Siri, Meet Alzheimer’s

Water bottle rap

Hey Siri, water bottle,” my sister said into her phone.

Instead of the cheerful ding of her AirTag, her phone blasted music so loud she jumped.“I have a problem! I have a problem!” she shouted.

I ran into the living room, thinking something had gone terribly wrong, and found her frantically pushing buttons on her phone while a rap song blared. I turned off the music and asked what she’d asked her phone to do.

“Find my water bottle,” she answered.

“Try again,” I said.

She repeated, “Hey Siri, water bottle.” The same song started again. She said it a third time, and the music played once more. This time, I noticed the words "Water Bottle" by DJ Consequence scrolling across her screen and realized what was happening.

Siri is not very forgiving. The command “Hey Siri, water bottle” summons a Nigerian DJ rapper named DJ Consequence. The command “Hey Siri, find my water bottle” gets her a Stanley cup.

Every time she forgot to add “find my ” and just said “water bottle,” her phone thought she wanted to hear the song—at full volume. Once I figured it out and explained it, we both laughed until we cried. It was one of those absurd moments Alzheimer’s sometimes gifts you in the middle of frustration.

If any of her essential items go missing, she grows anxious. To help, her husband attached AirTags to as many belongings as possible. They have a HomePod Mini linked to her phone and other Apple devices. From the living room or hallway, she can call out, “Hey Siri, find my sweater,” “Hey Siri, find my purse,” or even “Hey Siri, find my dog,” and the missing item chirps.

“Find my water bottle” used to be her favorite command—until DJ Consequence joined the caregiving team.

Now, about half the time, instead of a reassuring ding, we get a concert. But instead of frustration, it ends in laughter.

Growing up, my sister and I laughed a lot—sometimes until our stomachs hurt. I never imagined that decades later we’d be doubled over again, this time in her living room, with a Nigerian rap song blaring as our soundtrack.

Alzheimer’s takes a lot. But for now, it hasn’t taken her laughter. And as long as she can laugh, I’ll be laughing with her—even if it starts with, “Hey Siri, water bottle.”