K4Connect Teams Up with Amazon to Connect Thousands of Older Adults in Isolation Through Free Voice Experiences

May 27, 2020

K4Connect, a mission-driven technology company that creates solutions that serve and empower older adults and individuals living with disabilities, announced a new initiative with Amazon to support senior living residents during COVID-19. K4Connect is distributing over 8,000 Echo Dots to more than 40 independent and assisted living communities in West Coast regions highly affected by COVID-19, allowing residents to use voice technology to stay more connected while in isolation. Devices were donated by Amazon as part of a $5 million device donations program created in response to COVID-19, and will integrate with K4Community, K4Connect’s advanced enterprise solution designed for the residents and staff of senior living communities. The experience allows residents to immediately begin their voice experience with minimal involvement from community staff. Communities simply plug in the Echo devices and start enjoying all the benefits of Amazon Alexa, as well as various new capabilities from K4Connect that make community information, services, and communication just an “Alexa” request away.

Older adults are one of the most vulnerable and isolated populations experiencing this crisis. Senior living communities are working hard to keep residents safe and engaged while managing the impacts the virus has had on daily operations and the resident experience. Technology has quickly emerged as another avenue to manage this, keeping residents connected (with the community, each other and their families), informed, and engaged during periods of quarantine, and voice technologies like Alexa are making this even more accessible. The natural interface means the resident experience is as easy as talking and allows community staff to easily reach hundreds of residents in an instant.