TORONTO—November 15, 2022—(NASDAQ:AMZN) — Today, Amazon Canada announced the launch of Alexa Smart Properties with new solutions that will enable senior living providers to integrate Alexa into their properties and empower residents to stay connected, informed and entertained, just by asking Alexa. Designed specifically for the needs of senior living communities, Alexa Smart Properties simplifies deploying and managing Alexa-enabled devices at scale, helping properties offer customized Alexa experiences for residents and increase care team productivity and operational efficiency. This offering is available in Canada by invitation starting today.
“We believe the intuitive and accessible nature of voice and Alexa has the potential to help and delight customers in many scenarios, in and outside of the home,” said Celine Lee, Alexa Canada Country Manager. “We’re excited to extend the Alexa experiences customers already love to senior living communities and give providers new ways to save time and personalize care for their residents.”
Empowering Connection in Senior Living Communities
Alexa Smart Properties enables senior living residents to keep in touch with their loved ones, connect with their community, access community news, and more, using an Amazon Echo device in their room. Family members and friends outside of the property also gain peace of mind knowing they can easily get in touch with residents through Alexa calling.
Administrators can offer access to tens of thousands of Alexa skills, and tailor resident experiences by customizing community information like activity schedules and meal menus. Care team members can communicate more efficiently with residents using Alexa communication features, which enable them to make announcements, voice and video calls, or send direct audio messages to other Alexa-enabled devices throughout the property. Alexa can also help communities streamline activities like check-ins, field requests for maintenance, and administrative tasks—enabling associates to save time and increase productivity.
Working with Connected Canadians, a nonprofit organization that promotes digital literacy skills amongst seniors and older adults by providing technology training and support, senior living tenants in community Bruyère Village will be able to opt-in to using Alexa Smart Properties with additional supports.
“We fundamentally believe that technology has the ability to empower seniors to live better quality lives, we’ve seen firsthand how older adults can benefit from interacting with Alexa,” said Emily Jones Joanisse, CEO, Connected Canadians.
“We are thrilled to partner with Amazon as the first national solutions provider for the deployment of Alexa Smart Properties in Canadian senior communities. We look forward to implementing our services so that together, we can provide older adults with the opportunity to learn new digital literacy skills and stay more connected to their care team, friends and loved ones, perform smart home tasks, and easily access news and information,” said Tas Damen, CIO, Connected Canadians.
Deploying Solutions at Scale with Alexa Smart Properties
Alexa Smart Properties’ tools and APIs make it fast and easy for solution providers to manage and service a fleet of Alexa-enabled devices quickly, remotely, and at scale. By working with solution providers like Connected Canadians, senior living properties can use Alexa Smart Properties to easily deploy and customize large numbers of Alexa-enabled devices.
With the help of solution providers, administrators can build, publish and enable skills to answer property-specific questions and integrate with other property management systems, so residents can request property information and perform specific actions like, “Alexa, let my care team know I’m ready for lunch.” They can also use Alexa to perform smart home actions, including “Alexa, turn on the light” or to stay connected to family and loved ones by asking things like “Alexa, call my grandkids.” In addition to support for senior living communities, Alexa Smart Properties offers a set of solutions that enable Alexa experiences for seniors aging in place in their own residences.
Built with Privacy in Mind
Alexa Smart Properties’ senior living solutions were designed with privacy in mind. No personal information is shared with Alexa to use the device, and voice recordings are not saved. Every Amazon Echo device offers multiple layers of privacy protection, and residents can disable Alexa’s ability to respond to the wake word at any time by simply pressing the mute button on top of their Echo device
Alexa Smart Properties will support senior living solutions in Canada starting today. To learn more, contact us here.
About Amazon
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