The easiest way would be to get an Echo Dot and put that in her room and then they can act as an intercom system. That can save you some time also if it turns out that she needs you to bring her something.
Other than that, you are correct that you will need to use a virtual sensor if you want to trigger and echo routine. However, if you read the thread that is linked to in post 1 above, that has a DTH for a virtual sensor which is also a switch. That allows you to then use it with any of the standard features, including smart lighting. So you don’t need to write your own smartapp.
At the present time, Eco does not recognize switches for this purpose. You can send them feedback through the echo app that you would like to see switches as an option, they do add new features all the time.
