in "Alexa Together"?
These are the facts I confirm in August 2023:
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.
