How Smart Technology Can Be a Life Changer For Individuals With Dementia
So, one thing you might not know about me is that I love to play Pickleball. This summer while playing I met a nice man from North Carolina who was in NJ helping with his brother who has Dementia. It happened that his brother lives in a house near me, and his caretaker was away on vacation for the week.
The next day he told me that when he was in the shower the previous day after we played, his brother got out of the house and fell in the driveway. This led to a discussion on his brother’s living arrangements. He told me that normally his brother has a caretaker during the day, and their sister comes when the aide goes home at five o’clock to feed him dinner. When he is finished with dinner she goes home, and he is by himself until the following morning.
The brother visiting was very concerned and thinks his brother would be best off in assisted living, but the sister will not consider it.
I started to tell him about the many tools that can be used to allow his brother to remain in his home safely. As we discussed these tools he began to understand that his brother could remain in his home.
So, let’s discuss some of them now.
Wi-fi enabled locks on the exterior doors. These locks can be installed and controlled from outside of the home. It does not allow the individual with dementia to leave the home. But, if someone needs to get in for an emergency, a family member can remotely unlock the door from anywhere.
Home monitoring devices allow lights to be turned on and off, thermostats to be changed, and can also allow for a range of safety measures that will send alerts via smartphone. This is a great option for long-distance caregivers wanting to ensure their loved one’s safety on a daily basis.
In-home cameras are another great way to ensure your loved one’s safety from a distance. Keeping a camera focused on medication, or in the main room, can help you feel confident your loved one is taking medication and is active. Some cameras will allow you to speak to your loved one and will monitor movement, alerting you if no movement has been detected for a set period of time.
Induction stoves — A benefit of induction cooking for seniors is that the cooktop doesn’t get hot except where a pot or pan is touching the stove. Induction cooktops are a safe alternative for a senior who loves to cook but isn’t stable on their feet or for those who might have problems remembering to turn off the stove. The drawback is that these cooktops work by magnetically inducing heat onto a pan. Magnetic fields can interfere with some insulin pumps, as well as some implanted cardioversion defibrillators and pacemakers. Adding a special outlet that will alert a family member when appliances have not been used, allows them to know if the individual with dementia has been missing meals.
These are just a few ways to allow individuals with dementia to remain in the home they know and to be safer.
If you know someone that might need assistance in remaining in their home safer, it would be best if they spoke to someone with expertise in this field. Working with an Aging In Place Specialist or a Living In Place Professional is the first step.