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Time of Day for Dementia Patient – Alexa Skill

By:  Frank Engelman   |  Posted: October 15, 2020   |  Updated: April 19, 2023

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The Problem to be Solved

What Time Is It? Dementia Confusion

What Time Is It? Dementia Confusion

My Dad is now in a nursing home, and he can’t tell the difference between 4 AM and 4 PM when looking at a clock. When he asks his Voice Assistant, and it says, “It’s 4 AM”, he thinks it said “4 PM,” and he better get dressed for dinner!

View the problem

Solution Details

 

I have created a (free) Alexa skill called “My Clock” that is designed to help people with dementia who suffer from time “confusion”. And also to help caregivers who get exhausted from answering repeated questions about “what time is it”?

My Clock provides a context-aware, personalized time-of-day greeting on a big screen display. It greets your loved one by name and understands the sleep schedule that you have set up for them.

 

Here is a Video Showing My Clock in Action

 

Setting up the My Clock Alexa Skill

 

 

 

About this Alexa Skill

Here are a few examples of the display your loved one would see on an Echo Show.

 

You can either setup this Alexa Skill when at your loved one’s home using their Amazon Echo device OR from your own mobile device with the Alexa app, logged into your loved one’s Alexa account.

The latter method allows you to change the settings for them remotely. Just say “Alexa, ask my clock for help” and follow the on-screen prompts as shown in the video below.

 

How to Get This My Clock Skill

This Alexa skill can be downloaded to Amazon Echo devices without a screen (Echo Dot) or those with a screen (Echo Show) or even a Fire TV. My Clock is free.

 

 

Trigger My Clock from Motion or a Button

You will note that you can even trigger My Clock from a motion sensor or an Echo Button in an Alexa Routine in the video below.

 

Here are some sample Alexa Routines that you could modify to point at your Echo device. The links below go to routines on the Alexa section of the Amazon website.

Note: To use these links you need to click on them from the mobile device that has your Alexa app installed.

 

 

 

 

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Author

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Frank Engelman

Retired Intel Engineer wanting to share DIY technology tips for the children of parents wanting to remain living independently. I like posting ideas and answering technical questions. If a product or software has an issue making it hard for seniors to use, I try to offer workarounds and also try to contact the manufacturer for solutions. I write a column for this website in the Innovation- Homebrew Solutions & Ideas section

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