I use Ring door sensors and cameras integrated with Alexa to monitor and turn things on.I would say as a caregiver they are more for me than for him. The door sensors trigger a sound on my Alexa Echo device in the bedroom at night so I know if Bob gets up in the night and accidently goes outside. This works better than the whole house alarm going off which is very loud, disturbing, has to be disarmed to make it stop, and freaks him out. Sometimes he gets lost finding his way to the bathroom or back to bed. I am sound sleeper so I was not sleeping well because I was afraid to go to sleep and wake up and find him gone. During the day the door sensors also tell me on my phone and on Echo devices in the house if he has gone outside and when he goes back inside.

Again it helps me know if he has wandered off.He hasn't done that yet, but it provides peace of mind to me when I am gone. I have outdoor cameras so I can also check to see what he is doing and that he is still around. I also have a door sensor on the refrigerator to remind him to close it. Otherwise I have found it open for long periods of time. I have indoor cameras with motion sensors. I use these with Alexa to turn on the TV to his favorite program on the couple of mornings when I am gone golfing early.

Golfing is one of the things I do for myself as a caregiver. It provides exercise and socialization for me. He can turn on the TV himself anymore. He is usually still asleep when I leave. So this way he has something to keep
him occupied until I get home. He can also use voice commands with our Fire TV to change the channel, find shows etc. but he isn't very good at this.

 The motion sensor integrates with Alexa and I have it tell him where I have gone and when I will be back. I have it set to repeat this once an hour while I am gone because he forgets quickly. It keeps him calmer while I gone. I can also view the cameras throughout the house on phone when I am gone just to check if he seems confused or frustrated looking for something etc. I can either come home if I think it is significant, talk to him through the cameras, or call and reassure him or help him with what he might be looking for or trying to do.

Some might view this as invasion of his privacy but it really helps me be a better caregiver by allowing me to worry less when I am out and about which I have learned is essential to being a better caregiver. If I am in a better mood so is he. I have many reminders for him on Alexa as well. It is nice because you can have it speak a phase and show it in writing on Echo Show. If its just a beep of something he would have no idea what to do. I also use Find My Friends on his phone and make sure he has his phone in his pocket, which is a HABIT he has. It allows him to walk the dog around the block. He usually does pretty well finding his way home but I have used it a couple time to go find him.

We live in a quiet retirement community in Tucson so it is safe and I monitor it while he is gone to make sure he doesn't get too far off track. I also use this when we go shopping or out and about so I can find him in the store if I lose track of him. 

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