Amazon Echo, Apple HomePod, and Google Nest are some of the smart speakers available today. When your parents want to age at home, a smart speaker can be helpful in remaining independent. Here are some of the ways these devices help older adults who live alone.

Voice-Activated Home Commands

With a smart speaker, your parents can control many aspects of home living using voice commands. Add smart bulbs to the light fixtures in their high-traffic rooms. When your mom walks into her living room, she can tell the smart speaker to turn on the lights. If your dad gets up at night, he can ask the smart speaker to turn on the hallway lights to a nightlight setting.

Voice commands can also help your parents turn on their TV and find a specific show or movie. They can also use it to broadcast messages to someone in another room like an intercom does.

Daily News and Weather

Your parents are having a more challenging time reading the fine print in a newspaper. A smart speaker can read news and weather to your parents. They can listen to daily news broadcasts that are targeted to their interests.

Reading news and weather isn’t all these smart speakers can do. If your parents enjoy reading but have a harder time, they may love having their smart speakers play audiobooks for them.

Reminders and Alarms

Your parents need help remembering when to take their prescription medications. They need someone to remind them of an upcoming appointment. A smart speaker is perfect for reminders and alarms.

Phone Calls

Many smart speakers can be set up to make phone calls. Your parents have to connect to a free service like Google Voice to use this, but it’s worth it. Instead of remembering a phone number or remembering how to find it, they can give a command like “Call my doctor,” and the device will make the call.

Help With Cooking

Have your parents given up cooking because it’s too hard to read a recipe? Smart speakers can read them a recipe and give step-by-step instructions while they cook. The smart device can set cooking timers and let your parents know when the dish has been cooked long enough.

Home Care Is Often the Better Choice

Smart speakers are helpful, but they cannot replace the human touch. Your parents cannot socialize with their smart speaker. Regular visits from caregivers provide the companionship that a smart speaker lacks.

What’s a better way to help your parents remain independent? Hire the home care services that help them with the daily activities they find challenging. Aging can impact you in ways you never planned. If your parents want to stay in their home, paid caregivers from home care agencies make it possible.

If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring Home Care in Anderson, SC, contact Heart of the Carolinas Home Care at 864-991-3116. Providing Home Care Services in Greenville, Simpsonville, Greer, Anderson, Spartanburg, Mauldin, Seneca, Laurens, Charleston, Columbia and the surrounding areas.

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Edward Harrison

Founder at Heart of the Carolinas

Edward Harrison founded the Heart of the Carolinas Homecare in 2007 when he saw there was a need for caregivers that provide non-medical home care services, at a price that most people could afford. It was standard in the industry to require hourly minimums and it was common to be assigned a caregiver, not matched with one based on your individual personal needs. Edward understood that to make a successful relationship between caregiver and client, skills were not enough, personality and compatibility plays as much a role as do skills.

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