Mum lives alone a few minutes from me. Moderate cognitive decline, and following further recent testing I’m expecting a diagnosis of dementia. Physically pretty fit for someone in their mid nineties. And although she’s been an anxious “glass half full” person all her life she’s calmer now than ever before.
My brother and I hold power of attorney.
Mum will not wear her careline bracelet or pendant, hearing aids or new glasses. I make her meals, deal with maintenance, finances, washing, shopping, sorting out muddles and panics, and generally help to maintain her belief that she is living fully independently. Mum seems to mainly potter around quite happily rearranging her massive piles of ancient paperwork and ringing the council about her bin collections. She rejects any care except from me, although has taken well to visits from “a friend” twice a week - they have a nice chat and it gives me an afternoon off occasionally.
Last week mum thought she heard an intruder in her back garden at one in the morning. Very unlikely as we live in a very safe area. Being mum, she went outside in her dressing gown and slippers to confront the intruder.
She has also a slight tendency to leave the house for unknown reasons and get a bit disoriented. Neighbours usually alert me.
For her reassurance and for mine, I’m going to get a couple of security cameras installed at the front and back doors. I would like to get one for her main living area also, given her refusal to wear her careline alarm. However given issues of intrusion/consent, I will probably have to hold off on this.
I want a system that will link to my phone and that will also record.
Sorry for lengthy post but I wanted to put full context.
Are people able to recommend a system that they have used in similar situations with an older or vulnerable person? I’ve looked in one of the electrical superstores and online so have a fair idea of prices.
Thanks in advance!
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Dementia and Alzheimer's
Security camera for mum
greenbeansnspinach · 27/12/2023 14:15
saraclara · 30/12/2023 20:01
She has also a slight tendency to leave the house for unknown reasons and get a bit disoriented
That is a huge concern. My MIL's 'coping' at home, with help, came to an end the day that a passing police patrol car found her wandering far from home at 5 in the morning. They took her to hospital, and from there she went to a care home.
I still worry about what might have happened had the police not come across her.
Does your mum take a handbag wherever she goes? I'd consider hiding something like a Samsung tag in it, so that you can find her if she wanders and gets lost.
saraclara · 30/12/2023 21:46
I wouldn’t exactly call what she does “wandering” as yet
My MIL has never 'wandered' before that day. Had she done, we'ed probably have known. My SIL (who didn't live locally) had been spending half of every week living with her, and going home to her family for the rest of the week, and my MIL's neighbours on both sides and opposite kept a very close eye on her. So we had a good idea of her usual behaviour.
It only took the (possibly) first time to be 'the one'. And at a time of day when everyone was asleep.
Maybe look into an alarm that sounds when she leaves the house/when the door is opened? With a camera on the same door?
PinkMimosa · 31/12/2023 10:16
I wouldn’t exactly call what she does “wandering” as yet although it may become so
I think if she's leaving the house in the cold without a coat and then getting disoriented, you are at that stage now, whether you call it wondering or not
I felt with DMIL she was always one stage further on, at least, to where everyone thought she actually was. We tend to cling to the ideal of the person we are losing.
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