Connected home monitoring company TruSense has just released a new smart personal emergency response pendent (PERS) that, when combined with TruSense home, integrates its sensors with Amazon Echo and Alexa. The company's latest technology also uses GPS to notify caregivers when the pendent isn't being worn. "Anyone who has ordered a PERS wearable device for their loved ones knows the biggest issue is getting them to wear it," Rob Deubell, senior vice president for TruSense, said in a statement. "Seniors are often at risk with single-solution products, as they have a false sense of security when they forget to charge or wear their pendants. The TruSense GPS Smart Pendant works in concert with TruSense Home, and can detect and alert caregivers, as well as the senior, via automated phone call or text messages in the event they leave home without their pendant. Through integration with leading consumer products, including the Amazon Echo, family members now have a new way of being supportive anytime simply by asking Alexa where their loved one is and how they are doing. TruSense delivers multiple layers of protection, providing a 24-7 safety net, and therefore additional peace of mind for families."

One Cincinnati-based startup recently launched a DIY kit of smart-home connected products – which includes voice-controlled Amazon Echo Dot technology -- that it says can help senior citizens live independently for longer. The kit offered by TruSense, with starting prices at about $200 (and a $50-per-month subscription fee), is sold as a package deal that includes a monitoring service and app that allows loved ones to virtually keep track of you remotely, and be alerted if you may need assistance. For now, TruSense is only available in the U.S. Does the price make sense? The $50 a month cost is more than comparable monitoring plans from Lowe's Iris and SimpliSafe, but roughly on par with professional services like ADT and AT&T Digital Life," according to a CNET review. "To be worth it in the long run … the app will need to offer accurate data and useful insights.