Veteran Spouse Profile & SmartCompanion Testimonial: Mrs. Jones Proves It’s Never Too Late to Get Into Tech!
At 85 years of age, Mrs. Elrean Jones would not consider herself “tech-savvy,” yet, she has become a huge fan of Amazon’s Alexa. A flip phone user turned smartphone convert, she says, “I never thought I would need something like [SmartCompanion]. Now, I can’t imagine living without it!”
Mrs. Jones is the surviving spouse of a veteran and has been a VetAssist client since 2018. Living largely independently in St. Louis, MO, she treasures her routines, including frequent phone chats with her sister, Barb, and listening to her favorite music.
Through her existing relationships at VetAssist, Mrs. Jones became aware of the SmartCompanion device last year and thought it might be a convenient way to add some peace of mind for living alone. However, she had no one in mind who could install it for her. Realizing she was local to VetAssist headquarters, one of our staff members, Heather, volunteered to go to her home and help her set up the device and accompanying app. “I didn’t do anything but watch her install,” says Mrs. Jones. “I was so grateful. Every time I talk to Alexa, I think of Heather.”
In the months since, SmartCompanion has become a natural part of Mrs. Jones’s everyday routine. “I get the breaking news, I listen to NPR, and I listen to my favorite song, ‘Mary, Did You Know?’ every single day.” She loves the easy voice activation and says that when people come over to visit with her, they leave wanting one, too.
Her SmartCompanion came in extra handy when Mrs. Jones’s phone service went down unexpectedly over the holidays. Using Alexa, she called her sister and brother-in-law, and the latter came over to help figure out what was wrong with her phone. She notes it was a relief to be able to contact them when her phone was not cooperating. Matt from our team also helped Barb set up the Alexa app on her phone so that she could call her sister’s SmartCompanion and do video “drop-ins.” Both sisters are “over the moon” about the device and their ease of communication any time of day.
It has also been very easy to get support from VetAssist, when Mrs. Jones has needed it. “Everyone on the radio talks about how poor customer service is nowadays and that no one wants to help anymore, but they haven’t met the VetAssist people and their team. I know that I have you all in my corner. I have the number to call. They’ll always pick up and always help me.”
If you would like to know more about SmartCompanion and how it works, call us at (855) 488-1081 or email us at info@smartcompanion.care.
Our VetAssist mission is to make home care easily and quickly accessible for those who qualify through the VA Pension with Aid and Attendance benefit. Veterans Home Care can help you determine whether you or your loved one will be eligible to receive the benefit, which can cover some or all of the cost of home care, and we make it easy to apply. Chat with us via our website, or call us at (888) 314-6075.
