I used a gps device on my dads car. I know there are personal devices out there but have never used them.
I think the problem with all this stuff is getting elders to wear it, not lose devices etc. my mom had a call pendant but would never use it for assistance and she kept having falls.
Also, when an elder begins to wander the tech stuff is not the ultimate solution. You have to think about 24/7 supervision at that point.
The County I live in has a program through the Mental Health Board called CareTrak. It is a device that sort of looks like a watch and it is fitted to the persons wrist and it has an RFID chip in it. I was told that was easier to track than a GPS. As part of the program they take a photo of the person get all their details, age, height distinguishing character markings or other things that will make the person easy to identify. When the person goes missing you call 911 tell them the person is on the program and the police set up what looks like a "command post" by the house and an officer goes around in a vehicle with an antenna that will track the RFID. The requirement is the person HAS to be under 24 hour supervision so something like this would not work if there is no one caregiver living with the person or if the other people in the house work, go to school or for some reason are not able to watch 24/7.
Some things that might work. There is a device that you can fit on a dogs collar that you can set a particular range and if the dogs wanders out of that area an alert will be sent to your phone. This same thing might possibly work if it were attached to a piece of clothing or again fitted on the wrist. Best thing is as far as I can tell there is no monthly fee that is paid.
There are tracking devices that are intended for people with Alzheimer's, Dementia, Autism and other conditions where wandering is a possibility but they have a monthly fee that is paid.
If this person carries a cell phone there may be a way to track the phone. Would not work if they forget the phone, it is not charged or it is lost.
The important thing that you do until you do find a device that will work is contact the Police Department and explain the situation so if this person does wander they will take action right away. They also may have a couple of ideas for you as well. This is how I found out about the program in my area.
Some nursing homes have ankle bracelets on their residents that cannot be easily removed. The one my father wore automatically locked the outside door if the resident got too close to it, preventing him from wandering outside and becoming lost. I'm sure something similar is available for home use.
If the person's cognitive status is such that they are unable to understand "how" to use a pendant with a "life alert" type of device, then they need a passive device that is permanently affixed to their wrist or their ankle - kind of like a permanent medical alert bracelet.
I had to come back - because after this, I was watching TV and they have a children's GPS watch that also counts steps! So you could get the watch for your LO and tell them it is a watch pedometer!
It truly depends on the person and whether they can be trusted to wear it. My mom had ankle monitors and kept cutting them off. Somehow she found a way even though I had removed all scissors from her room. Third time was the charm. I don’t know why, but for some reason she never tried to remove the third one. Go figure.
Like Windyridge said, getting them to wear it. I got my mom a "life alert" system. She would forget she had it and not wear it. Fell and was on the floor for hours (over 8, while I was at work) and when I asked her about her life alert, it was on her dresser and she didn't even know what it was for. I moved her into AL after that. I didn't know they had GPS that could be used as a personal device. When mom was still alive, we didn't even have cell phones.
Since I'm a techie, I'm in process of moving to technology based solution when leaving my mother with short term memory problems and spinal stenosis alone in my home while I'm working - a security system with cameras and a "ring" doorbell. The ring doorbell lights up my smart phone with video from the front door whenever someone rings the doorbell or sets off it's motion detector - I can even have an "intercom" discussion with the person (Mom doesn't like to answer the door). The security system sends a text message when certain doors open (like her bedroom) and I can use the security camera to view the open plan kitchen, living and dining room where she likes to spend her day. Together with a jitterbug flip cell phone (which my mother absolutely LOVES) and a daily check list, I think this is going to work. I can check the camera feed and "see" Mom is reading, watching TV, talking on the phone or taking a nap in the main room without bothering her. I leave before Mom wakes up but the monitor on the bedroom door tells me when she has left her bedroom so I can give her a call few minutes later and check in. I have installed panic buttons with a HELP label on them throughout the house along with an loud external siren. I can call a nearby family member or neighbor if Mom needs help or additional checking on. Mom's checklist is a printed document with check boxes for breakfast and coffee, take morning meds, reheat your lunch for 90 seconds, take stick and phone on walk, call Techie before your walk, call Techie after your walk. The jitterbug phone offers a service that lets you track phone use and location.
When you open the Jitterbug flip phone you hear a traditional dial tone, the phone's number is displayed and the menu is on PHONE BOOK with a SELECT? prompt; press YES and the first entry in the phone book is displayed along with a CALL? prompt - press YES to call that person or press down arrow to list the next entry in the phone book. Pressing NO or closing the flip ends a call.
