Ways of monitoring mum at home?

[chast]

Hi all

Very briefly, my mother is 88 and lives independently at the moment although she is suffering "early-stage dementia" which makes her repeat things and has shaken her confidence enormously.

She lives near Reading in Berkshire and used to happily visit her village shops about 400 yards away but has become increasingly chary about getting out but neighbours tell us that she does go out, sometimes at times that would not be appropriate in the winter but are OK now.

I come from a family of 6 kids and at our last family meeting we decided that we would concur with mum's wish to live at the home she has known for over 30 years but we are worried that she might start wandering etc.

Does anyone know of any realistically priced video monitoring that would help us all to keep an eye on her?

Thanks in anticipation.

chas t

 

[nicoise]

Hi Chast,

Not sure if you are thinking of a surveillance system that would transmit images to your homes remotely? Is that what you are meaning by video monitoring? Or records so that you later know what she was doing? There are probably systems if you search on the internet, but as to how far away they transmit - like CCTV - I wouldn't know - and would you be watching all the time at home to see when she goes out?

An alternative system would be carers going into her house to actually physically see her and keep a track of how she is doing on a daily basis.

Long distance caring can be managed, but not on a long term basis - at some stage big changes usually have to be made, often in response to a crisis due to vulnerability and welfare issues.

Do let us know how you get on with your research.

 

[Pacucho]

Hi Chas T

If you are thinking of a CCTV type surveillance system I came across a story in a paper some time ago where a son had done somthing along these lines and he could check on his mum via the internet to check she was OK. So there is technology out there and I hope someone can point you in the right direction.
Regards,

Paco

 

[nitram]

There are many freeware applications that will do what you want.
I suggest you first have a look at the freeware version of Sightspeed
https://secure.sightspeed.com/current/signup.php?page=xp_create_account

Here's a note on how to set it up:-
http://wirelesshomesecurity-camera....m-using-sightspeed-to-watch-your-pet-at-work/

This will only give you one camera without camera controls, if you want multiple cameras and/or controls post back.

If you haven't got a webcam any camera will do.

 

[DLM]

realistically priced video monitoring

click on >>
Hundreds of AD safety related items, including many ways of monitoring LO activities. Including (if memory serves me) cell phone apps.

a Carer Dandyfunk Safety Blog - Alzheimer's

Hi all

Very briefly, my mother is 88 and lives independently at the moment although she is suffering "early-stage dementia" which makes her repeat things and has shaken her confidence enormously.

She lives near Reading in Berkshire and used to happily visit her village shops about 400 yards away but has become increasingly chary about getting out but neighbours tell us that she does go out, sometimes at times that would not be appropriate in the winter but are OK now.

I come from a family of 6 kids and at our last family meeting we decided that we would concur with mum's wish to live at the home she has known for over 30 years but we are worried that she might start wandering etc.

Does anyone know of any realistically priced video monitoring that would help us all to keep an eye on her?

Thanks in anticipation.

chas t

 

[jenniferpa]

Just a warning that many of the devices mentioned in the previous link may not work in the UK. You also should probably bear in mind that privacy regulations vary, so what might be acceptable in one country, may not be legal in another.

 

[beena]

I fully admire you wanting to enable your mother to stay at home and find the responses very informative.
I do question how this would be monitored: would it be 24/7 and, if so, by who? Would there be a monitor rota basis? Could this be constantly ensured? If there were a problem, what would the communication level to be to deal with it?
Just a thought...

 

[DLM]

Just a warning that many of the devices mentioned in the previous link may not work in the UK. You also should probably bear in mind that privacy regulations vary, so what might be acceptable in one country, may not be legal in another.

Thank you for the reminder.

The following has been added to description of the blog.

Carer Dandyfunk Safety Blog - Alzheimer's

Note: always check to see if video and audio monitoring devices comply with local regulations. Country and state regulations must be considered. Wireless devices and may be accessed by others.
--
I might be inclined to notify non-family carers that video monitoring in use. There are lots of places where you can video but where you can not record audio.

It is always important to read product reviews to see what users have to say.

DLM

 

[milliemoo]

Hi Chas, our Dad's Occupational Therapist arranged for a system called 'just checking' to be installed in Dad's flat. This monitors movement rather than transmitting images or sounds. We have been given login info and can log in to our 'account' at anytime and see what Dad has been doing (ie if he has gone out and whereabouts in the flat he has spent time) It shows you a line to indicate movement in a certain room, we have the lounge, bathroom, bedroom and kitchen and a door sensor that shows the door opening and closing. Also you can tell if he has gone into a room and not come out again - so we can work out when he has gone to bed or even if he has fallen asleep on the sofa (if he is in the lounge and not moved for a very long time!) Alternatively if we worried that he might have fallen becuase there has been no movement we can ring him to check on him - and if we get no answer we know that someone needs to go out and check on him. Although you don't actually see what he is doing we feel that this system gives us a lot more peace of mind as we also know when he is going out and how long he is out for and if we see activity that worries us, we pretend a friend saw him out and ask him where he was going - usually we then find out where he's been and if it is somewhere we don't want him to go we can challenge him!

I have attached a link to the 'Just Checking' website as I don't actually know if it is just local to us but if it is there might be something similar near you ... at the moment it is free as I believe we get it on loan to see if it helps but the OT has said he may be able to get the company to extend this (we've had it for about 6 weeks so far and haven't been told it can't stay...) After the trial period you can hire it anyway so either way it will definitely be staying! It is so useful and well worth you looking into ...

http://www.justchecking.co.uk/the-system/installation.php

 

[nicoise]

Just had a look at the "Just Checking" website - that's an interesting idea, and I could see that it could be very useful especially for a distance carer. I guess cost might be a bit of an issue - but I can imagine it would buy peace of mind and a better knowledge of a daily routine.

On a slightly cynical note, we used to have occasional problems with care agency staff not appearing, short visits etc - and that was always difficult to tackle with no hard evidence. Just checking more than just the loved one....

 

[Drichy]

The Just Checking system

We use the Just Checking system for my Mum who has vascular dementia for last 2 years following a stay in hospital It is not cctv but a movement censor system. It costs around £17 week but is worth every penny! My brother insisted that he thought my Mum 'wandered' all the time but this system has shown she doesn't at all (there is a censor on the front door which registers when it is opened and closed and on the graph of movements on the website shows any un-occupancy too) We also had problems with some carers time keeping and duration of calls so it has also helped us keep a check on that too. The system is completely wireless, the movement censors are attached via Velcro pads in the rooms you want to monitor and the info is sent by a central 'router' via a mobile phone signal. It simply plugs into an ordinary electric socket and can be hidden out of sight (to prevent tampering!!) it is available in any area of the country. Please check www.justchecking.co.uk for more info. Hope this helps!

 

[Solaris]

If all you want is video/audio monitoring viewable on the internet, a broadband connection and one or more IP webcams (the type that plugs into the router instead of a computer) might suffice. You can get cheap fixed ones, or fancier models with pan/tilt/zoom and various sensor options. Properly configured they can be secure and private.