Experience with Echo Shows?

[TeenToTwenties]

Can anyone with experience of Echo Shows help me please on this thread?
Using an Echo Show remotely to support elderly parents who struggle with tech? | Mumsnet
Posting here for wider traffic.

Hello, I couldn’t just walk on by this post as I have been considering all sorts of options for my elderly parents too - the Echo being one of them.

My house pretty much runs on Alexa. Lights, heating ring doorbell etc. we are fairly confident with her and you’re welcome to ask me anything. I may not have all the answers but I wil try and answer.

I gave my parents one of the small Echo Dots which doesn’t have a screen. I figured this would be a good starting place. I set it up, made sure it worked (my mum loved it) and when I next visited it was unplugged just sitting on the side where I had put it. I don’t think I’ll ever get them to embrace it to be honest.

A suggestion would be for you to get yourself one and see how you get on with it with the intention of moving it over to them when needed (this is assuming you don’t already have one).

@Thesquaregiraffe I think we may need to get one to practice with (though i hate to spend money if it isn't suitable).
I think my parents wouldn't proactively use one, but I want to be able to set messages / reminders for when I'm not there. Especially e.g. 'Care visit now 10.45 with Sarah' without having to phone them and interrupt when I can't see where they are.
So can I do this remotely? That is the question?

In short yes you can set “reminders” using the Alexa app - you can type in what you want her to say and at what time and then she’ll speak it out loud.

I’ve just read through your other thread and you would definitely need WiFi as Echo’s essentially need to be powered and connected all the time.

I really wish my parents would embrace Alexa a bit more as they would be able to put them in two or three places in the house and be able to communicate with the outside world without having to get to a phone - this would have proved useful only three days ago when both of them managed to fall over and just by sheer luck a neighbour happened to pop round and rescued them both. For context I live about 70 miles away from them so an Alexa/Echo would make things sooooo much easier!

So they have wifi so that's OK, as do we. I'd want it to be permanenty 'on'.

So I can sit (also 70 miles away as it so happens) in my house and talk to their Alexa/Echo.

Can I make it cast a written message onto a screen rather than saying something? And then them cancel it / acknowledge they have seen it somehow?

I’ve never tried to make only words appear (mostly due to my reminders are usually for my teenage son and I want them to be as loud as possible haha). But the words do show on the screen at the same time as announcing. In theory you could turn the sound right down to zero?

Something my mum really liked about Alexa was being able to play the radio through it. “Alexa play Classical FM” and she would play it for her. My dad never really got the hang of it. My point though, is that maybe you don’t want the sound off completely - you may find they like some of the really easy to use functions.

you do need an Amazon account to link the app to. But if this is your Amazon account any notifications will display/announce on their echo - so you might need to play with the settings to turn those off maybe.

If you and them were to have one each you could also speak to eachother through it (which is what I actually wanted it for) as there would be no need to get to a physical phone they could just shout at Alexa to contact me.

If you and them were to have one each you could also speak to each other through it (which is what I actually wanted it for) as there would be no need to get to a physical phone they could just shout at Alexa to contact me.

I quite like that as a next possible step, especially in an emergency.

I am looking at the visual side as Dad can't remember short messages well, so something written is better for him. And again a message that stays up until it is seen and acknowledged maybe an hour later

We have set up the Echo Show 8 with screens for 2 different elderly relatives. You do need to set it up on your account - we have just set up 2 different accounts that we can log on to the app on our phones (and other siblings logon to those accounts to be able access it too). We use them more for calling them / ‘dropping in’ as they are not able to use the telephone, so we have set them up where they tend to sit during the day. From the app, you can then set up reminders e.g. at 6pm - don’t forget to take your tablets etc. This appears on the screen but also speaks it too.

Another basic question:

When we talk about 'your account' is this a paid for account such as Amazon Prime, or is it just a login?

So our Amazon prime is all done in DH's name. Can i set up a login for me and control my parents echo show from there?

@hellsbells99 So you say you have 2 accounts, is this just 2 separate logins?

So the App requires you to have an Amazon account to use it which in turns links to the Alexa. I don’t think it needs to be a paid for Prime account as my son has his linked to his own Amazon account and he doesn’t have Prime.

You can have several Echos on the same Amazon account and they will appear in the app. When I set my parents one up I used my dad’s Amazon account and put the app on his phone (he doesn’t need to do anything with it). This was to enable the “call” function. I didn’t want their Echo on my Amazon account as they would then get all my notifications which would have bothered them.

I agree with the other poster in terms of where to locate the screen. Remeber that if you put the screen in the kitchen, when they’re in the living room they may not see it.

My plan with my parents had been to have three. Living room, landing, and garage (which is loosely my dad’s workshop). My reasoning was, if they fell they could call from almost anywhere and one of the Alexa’s would “hear”.

Yes we use 2 separate email addresses that we have set up 2 separate Amazon accounts (free ones).

Brilliant, thank you.

My house is Alexa voice activated too - heating, lights, cameras, doorbell. I have an Alexa of some sort in every room including a show.
Yes, agree to everything above. If you needed extra security, you could put an indoor ring camera in their lounge and check in on them remotely, too.

At one relatives, we have set up 2 devices on the same account - 1 in the living room (with a smaller screen) and 1 in the kitchen ( where they sit most if the time). They really like it as we can ‘drop in’ at lunch to check they have got their sandwich etc and we also show them anything interesting using our phone camera.

That’s actually a really good idea re the Ring Cameras - I’d not thought of that. Maybe my dad would be less resistant to a “security” camera.