Useful Things Alexa Can Do

By now you have heard about Alexa. Amazon has created several devices that will assist your every day needs. Alexa can play your favorite music, find a recipe, read your favorite book, or make a grocery list. And depending on other devices in your home, Alexa can turn up or down the heat, lock the doors, and let you know if there’s an intruder.

For the seniors we help, Alexa has numerous other features that can help them in their everyday life.

• Weather and News Updates

• Make and receive hands free phone and video calls to their contacts

• Medication reminders

• Hands free alarms and reminders

• Appointment scheduling

• Grocery lists and other to do lists

• Home central command of heat, lights and security

If you haven’t tried some of these features, we encourage you to give them a try. You can go to Amazon’s website to search for these devices and use discover more that they can offer.

Here's some information on Toms Guide to help you discover more about Alexa.

Click here for a few more useful hints.

Grand Rapids is Age-Friendly (Copy)

Did you know that Grand Rapids is recognized as an Age-Friendly community? In 2006, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched Age-Friendly Communities to help cities prepare for the parallel trends of a rapidly aging world population and increasing urbanization. In 2016 the City of Grand Rapids partnered with AARP, an institutional affiliate of WHO, to pursue and obtain accreditation as an Age-Friendly Community. The global initiative aspires to:

The Work of AARP and the City included extensive community engagement and resulted in the draft Grand Rapids Age-Friendly Action Plan. The Action Plan aligns with the City of Grand Rapids values and focuses on Four Domains of Livability with each domain having its own set of Goals and Action Steps.

Click here to learn more.

Summer Senior Care

Summer will be here before you know it! Here are some reminders to stay safe all summer.

Our built-in Emergency phone

 Emergency situations can appear out of nowhere and happen anywhere, so be prepared. Thanks to modern cell phones its easier then ever to get prepared. You just need to know how.

 New Galaxy phones have emergency settings pre-installed. These settings allow you to make emergency calls, activate your phones emergency mode, send SOS messages and more.

 Emergency Calls:

Not enough time to unlock your phone and make a call? No problem, with emergency call setting you can dial 911 right from your lock screen. Just swipe up from the bottom of the phone and a dial pad will open. From there its just like any other call, just faster.

 Emergency Mode:

In extreme cases you may be stuck in a bad situation for hours. By turning on emergency mode you extend your battery life keeping you connected the entire time.

 SOS Messages:

SOS messages are more complicated to set up but are the easiest way to tell someone you need help. By going to SETTING and allowing SOS messages, you only need to press the power button 4 times and a message is sent to your designated emergency contact saying SOS. No need to unblock the phone, no extra steps. Simply press the power button 4 times and help is on the way.

The phone can be a great alternative for your clients that do not want to set-up a Personal Emergency Response device or only have one set up at home. When the SOS is sent, it includes your location in the SOS notice to your contacts.

To learn more: Click here