A care home provider is using voice technology to improve the lives of residents and carers.
Oakland Care - a chain based across Essex, Kent, East Sussex, and Oxfordshire in the UK - has utlisited voice recognition decivces such as Amazon Alexa and Google Dot Echo so residents can access generalised information and entertainment; services such as lunch menus when visitors are coming into the care home; planned activities
Branden Suddes, project manager at Oakland Care, said: “We’re delighted to be among the first social care providers to be trialling this innovative new technology in our care homes through new a partnership with voice design studio and agency Vocala
“As a forward-thinking organisation, we recognise the possibilities that technology can offer our care homes, both for improving resident experience and wellbeing, as well as enhancing the working lives of our team members."
As part of the experiment, 10 residents will be provided with a specialist Alexa device that will be managed by the team and then information will be gathered at the start of the trial to measure and record the success.
Suddes added: "“It has been excellent to see the ways in which this technology can help make an important contribution to the future of social care.
“These specialist voice technology devices go way beyond their traditional functionality with so many features that look to be extremely beneficial for Oakland Care.
“We are always looking at the opportunities that products such as this can present for us.”