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Front Porch Center for Innovation and Wellbeing Releases Results of Amazon Alexa Pilot Project in San Diego Retirement Community
Study shows how voice services and home automation technology impact the wellbeing of older adults

GLENDALE, Calif. March 22, 2018 – The Front Porch Center for Innovation and Wellbeing (FPCIW) recently announced the results of its six-month Amazon Alexa pilot with residents at San Diego’s Carlsbad By The Sea (CBTS), a Front Porch retirement community. The pilot demonstrates the potential benefits of applications and technologies controlled primarily by speaking, known as “Voice First” technologies, specifically for older adults.

“The Amazon Alexa pilot was an enormous success as it promoted an increase in independence and engagement among residents,” said Davis Park, director of the FPCIW. “The value of Voice First technologies such as Amazon Alexa to address the needs of older adults is clear from the pilot’s results.”

Launched in February 2017, the Amazon Alexa pilot started with 15 homes and aimed to better understand how voice assistance and home automation technology may help promote greater convenience, independence and wellbeing in the lives of older adults. FPCIW designed the pilot based on initial focus group feedback and interest in Amazon Alexa and other “Voice First” technology from CBTS’s community residents and their technology committee.

The retirement community resident responses to the post-pilot surveys reflected high satisfaction and engagement levels in using Amazon Alexa:

  • 75% used their smart devices at least once a day
  • 100% of respondents felt their device overall helped make life easier
  • 71.43% felt more connected to family, friends and the community than before the start of the Alexa pilot
  • 82% reported that using a smart plug/lamp with Alexa was “very easy”

Amazon Alexa is a cloud-based voice service that powers devices like the Amazon Echo. Alexa is always getting smarter, both for features, and for natural language understanding and accuracy. Amazon Alexa performs a wide range of functions such as playing music, controlling smart home devices, calling and messaging, providing news and weather updates as well as managing daily reminders, timers or alarms.

One objective of the pilot sought to determine whether Alexa devices facilitate effective and convenient solutions to help staff, family members, and caregivers provide better care and improve communication with older adults. FPCIW worked with Ask Marvee, a care companion Alexa Skill that allows a user to “check in” and send a message to a relative or loved one. Residents also frequently used their devices to message one another and keep in touch with family members.

During the six-month pilot, the FPCIW organized twice a month “Alexa 101” workshops for residents and Alexa trainings for CBTS staff and caregivers to understand and utilize Amazon Alexa. Older adults, ranging in age from 79 to 100 years old, provided their feedback across three group sessions. These sessions produced a dialogue of older adults’ valuable questions, comments and suggestions. Surveys were also distributed to residents that demonstrated the impact of Voice First technology and its capabilities. 

To purchase Amazon Echo Dot devices for residents interested in participating in the pilot, Executive Director Joan Johnson and CBTS resident Technology Committee Chairman John Sanders fundraised for donations in Phase One of the pilot. These Echo Dot devices were then installed in 12 resident homes, with residents and staff receiving training on using Amazon Alexa. The CBTS Technology Committee played a key role in overseeing the installation of the Echo Dot devices for the residents, provided troubleshooting and technical assistance to the users as well as helped expand the adoption of the technology to 90 homes in the community.

According to surveys collected after Phase One, the following top uses of the devices were:

  • Weather and temperature (87%)
  • Alarm and timers (53%)
  • Music, date, and time (40%)
  • News (27%)
  • Search information (20%)

Open-ended responses from participants included the following:

  • “The workshops have been very helpful and have encouraged me to find new ways to use Alexa and try new skills. I feel more confident because of the workshops.”
  • “So much fun! [Alexa] opens up many new thoughts about improving the way we use technology on a daily basis.”
  • “I have a genetic tremor, so entering data is a pain. The ability to speak a command and get something to happen is a wonderful thing.”
  • “To look at it from a human standpoint, what do we use to get messages across, to communicate? – it’s our voice. Yes, we have learned to write, how to type, how to use a computer, but voice is the first and will be there forever, and that’s what Alexa offers us – it’s a natural thing.”

Phase Two began in June 2017 and introduced smart home integration including house lights, thermostats and appliances connected to a smart outlet.

“The lessons, adoption program and engagement strategies emerging from this pilot project will help inform future deployments of Amazon Alexa and Voice First technologies to other Front Porch communities and beyond,” said Kari Olson, chief innovation and technology officer, Front Porch, and president, FPCIW.

Besides expanding the Amazon Alexa pilot to additional Front Porch communities, other future FPCIW Voice First technology initiatives include planning a “Possibilities Room” at the Villa Gardens Health Center in Pasadena, Calif., where they will be testing a variety of Voice First and smart home technologies to demonstrate potential opportunities for further investigation.

As an outcome of the pilot’s findings, FPCIW believes that given appropriate program design, community participation and leadership involvement, Voice First solutions such as Amazon Alexa have tremendous potential in facilitating the independence and wellbeing of older adults.

About the Front Porch Center for Innovation and Wellbeing
The Front Porch Center for Innovation and Wellbeing (FPCIW) is part of Front Porch, one of Southern California’s largest not-for-profit providers of retirement living, active adult and affordable housing communities. In collaboration with innovative partner organizations, the FPCIW reaches across cultural and socioeconomic barriers to meet the diverse needs and enhance the well-being of Front Porch residents and the older adult population at large. Using technology as a tool to solve real-world problems, the FPCIW pilots innovative technology solutions that change lives and make a difference. Its core initiatives aim to assist in maintaining brain health, enhance social connectedness, promote engagement and growth, empower control over health and wellness, prevent emergencies or serious events and increase resources and support for formal and informal caregivers. 

The FPCIW has achieved sustainable outcomes with real impact, a challenge in this sector. As a creative ecosystem developer, the FPCIW builds pilots using a collaborative 360-degree approach to matching needs, anticipating barriers, identifying solutions and executing steps to successful implementation and adoption. Learn about FPCIW’s work by reading its impact stories. The FPCIW is the signature program of Humanly Possible®, Front Porch’s commitment to cause-based innovation and dedication to doing everything humanly possible to creatively meet needs now and in the future. For more information visit www.fpciw.org.

About Front Porch
Front Porch is a not-for-profit organization based in Glendale, Calif., serving individuals and families through full-service retirement, active adult communities, affordable housing and related management and development services. Front Porch retirement communities offer options ranging from independent living to skilled care, including assisted living and memory care. Front Porch holds an A credit rating from FitchRatings and an A- credit rating from Standard & Poor’s. Founded in 1999, Front Porch embraces a leading-edge approach to enhancing well-being with innovative communities and programs that meet the changing needs of people as they age. The Front Porch culture is driven by Humanly Possible®, a commitment to cause-based innovation that harnesses the innovative spirit of all of its staff in an effort to do whatever is humanly possible to meet emerging needs of the people we serve now and in the future. Specialized outreach programs like the Front Porch Center for Innovation and Wellbeing and the Front Porch Gallery support the Front Porch belief in understanding and creatively meeting the needs of individuals in community.

Front Porch is comprised of 10 full-service retirement communities in California and two adult living communities: one in Louisiana and one in Florida. Front Porch also serves individuals and families through 25 affordable housing communities managed by CARING Housing Ministries, a division of Front Porch.

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For further information: Bernadette De Mesa, FrontPorch@graham-associates.com, (415) 986-7212