I don't have any experience with it, but according to this article, it seems like it would be a good solution.

https://seniorsafetyadvice.com/echo-show-drop-in-skill-for-the-elderly/

Thanks for the link terezosa/terriks - it's looking like it might be an answer to our frustration about not being able to contact Dad.

Thank you for the link. I had not heard of this & it might be useful with a family member who is having cognitive issues & lives in Assisted Living. We all have problems getting in touch with her & they have stopped the visits we were doing in a covid room. Very frustrating as I know it's important for her to have some contact & since she doesn't answer her phone or seem to call us, our hands are tied. We've resorted to calling the front desk & they will have someone go to her apt. to check on her phone & ask her to call us. Again, thanks!

How does the Echo Show notify your father that he has an incoming call? DH is considerable younger than your dad, but he is having some cognitive decline related to his Parkinson’s. He was a relatively early adopter, but you would not know it now. He ignores the bing that means he has a text because he has no idea what it means. When his phone rings, he asks me if it is mine (we have totally different ring tones!). Calendar alerts might as well not exist. Is your dad going to respond to the notification of an incoming call? Can Alexa be programmed to say “Mr. Nekotish’s Daddy, you have an incoming call. Press the green button on the screen to connect”?

@bbstx. I feel your pain. From what I undertand so far, it can be voice activated, so I could say "Dad, are you there?" which hopefully, he could hear and either respond verbally or press a button. I'm not terribly tech savy, but researching still and will let you know what I find out.

I'm not familiar with Echo Snow but perhaps you could ask someone at the facility? They may have experience, or if not, some pertinent thoughts to share. I empathize. We dealt with this very issue with my mom. It's truly difficult to believe how difficult things can be for seniors with even mild dementia which comes and goes (as my mom's did). I had the simplest phone in the world for my mom, attached her charger to the wall, laminated and hung a speed dial chart on the wall, and more. I sent her a special pocket bag for her wheelchair so that the phone would always be available, etc. And still, it was just one frustrating issue after another. It was so, so difficult for her to manage. And since three of her kids lived out of town, we were very dependent on the phone as a way of staying in touch.

I just looked at the Echo Snow, and one thing that comes to mind is to figure out if you can simplify the screens. I don't know why manufacturers of phones and other devices haven't figured this out for seniors, but lots of choices just means complexity many times. If you could customize it to get rid of all the built-in apps, so your dad just needed to look at and press one icon, that may work.

http://www.alzheimersweekly.com/2017/12/echo-show-drop-in-on-people-with.html

https://seniorsafetyadvice.com/echo-show-drop-in-skill-for-the-elderly/

WOW! I looked at the links F2BH posted. The Drop In feature is pretty cool!

Nekotish, have you thought about how you are going to get the device into your father’s living area and get it set up? I only ask because you have said y’all are not allowed in right now. Does the facility have an IT person who you could pay to set it up?

Dad is in private pay for now, so yes there is an IT person to get things set up. Our problem is not technology or the ability to have it set up, it is just Dad's inability to follow directions or remember what he has been told. We have made posters to try to help him, but he forgets to look at them. So heartbreaking, he has always been my hero and we are very much alike; we've always had the same quirky sense of humour and the same love of similar literature. We've shared books all of our lives, but now he can't even read.

The nursing home my BIL is in sets up Facetime visits between the residents and their family members. I wish every nursing home did that. The Echo sounds like it would work well for your situation.