Promotional material touts the accessibility of Visiting Angels' Constant Companion product.
Visiting Angels of Central Arkansas in Little Rock has a new offering: “Constant Companion,” a voice-controlled virtual assistant.
Visiting Angels is a national franchise that provides nonmedical services to seniors.
Constant Companion is the name both of the new devices and of the company that provides them. That company operates the call centers that seniors who have the devices will reach in case of an emergency.
Little Rock franchisee Michael Martin, director of Visiting Angels of Central Arkansas, began installing the devices in client homes last month.
“The big thing is it’s monitored. Those emergency buttons seniors wear, 70% of the time, when they need them, they aren’t wearing them,” he said. “So what good are they?”
The devices use Amazon Alexa technology. All a senior needs to do is say, “Alexa, call help,” and the user will be connected in seconds to someone at a call center.
Martin said his office places the devices in the senior’s bathrooms, while two or three devices are placed in other living areas.
The devices plug into the wall and have backup batteries, in case of a power failure.
They are also encrypted, meaning seniors can make or receive calls to and from family and friends on the device, but they won’t get robocalls.
The devices can remind seniors to take their medication, and seniors can also use them to listen to music and play games.
In addition, the call center contacts the senior every day through the device, to conduct a wellness check, then emails an update to his or her family.
Martin said his office is the exclusive provider of Constant Companion in central Arkansas.
They are free to clients who receive 16 hours of services from any of his office’s approximately 40 caregivers. They cost $50 a month if the client receive fewer than 16 hours (12 is the minimum), or $100 if a senior wants only the devices.
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