BEFORE Alexa came into his life, Scott Walker was in the dark – literally.

The 43-year-old from Chandlers Ford has cerebral palsy and is confined to a wheelchair.

He has carers in the morning and evening, to help him with basic tasks. And after his carer had gone in the evening, and switch off the lights, he couldn't switch them back on himself.

He was dependant on the light from his television to find his way to the toilet or take tablets in the night – not ideal when he needed to make sure he took the right pills from a selection.

But now, thanks to a Hampshire County Council pilot scheme, using Amazon Echo technology, he now has an Alexa device, which, amongst other tasks, can turn the light on for him.

Working with the County Council’s telehealthcare partner, the PA Consulting Group-led Argenti Telehealthcare Partnership, the Authority is working with Amazon to trial a customised version of their Echo device to help support people to live independently in their own homes for longer, and reduce social isolation in the elderly.

The Amazon Echo is a voice-activated home speaker with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, powered by the Alexa software. Echo users can add new ‘skills’ to the device and then simply 'ask Alexa' to remind them to take medication or check when their carer is due to arrive.

Hampshire County Council is the first ever Local Authority in the world to pilot new Amazon Echo technology to support people needing care.

Scott also uses Alexa as a diary, to remind him of when he needs to take medication, meetings, phone calls he needs to make and even as an alarm clock to get him up for work – at Next in Hedge end, where works as a suit fitter.

He is enthusiastic about the device, which he has been trailing for just over a month, and says that it could be even more useful for people with memory loss or those who don't have use of their arms.

"You don't always want to have someone in your house," says Scott.

"If Alexa can do some of those tasks for you, you're saving the council money and it's giving you back your own space.

"The 15 minute care appointments can be a waste of time. If an Alexa device can remind people to take their tablets, drink water, etc, then it would release money for people who need the extra help."

Director of adults’ health and care Graham Allen says technology has helped the department reduce costs by £43.1 million over the past two years, with a new programme aimed at further cutting costs by £56m.

Scott says having an Alexa device has increased his independence by a third, and had a dramatic impact on his quality of life.

"It can do simple things that can make a big difference to you. The other night, I dropped the TV remote and it bounced off the bed and onto the floor. I just asked Alexa to turn the light on and I found it. Before, I wouldn't have been able to find it, and would have been stuck with the TV on all night."

The trial, which continues throughout 2018, is now entering a second phase, with data collected from the 50 people trialling the device, to develop new 'skills' for the technology and tailor it to people's needs.

Councillor Liz Fairhurst, Hampshire County Council's executive member for adult social care and health, said: “This is an important trial for the County Council and a ‘world first’ for a Local Authority and Amazon. Early feedback from the trial is very positive, particularly from participants with physical disabilities, and we are excited about the potential for using Alexa to support people with a wide variety of adult social care needs. We are now looking to develop a range of ‘skills’ or ‘apps’ with our telehealthcare partner, PA Consulting, for use with the Echo device.

"The County Council continues to be at the forefront of developing new ways for technology to support vulnerable people, and in the next five years we expect more than 12,000 people to be benefitting from its use.”

Those taking part in the trial will have the opportunity to keep the device at the end of the pilot scheme – which Scott intends to do.

"I definitely want to keep it," he says.

"Having had it, I couldn't do without it."