Technology against loneliness in old age: How voice assistants can help | Life & Knowledge

by time news

The children are out of the house for a long time and often live far away. Older people are left behind, often alone. Can digital devices help against loneliness?

This is what the Fraunhofer Institute for Experimental Software Engineering (Kaiserslautern) wanted to find out together with the Rhineland-Palatinate Development Agency and the German Red Cross. They provided seniors in Zweibrücken (Rhineland-Palatinate) who live alone with an “Amazon Echo Show” for two years.

The device has a screen and is controlled by the Alexa voice assistant. It can be used to make video calls, play music and videos, call up information such as news and weather or start quiz games.

Read with BILDplus what four study participants report about their experiences with Alexa – and whether the technology actually helps against loneliness.

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