Best communication device?

[silkiest]

Hi my mum has mid stage Alzheimers and dad is registered blind but does have some vision. Their GP has suggested after recent events that I should consider cameras in the house to keep an eye on them. It would also be nice if we could use the same device for communication as one brother lives inAustralia and the other is kept busy looking after his in-laws who also suffer with dementia and sight problems. Does anyone have experience of using the Amazon Echo Show, Facebook Portal or Google Nest hub.
At the moment the Echo show seems to have a slight advantage as I believe it is compatible with talking books for the blind which my dad uses. The ability to ring my brother abroad would be a great advantage for my dad but he would need a 10" screen at least so he could have some chance of seeing faces.

 

[MartinWL]

I don't think you can get one device that does everything. Surveillance cameras need to be positioned so as to " see" wherever you need them to see. The Amazon echo devices have a completely different purpose and can be used for conversation. You can ask it to connect to your brother in Australia and talk, with video if you get echo show. It isn't a surveillance device and you will position it to be accessible rather than for surveillance. Camera systems are cheap and can be run on WiFi, they will run 24/7.

 

[Sarasa]

You might find this site helpful https://meetadam.co.uk/. You can put in what you want the technology to do and it comes up with suggestions.

 

[silkiest]

Thankyou for your replies. Do all cameras need to be plugged in @MartinWL , there is a distinct lack of plugs in my parents home.

 

[MartinWL]

Thankyou for your replies. Do all cameras need to be plugged in @MartinWL , there is a distinct lack of plugs in my parents home.

They need a power supply. Two options:
* Plug in a transformer to a socket.
* Power over Ethernet. That would involve getting cables installed from the router to each camera so would be quite a big installation. You would also need some new hardware such as a switch with the right capabilities, so might not be a practical option.

Battery power might be possible but I wouldn't recommend it, there will be endless maintenance.

 

[Phil612]

Hi my mum has mid stage Alzheimers and dad is registered blind but does have some vision. Their GP has suggested after recent events that I should consider cameras in the house to keep an eye on them. It would also be nice if we could use the same device for communication as one brother lives inAustralia and the other is kept busy looking after his in-laws who also suffer with dementia and sight problems. Does anyone have experience of using the Amazon Echo Show, Facebook Portal or Google Nest hub.
At the moment the Echo show seems to have a slight advantage as I believe it is compatible with talking books for the blind which my dad uses. The ability to ring my brother abroad would be a great advantage for my dad but he would need a 10" screen at least so he could have some chance of seeing faces.

I use the Echo Show 8 as a linking device at my parents house, and then use either an Echo show10 or the Alexa app on my Ipad to connect to them. As well a video calls (bit like skype/facetime), free phone calls in the UK to mobs/landlines, there's also a feature that is very helpful called "drop-In", with this feature you can basically drop into the device without them having to directly answer/press a button. International voice and video calls are handled through the "call" feature on the Echo, international "drop-in" works as well. Privacy and security concerns are pretty well thought through, with protection set on individual devices and individual contacts, and there'salso physical covers for cameras and mute for microphones- rather defeats the dropin though. Ok, Amazon are acting as a conduit but there's always going to be some company in the loop. You can also use the EchoShow as a simple remote security camera search for techradar.com/how-to/how-to-use-your-amazon-echo-show-as-a-home-security-camera

 

[silkiest]

@Phil612 and @faengelm, thanks for the info. The echo looks like a lot more flexible system than I initially thought. Gonna look at the tech radar stuff when I have time. I've taken an Echo Show 10 to my parents today and started to set it up. The 10" screen is big enough for my dad with very bad vision to make things out and the sound is high enough for mum to hear if she forgets her hearing aid (i.e. most of the time). Dad is delighted, he has perked up no end as he can get all the music and radio stations by asking , when he couldn't see to use his tape and radio player.
Dad won't believe that there isn't a real woman somewhere answering his questions and he's enjoying the extra attention lol. Dad will not usually answer the phone because of his deafness , which then means mum with alzheimers translating incorrectly for him. It was so nice this evening to have a drop in call and speak to them both.

 

[Phil612]

@silkiest That's great to hear. I think with some further refinement the EchoShow could be a really valuable solution for many remote carers. Hopefully Amazon will continue to develop it.