My mother has MCI but no dementia and is still very functional, still capable of all ADLs, and cooperative. She has good mobility but is sometimes stiff and unsteady when she first stands. She can cook but the short term memory issues means she needs to check off ingredients and use a timer for cooking times. We have agreed she will not use the stove when I'm not at home and I turn the breaker off when the stove is not in use just in case she forgets. I have a sign inside the front door "take your stick and cell phone" and she rarely leaves the house without both.
Some of this might be useful for someone with dementia, at least in the early to mid stages. My experiences with my uncooperative father with dementia is that some of this wouldn't have worked at all with him, particularly if he knew about it. He didn't like the basic security system I had installed in my parent's home years ago (primarily for the smoke detectors and to alert my mother if he left the house during the night). He would unplug the base from the power outlet, I would get the notification and call my mother to plug it back up. If I had wanted to use a security camera with my father, I would not have told him it was there.
My parents still carry their cell phones and I use Life360 to track when them via GPS. I get a text alert when they leave their home and when they arrive. They usually leave together and so if one forgets a cell phone the other has one. If I notice the alert that they left the house, I can watch where they go in real time. My mom frequently gets lost driving and I have occasionally called her when she was in an area I'm not familiar with. She usually responds, "Oh I forget that you track me."
If I miss the leave alert and only notice the arrive alert, I can replay their trip from GPS and see exactly where they went, how long they were at any destination and even how fast they drove. This has been very helpful for me.
Now I have told my neighbors that if they ever see Ray out walking alone, please either bring him home or call me to come and get him.
No shame in getting the neighbors involved.
I think the problem with all this stuff is getting elders to wear it, not lose devices etc. my mom had a call pendant but would never use it for assistance and she kept having falls.
Also, when an elder begins to wander the tech stuff is not the ultimate solution. You have to think about 24/7 supervision at that point.
The requirement is the person HAS to be under 24 hour supervision so something like this would not work if there is no one caregiver living with the person or if the other people in the house work, go to school or for some reason are not able to watch 24/7.
Some things that might work.
There is a device that you can fit on a dogs collar that you can set a particular range and if the dogs wanders out of that area an alert will be sent to your phone. This same thing might possibly work if it were attached to a piece of clothing or again fitted on the wrist. Best thing is as far as I can tell there is no monthly fee that is paid.
There are tracking devices that are intended for people with Alzheimer's, Dementia, Autism and other conditions where wandering is a possibility but they have a monthly fee that is paid.
If this person carries a cell phone there may be a way to track the phone. Would not work if they forget the phone, it is not charged or it is lost.
The important thing that you do until you do find a device that will work is contact the Police Department and explain the situation so if this person does wander they will take action right away. They also may have a couple of ideas for you as well. This is how I found out about the program in my area.
If the person's cognitive status is such that they are unable to understand "how" to use a pendant with a "life alert" type of device, then they need a passive device that is permanently affixed to their wrist or their ankle - kind of like a permanent medical alert bracelet.
How cool is that?!
When you open the Jitterbug flip phone you hear a traditional dial tone, the phone's number is displayed and the menu is on PHONE BOOK with a SELECT? prompt; press YES and the first entry in the phone book is displayed along with a CALL? prompt - press YES to call that person or press down arrow to list the next entry in the phone book. Pressing NO or closing the flip ends a call.
My mother has MCI but no dementia and is still very functional, still capable of all ADLs, and cooperative. She has good mobility but is sometimes stiff and unsteady when she first stands. She can cook but the short term memory issues means she needs to check off ingredients and use a timer for cooking times. We have agreed she will not use the stove when I'm not at home and I turn the breaker off when the stove is not in use just in case she forgets. I have a sign inside the front door "take your stick and cell phone" and she rarely leaves the house without both.
Some of this might be useful for someone with dementia, at least in the early to mid stages. My experiences with my uncooperative father with dementia is that some of this wouldn't have worked at all with him, particularly if he knew about it. He didn't like the basic security system I had installed in my parent's home years ago (primarily for the smoke detectors and to alert my mother if he left the house during the night). He would unplug the base from the power outlet, I would get the notification and call my mother to plug it back up. If I had wanted to use a security camera with my father, I would not have told him it was there.
If I miss the leave alert and only notice the arrive alert, I can replay their trip from GPS and see exactly where they went, how long they were at any destination and even how fast they drove. This has been very helpful for me.
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