Voice Assistants for Seniors: Helpful or Just Hype?

Frank Bravo 0:08
To your Tech Makeover, the podcast that gives you tips and tricks to help you simplify. Get more out of the technology in your life. I'm your host, Frank Bravo. Today we're talking about voice assistance for seniors. Are they helpful or just hype? This is one of those technologies that sounds amazing when you hear about it, but it also feels very different when you're standing next to someone in the kitchen trying to explain to them why the glowing cylinder is suddenly talking back to them. Families ask this question of me all the time. Is mom actually going to get help from this? Do you think it'll make things easier for dad? Or am I just introducing another thing that's going to frustrate everyone involved? And to be honest, the answer is it depends not on the brand, not on the features, but on the expectations. This episode is not only for seniors or people with seniors in your life. However, we're going to focus on mainly on seniors and what they may get out of this technology. But it's a good reminder for all of us what voice assistants are and what they are not. Voice assistants are great at some things and terrible at others, and wildly overhyped in the middle. So today I want to talk about the expectations. I want to reset those expectations. Talk about what the devices realistically can do for older adults, not what the commercials promise, but what actually works in a real home. This ties back directly to my episode about digital confidence at any age, because confidence, not capability, is usually the deciding factor. So let's start. Their voice assistant is not a replacement for learning how to use technology. It's not a shortcut around understanding the device is, and it's definitely not a caregiver or an emergency system. But what it can be is a pressure valve, something that removes just enough friction in everyday life to feel easier instead of harder. And that's what technology is supposed to do. And that's what I always tell people. If technology is hard, then there's something wrong with that technology. When a voice assistant works well, they reduce the number of decisions someone has to make. They eliminate a small obstacle. They let someone ask a question out loud rather than hunting for their glasses, unlocking their phone, opening an app, and tapping on the wrong thing three times. That's the sweet spot of a personal assistant like this. Where people sometimes get in trouble is that they expect way too much. If you walk into someone's home, plug one in and say you can ask it to do anything you've already lost. That's overwhelming because it's abstract, and it puts the burden on the person who is already feeling a little unsure. But when you treat the voice assistant like a very specific helper, one that does a few things really well, the experience changes completely. A quick shout out to listeners like you who helped make your tech make over possible. Your support helps keep this podcast going and I truly appreciate it. Want to contribute? Just click the link in the show notes or visit your Tech makeover.com plus as a special thank you support to give $25 or more, we'll get $25 off a one time consultation with me to help you simplify your tech. Thanks for being part of the Your Tech Makeover community. Now back to what I was saying. What sort of things do voice assistants do? Well? Well, you may be asking that yourself. For example, reminders are what these devices do. Great. They're not flashy, not exciting, and they're generally useful. Being able to ask out loud, what do I have to do today? Or hearing a reminder spoken? You know, instead of a phone notification, it really can make a big difference. There's no hunting, no scrolling, no remembering where something lives on your mobile device. Timers are another great way that these things are helpfully or deceptively helpful. I should say cooking or laundry or taking breaks. Just say set a timer feels natural. There's no interface to learn, no buttons to misread, and no screens to script that. And then there's calling, not texting, although a lot of them can do that to just calling, say the name. Having the phone ring without navigating a contact feels almost magical when it works. And very demoralizing when it doesn't. Which is why Set up matters. So it's much more important than the people realize that you need to make sure these things are set up properly. Because here's the thing. Voice assistants don't fail because seniors can't use them. They fail because no one set them up thoughtfully. For instance, if they set the volume too low, then sometimes you just can't hear it. You can usually ask the assistant to turn it up for you. Names that don't match in someone's address book. That could be a problem. Maybe the device is placed too far away or TVs are triggering them constantly. If the Wi-Fi cuts out, there's just enough that makes that not work. Then that will break the trust. And once that trust is broken, it's very hard to get it back. So there's also a few hype trends that creep in. Marketing makes these things sound amazing, and it makes everyone understand that. That they think that these things can do everything, but they don't work perfectly all the time. And no matter what you do, you're never going to get them to work that way. In reality, they struggle with background noise. They struggle with soft voices. They struggle with accents sometimes, and they do struggle when multiple people are in the room talking at once. This doesn't mean they're bad. It just means that they're limited. And it's an important distinction, especially for families. A voice assistant is a tool, not a solution. It can help support independence, but it can't replace human involvement, check ins or common sense. That's why I'm cautious when I when I frame how people can use them around safety. Yes, you can absolutely configure the voice assistant to help with certain smart home features like lights and plugs and thermostats, and you can absolutely improve comfort and reduce risk. But no one should believe that dropping a smart speaker in someone's home automatically makes them safe. It just doesn't. And this is something that I talk about a lot, and it does make tasks easier. And that's okay. But it's not for everything. Now, choosing which assistant matters less than what people might think. What matters most is not introducing something foreign if it doesn't have to be. If someone is already using an iPhone and starting with Siri makes total sense because they're there already. If you use a standalone device, look for an Apple HomePod or use Siri on your phone or iPad that they might already have. This way, they get used to using it before you drop that speaker in their house. If they live comfortably in the Google world. Then a Google Assistant feels familiar. That may be the right device if you're building around a smart home devices to make their life easier. Maybe Alexa is a better fit in for most people. The mistake is mixing ecosystems, creating a tech soup that's just just erodes at the confidence, and it makes people struggle to manage. In my house, we do have Apple devices and we have a Google Home, and we use them for different things. But the Apple devices are my main go to. But no matter which one you choose, the most important part comes after the box is open. You need to decide what it is for. And this is what I was talking about. Remember, it's not for everything. And while it's not the end of the world to just try it, make sure there are there are certain things that the person has thought through before you leave them alone. Maybe 1 or 2 clear jobs is a great place to start. Then you can teach those and not the universe of possibilities. Some families even write down a few phrases and stick them on the refrigerator to remember, to remind the person to use it, and that removes some of the pressure. There's no guessing or fear of doing it wrong. So let's take a minute and talk about privacy, because privacy is what people worry about really quickly. Voice assistants are always listening for a wake word. It's not a secret and it's not something to gloss over. The important thing is giving people control, showing them the mute buttons, normalizing, turning it off, making it clear that it's okay to feel uncomfortable. What you should never forget is to feel like the technology was forced on them. It's for their own good, you know. You need to make sure that they are buying into that technology that inroads trust faster than any misheard command. So here's the filter you might want to keep in mind. If you're considering one of these devices for yourself or someone you care about. If a voice assistant can reliably remove 1 or 2 things friction wise, just 1 or 2, that is probably worth it. If it becomes another source of anxiety, confusion, or self-doubt, then it's probably not. This is not about being modern. It's about being supportive. Technology should make your life easier, not harder. I tell people that all the time, and if it means skipping the gadget entirely, then that's a perfect, valid choice to. And don't be afraid to take it out of the house if it is frustrating. So our voice assistants helpful for seniors or are they just hype? The answer is they're helpful when they're humble, limited and thoughtfully introduced, and hype when they're sold is something that they are just not. Have you installed a voice assistant for a parent or grandparent, or do you use one yourself? I'd love to know. And as always, if you have any ideas for topics you'd like me to cover on this podcast, please feel free to contact me at Frank at your Tech makeover.com. That's it for now. Thanks for listening to your tech makeover. And if you haven't already, don't forget to subscribe to this podcast on your favorite podcast platform so that you don't miss an episode. You can also check out your Tech makeover.com where I break down this and other episodes. And if you're on Substack, don't forget to subscribe there for some extra content. And if you want to find out more about me, you can visit Bravo. It's com. Until next time, I'm Frank. Bravo. And this has been your technique over.