Set up Alexa for an elderly parent
With an Echo, your parent can just talk to it. They can ask about the weather, set a reminder for their pills, put on music, or hear the news. An Echo Show is the same thing with a screen, and the text on it is big and easy to read. You do the setup once. After that, all your parent has to do is talk.
What you need
- An Echo (speaker) or Echo Show (with a screen) and its power adapter
- Your parent's Amazon account email or phone number and password (or make one for them)
- The home Wi-Fi name and password
- For an Echo without a screen: a phone or tablet with the Amazon Alexa app (yours is fine)
- About 30 minutes
Step by step
Pick the right device
If your parent has no smartphone, an Echo Show is the easier choice. It can be set up right on its own screen, no phone needed. A plain Echo speaker needs the Alexa app on a phone or tablet during setup, but you can use your own phone for that.
Plug it in
Put it in the room where your parent spends the most time. The kitchen counter or the table next to their favorite chair both work well. Plug it into the wall with the adapter that came in the box. Wait until it turns on.
Echo Show: follow the screen
Tap the screen and pick a language. Choose the home Wi-Fi from the list and type the password. Then sign in with your parent's Amazon account and follow the steps on the screen. When you see the home screen with a clock, it is ready.
Echo speaker: use the Alexa app
On a phone, install the Amazon Alexa app and sign in with your parent's Amazon account. Tap Devices, then the + button, then Add Device. Choose Amazon Echo and follow the steps in the app to connect the Echo to the home Wi-Fi.
If you live far away
Amazon lets you set up an Echo Show before you give it. Send the device to yourself first and choose the gift option when you check out, so it does not link to your own account. Set it up with your parent's Amazon account and save their Wi-Fi name and password on it. When your parent plugs it in, it connects on its own. They may only need to sign in to their Amazon account on the screen.
Turn off shopping by voice
Voice shopping is on by default, so anyone near the Echo could place an order. In the Alexa app, tap More, then Settings, then Account Settings (some versions say Account Management), then Voice Purchasing. Under Purchase Controls, choose No one (disable voice purchasing). If your parent wants to keep it, set a Voice code instead under Purchase Confirmation, then Manage.
Practice the first few requests
Sit down with your parent and try a few together. Let them do the talking. Say "Alexa, what's the weather today?", "Alexa, remind me to take my pills at 8 a.m.", or "Alexa, play some Frank Sinatra." Write the favorites on a card and leave it next to the device.
Show the privacy button
Show your parent the microphone button on the device. Pressing it turns the microphones off, and a red light shows they are off. Press it again to turn them back on. A blue light means Alexa is listening to a request.
Good to know
- Everyone on the Amazon account shares the same voice shopping setting, so check it even if you think it is off.
- Alexa will never need a bank number, a password, or a Social Security number. If anyone asks for those through a call or message, it is a scam.
- If you used your own phone for setup and signed in with your parent's account, sign back out of the Alexa app afterward so their account stays on their device.
- Turn up the volume by saying "Alexa, volume 7." The scale goes from 1 to 10.
Sources
- Amazon: How to set up or register your Amazon Echo device
- Amazon: Support for Echo Show
- Amazon: How to set up your Echo Show 11 (2025 release)
- Amazon: Help loved ones set up their Echo devices with a screen remotely
- Amazon: Turn Alexa voice purchasing on or off
- Amazon: Require a voice code for purchases with Alexa