Choosing to put up home devices to help monitor your loved one with dementia can prove to be a dilemma. While you do not wish to intrude on, or limit, your loved one’s freedom, you do want them to stay safe.
Your loved one may still be active to the point where a stranger encountering them in public would not know that they have dementia. However, they may still be susceptible to certain risky behaviors. These include wandering from home, leaving the front door open for hours, or leaving the stove on in the kitchen. However, there is no way that you can be with your loved one at all hours of the day to keep safe. Even if it were possible, your constant presence would be overbearing, and your loved one might end up resenting you. Here’s where home devices can come in useful.
Home Devices and Dementia
These days, many home devices have been designed with individuals with dementia in mind. We list out some of them here.
- Motion sensors: These can be placed throughout your loved one’s house and alert you if there has been a lack of movement throughout the day, or excessive movement during the night. The former may suggest an illness or a fall that impedes further movement, while the latter may suggest sleep disturbances.
- Indoor cameras: With these, you can check on your loved ones at intervals or if you have been alerted through a device. Some cameras have a 2-way talk feature and allow you to check when professional caregivers arrive and leave your home.
- Outdoor cameras: These can be placed at the entry points to your loved one’s home, so that you can be informed about their comings and goings.
- Video doorbells: If you are concerned about your loved one’s judgement when it comes to letting strangers in their house, these can allow you to screen visitors remotely.
- Door sensors: If your loved one has a history of wandering from home, placing a sensor on the front door can alert you if it opens unexpectedly.
- Indoor temperature morning: These are especially useful in winter. A prolonged drop in indoor temperature could indicate that your parent has left a window or door open and has forgotten to close it.
Consent
While your first wish may be to ensure your loved one’s safety, an important part of caring for a loved one with a memory-related diagnosis is helping them to maintain their dignity. If your loved one is still capable of giving consent, make sure that you speak to them before you set up any home devices. While you may only have the best intentions, your loved ones are still giving up a sense of privacy, and placing a device in their home without their consent can make them feel violated and end up damaging your relationship. If it comes to a point where your loved one may require memory care, you can look into assisted living options designed to provide them with the care they need while helping them maintain their dignity and sense of self.
