Big Brother???

MJK

Registered User
Oct 22, 2004
54
0
I feel a bit of a weirdo for even thinking about this...but is there any type of surveillance equipment that could be used for keeping any eye on someone suffering from AD?

I've posted before about my Mum who has early stage AD, and who lives alone. She seems to cope reasonably well, but over the last couple of days we have (completely by chance) found out about a series of problems involving lost handbag, lost keys, police visits, locksmith visits, broken window (by my Mum). She refuses to accept help, leave her home etc and lives a long way from all family. I'm concerned that there have been other problems in the past (the policeman involved said as much), but we don't get to hear about it/help sort things out. She hurt herself this time as well breaking the window, but the only reason we know anything about it at all is because my brother happened to phone whilst the police were there. There's no particular person she tends to call on in an emergency.

She now says bag wasn't lost, keys weren't lost etc (despite the fact locksmith has now fitted all new locks!!). Aaaarrrgghh.

Don't want to invade her privacy but maybe if we had some sort of camera/listening device in the house we'd have a better idea of how she is really coping. I have online access to her phone bills so I can find out who she's been ringing a day or so later, so can sometimes tell if there's been a problem (repeated calls etc) but it only gives us a hint after the event.

Sorry, I don't think I sound very sympathetic at the moment - it's just sometimes stressful being so far away and not being able to do anything!

If "spying" on her is impractical (or immoral) what other things can we do, given that she refuses all help at the moment?

Thanks for any advice.
 

Lila13

Registered User
Feb 24, 2006
1,342
0
I wanted an Intercom system and hidden cameras in my mother's house as even when I was staying there I didn't always know what she was up to. But my brother said if we need such things she needs to be in a home. (Social Services didn't agree.)

I don't know what help you are already getting, does your mother have regular carers coming round?

Lila
 

MJK

Registered User
Oct 22, 2004
54
0
Hi Lila, thanks for the reply.

Mum's recently started having a carer going in once a week, which she is resisting strongly at the moment. We're hoping she'll come to accept that, then we can increase the frequency. At the moment Mum doesn't realise there's any problem and is adamant that she can cope with everything. Unfortunately everytime there's a crisis (real or imaginary) it becomes apparent that she can't.
 

Zadok

Registered User
Mar 15, 2006
68
0
Kent
Big brother's little brother.

We were offered a 'life line' set up which provides a smoke alarm, carbon monoxide detector, flood alert, temperature sensor and door entry (a bit like a reverse burlar alarm which alerts when she goes out at a pre set time) This means if she wanders out after dark the life line people can let me know. Also available are pressure pads under the bed and fall alert and movement sensors and gas detectors. She wears the usual life line buzzer but all the sensors are also connected to the same switch board. Outside we have a key safe which is a way of storing a spare key. We've let certain people know the combination so someone would be able to gain access or let mum in if she looses her key even if I'm not around.
All these do smack of big brother but they have been well worth it for peace of mind and enabled mum to believe she is living independently on her own in her own home. She soon forgot the very nice man who came to fit everything!
The mental health team and social services care manager told me all about this scheme. Ours is free at the moment as its a pilot in ' assistive technology'
 

Lila13

Registered User
Feb 24, 2006
1,342
0
I'd have opted for all that assistive technology, but of course knowing when she went out at night would be very different from stopping her doing it. The doctor who saw her at the Rapid Results Clinic in January said there was nothing wrong with her, she could go out for a walk whenever she liked and decide for herself what to eat and what to wear, and she was probably going to live for another 30 years!

Lila




Zadok said:
We were offered a 'life line' set up which provides a smoke alarm, carbon monoxide detector, flood alert, temperature sensor and door entry (a bit like a reverse burlar alarm which alerts when she goes out at a pre set time) This means if she wanders out after dark the life line people can let me know. Also available are pressure pads under the bed and fall alert and movement sensors and gas detectors. She wears the usual life line buzzer but all the sensors are also connected to the same switch board. Outside we have a key safe which is a way of storing a spare key. We've let certain people know the combination so someone would be able to gain access or let mum in if she looses her key even if I'm not around.
All these do smack of big brother but they have been well worth it for peace of mind and enabled mum to believe she is living independently on her own in her own home. She soon forgot the very nice man who came to fit everything!
The mental health team and social services care manager told me all about this scheme. Ours is free at the moment as its a pilot in ' assistive technology'
 

alex

Registered User
Apr 10, 2006
1,665
0
Hi MJK

There is a system which can be adapted to the requirements you need but unfortunately its quite expensive................it called Remote Monitoring........it consists of cameras being installed in key areas...........you take out a contract with a Security Company who monitor the cameras..............its difficult to explain, but the cameras are recording 24 hours a day to the internet, but the picture is only displayed on the screen when something triggers it...........for instance, someone coming in or out of the door.............the advantage of this system is that for a extra fee of possibily £10 per month, you can be supplied with an IP address, which means that you can log on to the system (from anywhere in the world as long as you have internet access) and see where the person is or what they are doing, which means that you can watch from your arm chair at home.............i can only give a very, very rough idea of the cost as each requirement is different...........you could be talking of anything upwards of £1000 to install plus maybe £40-£100 per month to monitor.
Although there are not normally DIY kits available, you might know of some computer expert with CCTV knowledge that might be able to adapt a system to your needs, at much less cost.

You would also need to take into consideration, the laws governing CCTV.

Not sure if this is of any help!

Love Alex
 

MJK

Registered User
Oct 22, 2004
54
0
Hi,

Thanks for the replies. I hadn't heard about "Assistive Technology" but it does look interesting. For anyone else who wants to know more there is a new fact sheet about it available (on the factsheets page!!). I'll investigate this and the remote monitoring further. Thanks for the suggestions.

The problem will remain, of course, what do we do if we see Mum going out at night (though I'm pretty sure she doesn't do this yet), or getting into other sorts of trouble when we are so far away. I really wish we coud get her to move into some sort of sheltered accommodation but she is just so against leaving the house at the moment.

Aaarrggh! Why is no solution ever easy?!!!
 

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