Device to show where husband is

shady_twist

New member
Sep 18, 2019
5
0
Hi all,

I'm just coming to terms and grips with my Mum's vascular dementia. We're in the process of getting carers to come in, but my Dad is currently her only carer. He's going to be starting kidney dialysis soon and we need to have some reminder in the house that says where my Dad is, what time he'll be home and what carers will be coming in. I thought about just getting my Dad to write a note, but I'm not sure he'll remember to do that and it won't be very readable for my Mum.

I'd like to get something set up on her tablet or on a new device, where the screen stays on all the time and displays the information I've listed above and that me and my Dad can fill in on a website or something like that.

I've seen a couple of memory aid clocks advertised, but they only seem to do reminders, not display information for several hours.

Thanks in advance for any ideas :)
Jo
 

Bunpoots

Volunteer Host
Apr 1, 2016
7,342
0
Nottinghamshire
Welcome to DTP @shady_twist

I used to leave notes for my dad and although they worked to a degree in the very early stages he soon started moving them or ignoring them or applying his own dementia logic to them so they didn't work.

If your Mum is still capable of understanding a message how about a simple white board?

If your mum is likely to get distressed by your dad's absence have you thought about finding a sitter to stay with her, or daycare? (You could call it a club if she doesn't like the idea of daycare).

I'm not very techie so don't know of any device that would work. Maybe someone else will.
 
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Shedrech

Registered User
Dec 15, 2012
12,649
0
UK
hello @shady_twist
a warm welcome to DTP
a worrying time for your family
I hope your dad's treatment goes well

it's good that home care visits have been arranged, to help your mum ... maybe also consider some days at a day care centre, so she will have company through the day
the AS directory of local services may be useful

https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/get-support/your-support-services
there are techie members here, so some may pop in to your thread with suggestions
 

Sirena

Registered User
Feb 27, 2018
2,324
0
I agree with Bunpoots that a whiteboard would be a good low tech way of leaving readable messages. But whatever way the message is relayed, it relies on her being able to remember to look at it and engage with the information. It also relies on her having a good 'sense of time' (saying something is going to happen at a set time isn't helpful if the only time she is aware of is 'now'). My mother lost the ability to engage with those type of prompts fairly early on, and needed me to ring her immediately before the event to remind her, although of course it may be different for your mother.
 

jugglingmum

Registered User
Jan 5, 2014
7,085
0
Chester
I've read on TP of people setting up screens to do this sort of thing, it would require wifi or data connection of some sort, so an old phone with a small amount of monthly data might work.

I'm not techie enough to know how to do this, so someone else might be along who is - maybe @nitram will remember which threads it was on or be able to explain it.

If the house doesn't have wifi you would need to have a sim card with data - not sure how much data it would use as to cost, but probably minimal compared to a sitter.