Another, inexpensive possibility is a medical identity bracelet (that can't be removed with one hand) with your contact info on it, so that if she does get away, at least there's a contact number/ address on the bracelet. I suppose you could deadbolt the exit doors and remove the keys at night. But if you are worried about her setting fire or flooding the place at night, I think an alarm on her bedroom door would be best. You have your hands full with her, that's for sure.
I hesitate to suggest this because I'm sure the cost is astronomical, but I'm thinking of those complex laser systems that create a criss crossed pattern that detects any movement in the area. If movies are accurate ( and some of them actually are!), they're used for high value artifacts in museums. You may have seen some in James Bond or other spy movies.
I'm wondering though if the motion sensors were placed at a lower level if they would detect her movements, especially when she's going through a door.
The only thing I know about ankle bracelets is that they're used for electronic monitoring of parolees.
You might want to contact the AL Area Agency on Aging and ask if they're having a caregiving expo this year. In SE Michigan, they're held in the fall. There are always representatives from medical monitoring companies there to answer questions. Of course, some of them are fast talkers, but it's easy to dismiss them and move on quickly.
You can also get the names of the monitoring companies just by reading the Expo program, which may be available on your local AAA's website.
Windy, I've had only positive experiences with the medical alert pendant from Guardian.
Guardian is a major player in the surveillance market in Michigan; their medical alert business is apparently an offshoot of that. They've never contacted us to try to sell us anything else. They respond very quickly. Dad can be sitting in his chair, drop the pendant, and they respond before he can even move to do so.
They even called once when he bent over to get up out of the church pew while he was at church. The issue, I think would be getting your mother to wear it. Sometimes a fall has to occur before someone recognizes and accepts the need for an alert pendant.
Some issues to determine: where the company's monitoring center is, i.e., locally or centrally if the service is multi-state. We had many problems with the former oxygen supplier which consolidated operations and created call centers for handling various issues, removing a significant amount of control from the local outlets.
I don't know if nationwide medical alert companies practice that way or not.
My goodness Happytobe. That's pretty impressive. If you already have alarms that sound when the doors are opened, I don't know of much more you can do. I suppose you could look into a bracelet that she can't remove, but I don't know the practicality or legality of that.
Yes, we do have someone with my Mom 24 hours and she lives with me. However, my Mom has proved to be very slippery. When you leave a room to go the rest room for instance, she forgets you are there. And at night if she gets up, she is also very very quiet in moving about. We have motion sensor alerts and many door locks. We previously used a lifewatch monitor which was a necklace. She would consistently take it off. We need something she cannot remove. Thanks for any advice.
There is lots of stuff out there. I have a secret GPS device on my Dads car. There are pendants, wrist bacelets that use GPS but the problem is getting old folks to wear them and not take them off.
I was thinking about some fall alert device for my Mom, but the more I research what people report I'm not sure it's worth the money. I can't imagine either of my parents consistently wearing any device unless it was surgically implanted.
Also, many people report that some companies that sell the stuff hassle you to buy more features and make it very hard to cancel the service.
I would be interested to hear from folks that have had good experiences with these devices as I haven't totally ruled it out for when my folks decline further.
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I hesitate to suggest this because I'm sure the cost is astronomical, but I'm thinking of those complex laser systems that create a criss crossed pattern that detects any movement in the area. If movies are accurate ( and some of them actually are!), they're used for high value artifacts in museums. You may have seen some in James Bond or other spy movies.
I'm wondering though if the motion sensors were placed at a lower level if they would detect her movements, especially when she's going through a door.
The only thing I know about ankle bracelets is that they're used for electronic monitoring of parolees.
You might want to contact the AL Area Agency on Aging and ask if they're having a caregiving expo this year. In SE Michigan, they're held in the fall. There are always representatives from medical monitoring companies there to answer questions. Of course, some of them are fast talkers, but it's easy to dismiss them and move on quickly.
You can also get the names of the monitoring companies just by reading the Expo program, which may be available on your local AAA's website.
Windy, I've had only positive experiences with the medical alert pendant from Guardian.
Guardian is a major player in the surveillance market in Michigan; their medical alert business is apparently an offshoot of that. They've never contacted us to try to sell us anything else. They respond very quickly. Dad can be sitting in his chair, drop the pendant, and they respond before he can even move to do so.
They even called once when he bent over to get up out of the church pew while he was at church. The issue, I think would be getting your mother to wear it. Sometimes a fall has to occur before someone recognizes and accepts the need for an alert pendant.
Some issues to determine: where the company's monitoring center is, i.e., locally or centrally if the service is multi-state. We had many problems with the former oxygen supplier which consolidated operations and created call centers for handling various issues, removing a significant amount of control from the local outlets.
I don't know if nationwide medical alert companies practice that way or not.
Thanks for any advice.
I was thinking about some fall alert device for my Mom, but the more I research what people report I'm not sure it's worth the money. I can't imagine either of my parents consistently wearing any device unless it was surgically implanted.
Also, many people report that some companies that sell the stuff hassle you to buy more features and make it very hard to cancel the service.
I would be interested to hear from folks that have had good experiences with these devices as I haven't totally ruled it out for when my folks decline further.