What's the best, state-of-the-art age-in-place system?

NeverDie · Jul 7, 2015

I'd like to put some kind of age-in-place support system for my mother, who is 88 years old. What little i know about this category is the rather minimal "I've fallen down and I can't get up" type systems. However, I would really hope more could be done than just that. I have no idea what though, so I'd like to take a look at whatever the best flagship system there is to see what's possible. Realistically speaking, it should probably be installed and maintained by professionals, because I live roughly 1000 miles away, which is too far for me to be responsive in a timely manner if the system breaks down or has faults.

Any suggestions? I may need to make some decisions on this fairly soon.

RAL · Jul 7, 2015

We looked at an independent living community for my 90 year old M-I-L a few years back. The apartments had motion detectors that they used to give an indication that you were up and moving around during normal waking hours. I was never able to find out how long they would go without any motion before they would call for help. And I'm not sure how they dealt with no motion when you were out of the apartment. But it was an interesting idea that I hadn't considered before.

They also had the typical "I've fallen and I can't get up" pendants for people who wanted them.

In the end, we got a LifeAlert type system and a stair lift for her condo, and that was all she needed until she passed away a few years later.

mikefamig · Jul 8, 2015

I think that you can get a lot of peace of mind from some inexpensive video cameras and microphones. I have a few Foscams around the house that cost under $100 each and let me look and listen in to the house when I'm away and it gives me a nice warm fuzzy feeling that all is well. The negative is that it is an invasion of privacy and maybe a little creepy for your M-I-L. The microphone is pretty sensitive and I can hear my grandfather clock ticking in the next room when all is quiet.

Mike.

NeverDie · Jul 8, 2015

Advanced age is a cruel thing, and I see now why they say it's like a second childhood. I think we'll all eventually need as much help as we can get if we're lucky enough to get that far.

When I lived in LA, the lady across the street from me, Gertrude, had 24/7 nursing support. That's quite expensive. Our family got to know her because she often sat on her front porch, enjoying the sunshine and nice weather, and she would strike up a conversation with anyone from the neighborhood who was passing by. She had outlived her husband and even her own offspring. Later, I was told by her relatives at her funeral that she passed away very close to the date that all of her savings to pay for the 24/7 support were gone. Coincidence?

Why tell that story? Primarily for compare/contrast. It's also the totality of my experience for how an 88+ year old might live.

My mother likes where she lives and would prefer not to move. Luckily, she has four living children and lots of grandchildren, and even great children. We're spread out geographically, so we visit with her to the degree each of us is able to. I think cameras are a great idea to spread the love, as they would allow us to take turns checking in with her more regularly.

Any other ideas/suggestions?

I'm surprised there's no real "package" we can buy for elder monitoring.

[Edit: the pendant thing probably wouldn't help. I really doubt it's something she'd keep on her. So, perhaps good in theory, but probably not in practice. I think she would do much better with passive monitoring.]

RAL · Jul 8, 2015

I haven't seen any packages that I would call complete.

Like your mother, my M-I-L really wanted to stay in her own home, where she had lived for 30+ years. In her case, it wasn't too difficult to do some things that made that possible. Although it cost a few thousand bucks, it was a heck of a lot less expensive than an independent or assisted living community. And she was much happier with not having to move.

The "I've fallen..." system we got for my M-I-L was from RescueAlert. In addition to the basic two-way communication box and pendant, they had a couple of options you could add. One was a "welfare check" service, where the base unit would beep at selectable intervals and you would have to respond by pressing the button on the pendant to say you were ok. If you didn't press the button, they would call you, and if they got no response, they would call the police/EMTs.

Another service was a take-your-meds reminder. You could choose a storage container that simply beeped to remind you it was time to take your meds, or a choose a monitored container that reported back to the central station if you failed to take them on time.

Some of the "I've fallen" systems, like LifeAlert, can also provide some other safety functions, like smoke and CO detectors that will report to the CS.

NeverDie · Jul 19, 2015

I'm there now. She has forgotten how to use a telephone, so anything which assumes that is going to fail. Her short term memory isn't working well, so a refresher tutorial likely isn't going to work. Nonetheless, even though it probably won't stick, I'll give it a shot anyway.

Perhaps there's a way to "work around" memory impairments. Anyone happen to know? A pill reminder, while useful, is just scratching the surface of what's possible. Theoretically, there should be a way for technology, such as augmented reality, to help in a meaningful way.

It certainly helps make a case for the "life camera"....

RAL · Jul 19, 2015

Memory impairments can be really tough to deal with. Every person is different, so about all you can do is try things and see what works. Some people need just a simple reminder. But for others, more supervision is required.

I had an elderly aunt who suffered from vascular dementia for the last 5+ years of her life. One thing we tried was phoning her every evening to remind her to take her medications. Even though we told her to take them while we waited on the phone, and she confirmed that she did, when we visited the next day, we discovered that she hadn't taken them at all. At that point, the only thing that worked was to have an aid come by and hand her the pills and watch her take them.

LarrylLix · Jul 20, 2015

"I've fallen and I am unconscious and can't press the button!" would be more of my worry.

Multiple MS units around the house running automatic lights and an ISY994i to notify you if no motion is detected for some time. With the distance this would take quite some time to set up and prove out so a pro to setup or develop the system at home and then move it in. The battery powered devices (MSes) would need maintenance ever year or so.

