Although smart home technology is often thought of in terms of convenience, it also has another, equally important purpose: Providing independence to elderly loved ones that could live on their own with just a little assistance. Alexa has served that purpose well via Care Hub, but now it’s expanding in another way.

Alexa Smart Properties will allow senior living residents to stay connected with their loved ones and their community straight through the Echo device in their room. Friends and family can easily reach their loved ones just by making a call, while administrators can select tens of thousands of Alexa Skills to tailor their resident experience.

This rollout allows senior living communities to more easily communicate announcements and messages to their members. They can use the Echo device to reach residents through voice and video calls, and it allows residents to ask for maintenance or administrative support without leaving their home. Several communities, including Atria and Eskaton, have already made plans to integrate Alexa Smart Properties at select locations.

Senior living communities aren’t the only places planning to utilize Alexa. Select hospitals also plan to work with Alexa Smart Properties to make it easier for patients to reach their nurses, control the devices in their room, or just keep themselves entertained. Health care providers can utilize services like Drop In to speak with patients without the need to enter their rooms, providing more privacy to patients and conserving much-needed medical supplies like masks, gloves, and gowns.

On the other side of things, patients can check cafeteria menus, place food requests, listen to podcasts and music, and much more using Alexa. Hospital systems including Cedars-Sinai, BayCare, and Houston Methodist are among the first health care facilities to adopt this system.

Alexa Smart Properties can also be deployed in hotels, vacation rentals, and apartments. The API can be used to create custom skills that best fit the needs of the guests at the property to provide a more tailor-made experience. You might begin to see Echo devices in your favorite hotels and vacation destinations soon.