Don't you wish fixing MS was as simple! I'm glad she's being more responsive to you with the changes you guys made. It really does sound like a useful and impressive device. Now, too bad she can't make the vacuum, mop, broom, etc. start working. That would be beyond impressive!

I wonder if they have a way to intergrate with some of those robotic vacuums? Thinking of asking my DH to get me one but my mom was also thinking of buying one so I thought I'd let her try it first. If my dad and her dog don't kill it then I think it could survive my cats. The prices are coming down a lot too making them all the more tempting. And if you could link it with an Echodot how much cooler would that be?! Especially since they have not only the vacuums but robotic mops now... laundry and dishes I can still mostly handle, but floors have become my archnemisis.

I could totally imagine sitting back and telling Alexis to clean my floors, and adjust the temp in the house while she's at it... oh and dim the lights a bit so the neighbors don't see how shamelessly lazy I'm being lol ;). If only this town had Chinese delivery for Alexis to order for me life could be just about perfect

I love my Roomba!!

Another plus on this $40 technical device.

DH works about ten minutes from home. Echo Dot's Alexa has the voice messaging feature. I left a test message for him and his phone received it. Actually my DS in NYC can receive my voice messages. Anyone who has this device can be in my network.

This means that if I fall, I do not need to have my phone handy or pay a monthly fee for Life Alert.

The light switch capability is a delight, being connected in an emergency is ____ (fill in the blank).

Update.

DH is about an hour away from home in his car on an LA freeway. I sent him a voice message and it was received.

WOW! I might really have to get one of those, it would be great if something happens in the house and I can't get to the phone to be able to call someone. There's been a few times where I've not paid enough attention to my body and have fallen and ended up stuck somewhere. Since I know my dad will stop by between 1-2 everyday, and my mom usually stops by after work around 5, and then my DH is normally home by 7 can be later, I end up just hanging out wherever I'm stuck. Someone will be by eventually, but to actually be able to send a message to someone to say hey! Stuck here, need a hand... that would be awesome!

It's really not fun being stuck in the corner of a closet waiting up to 3 hours for someone to finally show up, especially when you slam your back into something on the way down taking out both your legs, and twist your shoulder because you were a fool who reached out when you fell, so now you're in tons of pain, no way to get comfortable or get to meds that might help some with the discomfort with nothing but seemingly endless hours to curse yourself for being such a fool.

Why did you go to the left when you went down? Why did you reach out to try and grab yourself? You know that doesn't work you fool? What were you even doing in the closet reaching up for something with no one here? I'm thirsty, why didn't I bring something to drink? What if I had brought something to drink I'd need to pee... WHY did you think about that you fool! Don't listen bladder don't listen!!! No one said the P word! How long have I been stuck here?! Less than 2 minutes... only 2 hours 58 minutes to go... Maybe if we mov... :eek:*blinding pain*:eek: Idiot why did you try to move?!

Yeah... the very fact that I know the mental conversations I have with myself when I fall... I really really should be looking into getting one, cuz it has happened more than once... I mean I won't die from being trapped in the closet, under the kitchen table, in the utility room, under the computer desk (chair broke that one wasn't my fault) since someone will be along, eventually, less than 24 hours for sure, but it's certainly inconvenient.

Just to be clear. The echo Dot voice messaging function is only with other echo dot users. There may be an emergency services function. I don't know. I am just learning what this system has to offer.

And I think it is a truly wonderful system.

Amazon is having their Christmas in July Black Friday sale. I think it ends today. We bought an echo Dot for my DD to give to her at holiday time.

Well still might be worth it, even if I have to pick one up for my folks to be able to message them. Though it then become a two way street and I still remember the last time my dad had free 24/7 access to talk with me, he didn't care that I was a college student and ya know had papers to write and had to be up in the morning... He thought nothing of calling me out to the living room at 2 am to tell me a really funny story (that I had already heard at least 5 times already that day) about something that happened while he was out "running his errands".

Which for him equates socializing at a host of different corner stores picking up a drink from this one so he chat with the cashiers, his cigarettes from another store, not because the first store he went to didn't have the exact same brand and often cheaper, but because he needs to chat with the cashiers there... then it's yet another 3 different stores for his scratchers and 3 different sets of cashiers to talk with, and then when he gets back he asks my mom to run out and get something for dinner... :rolleyes: I guess they're just not chatty enough at our local grocery stores for him.

I wonder if there would be a way to lock him out from sending messages :D, but to where he can still receive them if I need his help with something... sounds totally selfish I know, but seriously a girl can only listen so many times to how her dad told the cashier "that's what she said!" (and with the missing inflection to the voice, so just picture that dig being said by the guy for the Visine commercials...) And then listen to that 5 times over in about a 2 hour period, not including the need to repeat the "punchline" when telling the story, so looking at closer to about a 30-40 times over monotone "then I told the guy, that's what she said...that's what she said... ha.... you know like what the kids say today... that's what she said.... that's what she said...."

Head meet desktop *and repeat* :D And of course he's so tickled by his own non-existent jokes that you really have no choice but to laugh (or make a valiant attempt at it) and escape as soon as possible...

I don't know that I could survive my dad having an echo dot linked to mine LOL.

There is a skill on Alexa that's called Ask My Buddy, that can be used to contact people for help. You set it up that you can have it call someone to check on you, or you can tell it to contact everyone on your list of contacts if you ever need help.

I just checked, and it seems to still have high ratings on it. I have it on my Alexa, but I haven't set it up yet for myself. I should probably do that, since I've been having a few more problems lately, and my mom has issues too. I'm not sure I could get mom to remember the phrase to use to activate it, but I should at least get it set up.

Was really tempted to order another Alexa Dot today, but I didn't. I probably will regret not doing it later on.

edit
I cashed in my credit card points. ($230), and went ahead and got the full size Echo (in white, $89, which is half off). It doesn't ship till mid august, so that $230 will probably be spent by then, but I guess it'll keep my credit card from getting too high before then.

Echo Dot usage on the MS radar. Here is this Internet write up.

12 Ways Amazon's Alexa Can Help People With Multiple Sclerosis - Multiple Sclerosis News Today