To ask advice about tracking devices?

[Ceasre]

I thought some of you might be able to help me. My mum has dementia. I live an hour away and seen her about twice per week. She also has a lot of ongoing health problems and therefore district nurses visit morning and evening to give meds and she has three half hour care visits daily plus a pa visits twice per week. She is very underweight and also suffers from osteoporosis. She has a dowgers hump and walks stooped and uses a walking stick as she has chronic back pain. She wears a bracelet so if she falls a call centre is notified and they call an ambulance and notify me as she also suffers from blackouts.

So with all these physical problems she never goes out without either me or the pa as the last time she tried to go out on her own she collapsed not far from her front door and a neighbour had to help her up and bring her indoors. So I thought at least I won't have to worry about her going wandering out and getting lost as she won't be physically able!!!!!! Those thoughts have come back to bite me firmly on my arse!

This morning I got a call from her carer to say she was not in the house but her glasses, and walking sticks were in the house. I called the local hospital and she had been picked up 1.3 miles away from her house. She was exhausted and said she has never felt so scared and alone. She had a blanket wrapped around her and was staggering from pain, fear and exhaustion asking for help and everyone she spoke to ignored her until one good Samaritan called an ambulance but that is another thread. What I want to know is are there devices out there that can track someone's whereabouts if they leave a certain area? Not thinking of phone tracking because she cannot use a mobile phone any longer, but some sort of device she can wear like a pendant or watch.

Anyone got any experience?

[ladyslattern]

So sorry for your Mum and for you too, worriting about her.
Ask your local council Adult Social Care if they have any suggestions cos there must be tons of people out there with similar probs. Locally our council will fit exit sensors to doors that alert a control centre that someone has gone out and not come back. The control centre then ring a relly or kind ngh to say the person with dementia out. Someone told me recently they had bought a GPS tracking device on the net for FIL with similar issues.
Good luck with it all Caesure

[Ceasre]

Thank you. Will look into this on Monday.

[vdbfamily]

lots of devices out there.Does she have a pendant lifeline system as the companies who provide them such as telecare often have assistive devices including GPS tracking devices. My FIL was found at 11pm last night in a field by a heat sensing helicoptor so I know what you are going through. My husband and his 2 sisters have spent much of today researching what is out there and there is lots of choice. Once the dementia is advanced there is little point getting a system that will need the user to engage in any way so really just a tracker that can be attached in some way/sewn into a jacket/left in handbag or in FIL case possibly attached to the dog as he always disappears on dog walks!!
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/news/10029205/GPS-tags-for-dementia-patients.html

[SorryCantBeArsed]

My parents had door sensors fitted which are linked to the care phone system. We were offered GPS for dad either as a wrist band or a key fob. Unfortunately neither were suitable, he never wore a watch, didn't like the feeling , and as for a key fob, he just left the house without anything. I seem to think being told that if the person left the house we would get an alert telling us where he was but it would be down to us to fetch him so if your a distance away you would need back up.

[chancer2014]

Definitely ring adult social care but your mum will need to be assessed. Door sensors can be fitted but there can be a waiting list - depends on local council. One man I know put a large sign up on the inside of his door saying 'don t go out after 7pm' which seems to be working as although his dad forgets him telling him this, he reads everything in sight and so takes note of the sign at the point he would exit the house.

Can you get in touch with your (or your mums) local Alzheimer's/Dementia group and seek recommendations from them?

[ahbollocks]

Would a home not be an option for you and her? It all sounds so distressing :( and shame on those people who didn't stop.
I think short of a tag bracelet that is very difficult for her to take off, you will have this happen again and again (from experience)
for you and your mum

[Miranda79]

There a lots of GPS options around now, but the issue might be your mum taking it with her as previous people have said. Not all local authorities will fund them, or have a service that will respond if your Mum leaves the house. If you are an hour away, who will go and get her? Police won't as she isn't missing, and the company providing the tracker probably won't either.
Do contact social care for advice. They may be able to link a door sensor to the existing pendant alarm, but again they may not respond when she goes out.
You could also get a medi alert type of bracelet with your number for people to call if she does get lost? Don't put her address for security reasons, but you would then find out about the wandering sooner. Of course that depends on people stopping to help her, which appallingly might type some time.

Good luck, this must be very stressful for you.