When couples marry and commit to one another in sickness and in health, they promise that no matter what happens, they’ll look after one another. For Georgia, her husband’s unexpected Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis seven years ago led her to caring for him in new ways.
Thankfully, with the help of her community, the people around her, and Alexa, supporting her husband and keeping track of everything they need—from medication to joyful moments—has become a little easier.
In Georgia’s words:
When I found out my husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, I immediately began teaching him how he could use Alexa. We knew that we had a long and tricky road ahead of us, so I thought showing him how to use Alexa would be a great tool for us both.
Initially, he just sat and watched me use the Echo in our home, and we began to set up reminders to help our days run more smoothly. With Alzheimer’s, there’s a lot of medications to take—Alexa has been so valuable in reminding us to not miss a dose.
Over time, he’s really grown attached to Alexa. When we got our first Echo Show and he was able to see old photos on the screen, that was when he really began to love it. He’s becoming more and more comfortable talking to Alexa. With Alzheimer’s, he’ll often forget if he’s already asked a question, and Alexa never gets frustrated with him no matter how many times he asks.
And it’s really not just tangible things—one of the best things Alexa has brought us is joy. My husband finds Alexa so entertaining. He loved the special holiday greetings, he loves playing his music, and he can spend hours sitting in front of our Echo Show, watching photos go by and identifying people in the pictures.
Alexa has saved us huge amounts of time, and I’ve recommended Alexa to so many of my friends who are in the same situation. Alexa is another voice in our house, someone we can both talk to. An Alzheimer’s diagnosis is the beginning of a long and complicated journey, and I think Alexa has been just a priceless tool in my toolkit in managing it.
Whether your loved ones are close by or far away, Alexa can help make life a little easier. Learn more about how you can use Alexa to help provide support for your loved ones, even from far away, with Alexa Together.
If you have a story of your own about how you use Alexa, we'd love to hear it and will continue sharing some of our favorite #AlexaStories. You can email us or tag us on Twitter @alexa99 or on Instagram with #AlexaStories. Additionally, to learn more about how Alexa is helping people in different ways, you can watch Alexa Stories videos.
