Having your mom live by herself worries you. She doesn’t want to move, but you’re uncertain she’s fully able to handle all of the cooking, cleaning, yard work, and shopping on her own. For her birthday, you bought her a Google Home. You’re hoping it might help her stay organized, but you wonder if there’s more it can help with. Here are some of the top apps and commands that will help a senior living at home.
Caregiver in Woodland CA: Senior Apps For Google Home
Creating a Shopping List
How often do you take your mom to the store and find she’s forgotten something? With the home, she can tell it what she’s run out of immediately when she uses the last of something up. Each item gets put on a list that you or another authorized user can retrieve on a smartphone. The list remains in place until she buys the item and checks it off the list.
Getting Daily Reminders
If your mom takes prescription medications, Google Home will remind her to take her pills when she gets up. It can also remind her where she parked her car, what appointments she has, any flights or travel plans that are coming up, or any upcoming birthdays or anniversaries.
Listening to Music, News, and Radio
With the one device, your mom can play songs by her favorite artists, listen to the daily news and weather, or tune in her favorite radio station. She can use Google’s music service or choose her preferred company from a list that includes Pandora and Spotify.
Watching TV With Ease
The device connects to your mom’s TV if she has Chromecast installed. Rather than finding the channel she wants, she can ask the Home to find a specific show or movie. The device locates it and then plays it for her on the TV. She can do the same with photos she has stored on her computer.
Reducing Stress
Does your mom like background noise to help her sleep? The home allows her to play background noises like sounds of the forest, water, white noise, a crackling fire, rain, and so many others. She can ask Google to play her preferred sound while she naps, does yoga, or goes to sleep for the night.
Providing Companionship
It may seem silly to have an electronic device offering companionship, but Google can do that too. Your mom can listen to jokes, play games, and interact with the Home in other ways. She can ask the computer to sing a song, give her her fortune, or play Mad Libs.
No device is a good replacement for human help, however, If your mom needs help around the home, a caregiver is the best solution. An elder care professional can drive your mom around, cook her meals, and do light housework. Call an elder care agency to learn more.