According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, millions of older people—those 65 and older—fall and injure themselves every year, and over 800,000 patients a year are hospitalized because of a fall injury. In short, falling down is no joke—just ask Amazon customer Rebecca.
Earlier this year, Rebecca accidentally fell while alone in her home. Because she was in the bathroom, she wasn’t near her phone. She was, however, within calling distance of her Echo Dot, through which she could ask Alexa for immediate support.
Learn more from Rebecca, in her own words:
“I live independently and I consider myself a pretty active, tech savvy woman. I have and use Alexa-enabled devices as well as a smart watch. On a recent Friday night, I had a freakish fall in my bathroom after deciding to get ready for bed early.
As I was changing into my pajamas, my foot got tangled. I did a little hop, skip, and jump move. My shoulder and upper arm hit the granite countertop, and my hip eventually hit the floor. I laid there on my stomach and thought I pulled my arm out of my socket. I knew I wasn’t paralyzed because I could pull my arm toward me, but I couldn’t get up or move much.
Lying there, I tried using my watch to call and text my adult children to come help me. However, my phone was at the opposite end of my house, in my kitchen, and I couldn’t connect. After lying on the floor for nearly an hour, I remembered I had an Echo Dot in my bedroom. I yelled for Alexa, and via Alexa Calling, I called each of my adult children. Within minutes, they were at my home and calling an ambulance. While I experienced a shattered humerus and a compression fracture in my back, thankfully I am on the road to recovery.
Rebecca wears a sling supporting her left arm while her, her two daughter, and son smile for the camera.Rebecca with her three children.
If not for Alexa, I shudder to think that I would have lain there until Saturday mid-morning when I would’ve been missed at my grandchild’s birthday party. I’ve had an Echo Dot for a while. I use Alexa for the typical things many people think of—asking for the weather, turning on the lights, setting a timer, and more. However, I never would’ve thought to use Alexa in an emergency before that evening.
I plan to add more Alexa-enabled devices to more rooms in my home and encourage others to consider the same. Even healthy, physically fit people can have freakish accidents when alone. You never know what will happen, but I am grateful Alexa was there to help in my emergency.”
Rebecca is surrounded by her children and grandchildren outside as they all pose and smile for a family photo.Rebecca with her children and grandchildren.
Learn more about how you can use Alexa features to stay connected with friends and family, including how to designate an emergency contact who Alexa will call and text when you say, “Alexa, call for help” (911 is not supported).
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 or Instagram @alexa99 or #AlexaStories.