A system like this would require hands on for several months to get yourself trained and confident although much of it could be done online remotely after initial basic setup and possibly a dup testing setup at home.

RAL · Jul 20, 2015

LarrylLix said:
"I've fallen and I am unconscious and can't press the button!" would be more of my worry.

Yes, that could happen, too. When a person gets to the point that they can't remember to press the button to call for help, they really need 24x7 care and can't live independently anymore. But it isn't always easy to tell when you've reached that point before it happens.

NeverDie · Jul 20, 2015

LarrylLix said:
"I've fallen and I am unconscious and can't press the button!" would be more of my worry.

Multiple MS units around the house running automatic lights and an ISY994i to notify you if no motion is detected for some time. With the distance this would take quite some time to set up and prove out so a pro to setup or develop the system at home and then move it in. The battery powered devices (MSes) would need maintenance ever year or so.

A system like this would require hands on for several months to get yourself trained and confident although much of it could be done online remotely after initial basic setup and possibly a dup testing setup at home.

I agree, though I would hope it wouldn't require several months. Any particular recommendations on inexpensive yet effective wireless MS's? I say inexpensive, because then we can use more of them for more redundant coverage. In addition I think we'll need some wireless temperature sensors, as she's also getting bewildered by the thermostat.

It's walking a fine line between minimizing risks and extending quality of life for as long as possible, but I think that's a worthy goal.

LarrylLix · Jul 20, 2015

Yes, that could happen, too. When a person gets to the point that they can't remember to press the button to call for help, they really need 24x7 care and can't live independently anymore. But it isn't always easy to tell when you've reached that point before it happens.

Not at all. A friend of mine fell and found herself laying in a puddle of blood the next morning when she got up, had a shower and drover herself to the hospital to get checked out and stitches put in her head.

She told us this first thing Monday morning when she came into work as a paralegal. People falling down don't necessarily forget to push the button, especially those bashing their heads from the table saw kickback smashing their facesheilds.

NeverDie · Jul 20, 2015

It's true. If you look at this guy incurring a falling concussion (starting at time index 1:41), he goes from wide awake to instantly asleep and snoring:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z53PXeATMlM

I've seen exactly the same thing in other WDD's concussions, so it seems common (for concussions that is).

RAL · Jul 20, 2015

I guess maybe my earlier post wasn't clear. What I was trying to say was that a person suffering from dementia who can't remember to push the call button after they have fallen (assuming they are still conscious) probably needs 24x7 supervision. Not just because of the risk of falling, but because of all the other things they also can't remember to do.

Del91574 · Jul 20, 2015

RAL said:
Yes, that could happen, too. When a person gets to the point that they can't remember to press the button to call for help, they really need 24x7 care and can't live independently anymore. But it isn't always easy to tell when you've reached that point before it happens.

And there's lack of activity detectors in addition to "man down" sort of belt clip devices and they all work well depending on the host system and basic functionality. Plenty of PERS based panels out there.

If the person is at the point where they can't remember what the button is used for or how to use it then you're probably at the point where living completely unassisted is not a great choice.

NeverDie · Jul 21, 2015

Oh, wonderful, my post (below) just got totally screwed when I clicked "Save Changes." Not the first time. What a waste. When will this editing problem get fixed? This time I'm leaving it as is so I can report the problem in the feedback section.

I just now ordered a bunch of smartThings stuff with overnight delivery.  Because of limited time, it was a bit of a rushed decision.  Should get here tomorrow, and I hope to get it all setup and running same day.  I've never tried smartThings before, so I hope it's dead simple and that buying into it wasn't a "dumbThing" to do.  I got the smartThings hub, 
 
<img alt="319b683WCAL._SY450_.jpg" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/319b683WCAL._SY450_.jpg" />
8 wireless motion sensors, 
 
<img alt="31toSDqUsVL._SY355_.jpg" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31toSDqUsVL._SY355_.jpg" />
and 2 "multi-sensors".  
 
 
<img alt="616JtqT%2BzfL._SL1500_.jpg" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/616JtqT%2BzfL._SL1500_.jpg" />
 
 I also ordered two Nest Cam's (essentially Dropcam's)
 
<img alt="41TIyQKFURL._SY450_.jpg" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41TIyQKFURL._SY450_.jpg" />
and an Asus three antenna 802.11ac dual band Wi-Fi router 
 
<img alt="51MubxWfpQL._SL1000_.jpg" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51MubxWfpQL._SL1000_.jpg" />
to go with it, as well as an ethernet switch 
<img alt="61lIk60cz3L._SL1280_.jpg" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61lIk60cz3L._SL1280_.jpg" />
as cheap insurance just in case the hub is better off wired directly to the internet.  That way there's no risk of possible router configuration gotcha's.  If it all doesn't "just work" out of the box, it's going back, as I wouldn't call it inexpensive.  Also, I don't have enough time here to fuss with it, and I rather doubt anyone else will want to.

What's the best, state-of-the-art age-in-place system?

NeverDie

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RAL

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mikefamig

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NeverDie

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RAL

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NeverDie

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RAL

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LarrylLix

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RAL

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NeverDie

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LarrylLix

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NeverDie

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RAL

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Del91574

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NeverDie

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