What tech or devices actually work for you? Looking for advice.

Great idea... thank you!

I love the "Find My" function on iPhone. My DH and I share our location with each other and it works (as long as I remind him to take his phone with him when he leaves the house). We have also shared our locations with our grown children, so if they are unable to reach us they can find our location.

That said, I have found that AirTags are mostly unreliable for finding items that are not at my house. For example, I tried putting one in each of our vehicles, but could only see the last place where the AirTag was pinged... which was usually in my garage. So, my DH's truck looked like it was in the garage, when he was out in it somewhere.

However, the AirTags are helpful for locating our keys when they are lost within the house. I put one on each of our keychains and when the keys have been misplaced, I can have the AirTag play a sound to help me locate them.

My Subaru has its own tracking system, which I love. If for some reason DH is driving my Subaru, I can locate it (and even disable it if necessary).

When the time comes that I need hands-on help from our loved ones, I plan to use an app or website that allows me to create a calendar and/or list of needs. Then, friends and loved ones can select days when they can help, or tasks that they can complete. Examples of such sites are: Give in Kind, Caring Bridge, and Lotsa Helping Hands. There are a variety of formats, and most have a free account option.

If anyone on here has used a similar app/website, I would love to hear about your experience before I choose one.

I ordered these items from Amazon and they’re really helpful with my husband-
- “calendar clock for seniors”- has big white lettering on dark background, easy to read, has date, time, and general time of day (morning, afternoon, evening)
- “picture phone for seniors”- landline phone, you program it with people’s phone numbers and match the numbers to a photo or the person’s name, placed in a small plastic sleeve, you press the photo or written name and it automatically dials. We used photos as it was easier for him to see and pick.
- “toilet night light motion sensor” I learned about these here! When the person approaches the bathroom door, the sensor lights up automatically, so you can see without having to first get the light switch.
- “RMS Toilet Safety Frame and Rail”- for added safety on/off the toilet. there are lots of options, but I used to work in Home Care and this is the best and the most versatile- it has sloping down arms so the person doesn’t need to be exactly in front of it to use, it has a flat foot piece which keeps the rails from wiggling, it doesn’t attach to the toilet so it’s a breeze to put on, and it’s foldable and portable so you can take it with you easily when visiting family or friends.
- I also bought a very simple TV remote, programmed it with his most-watched stations, put a bit of orange duct tape on the power button, blue painter’s tape on the channel change, with Sharpie fine point arrows for up and down

I never heard of the TV box- what a great idea! My hubby had to go into assistive living, but all the above things went with him and he uses, except for the phone, he declined to where he couldn’t do the steps to use, and the toilet motion sensors- he has a private bath and they leave the overhead light on.
BUT, I use the sensors at home and they’re a big help for my safety,

So glad we have Mayo Connect to share ideas and encouragement.

And I love the motion detector lights that my husband put low on the walls so I can easily see where I’m going. He also put them on the walls by the stairs. They run on batteries so work even when we lose electricity!
One light shines bed to bathroom and bathroom to bed. I still carry my flashlight, though. Extra safety for me!

I use dusk-to-dawn night lights all over the house, especially in the bathroom. The motion-detection lights startle my husband when they come on. So the low lights always on are better for him.

Great topic!

I agree with phone with large buttons to put photos in to call people.

When mom was still on her own, I put toddler gas stove knob protectors on her stove since she would bump the knobs and turn it on by accident.

2-way camera like Google Home.

There is a universal remote with only a couple buttons. Search for "senior, dementia remote" (I got flipper big button)

Hide stepladders.

Clock with large display and day, was great. It even says dusk, dawn, etc so they know if it's day or night.

Hi, folks. When I was sole caregiver for my wife, I used a room camera with a portable receiver (basically a small TV screen that I could take to any room in the house). It made my work SO MUCH easier. She was a fall risk, and often attempted to get out of bed, or out of her recliner, without assistance.

So... if I was in the kitchen getting her lunch ready (or anywhere else in the house doing whatever), I could readily keep track of what she was up to. Before I got the camera, I'd have to stop every so often what I was doing, and walk over to where she was... in order to sneak a peek. The camera saved me TONS of time!

And... it cost less than $75, produced clear images, and worked without a hitch during the almost two years it was in use.

Diane died almost a year ago, but I recall well what many us here deal with -- or dealt with at some point -- on a daily basis. To say it's a tough gig would be a tremendous understatement. Hope this is helpful, and lessens your workload.

All the best!

/LarryG

@trishaanderson Thank you! That’s a great idea. At the moment light doesn’t bother her, but at some point she may need those lights. Thank you😊

@larryg333, thanks for continuing to share your knowledge and experience with the group.

@bridgeback2, you'll find some additional tips in this related discussion, like baby monitors. Sometimes low tech helps too.
- Call Button Type Devices https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/call-button-type-devices/

How are you and your mom doing?

I use a baby monitor and a door alarm. We may be getting to the point I need to add a motion detector. They work fine for me now.

I have found “blink” cameras and the Alexa to be very helpful. I installed smart plugs for lights and there is an Alexa command to turn them on and off. My husband has been able to remember the commands “Alexa, light on please” and “Alexa lights off please”. This helps to make sure he has good lighting if he gets up at night.

The blink cameras interface with Alexa and allow me to “peek in” when I am outside or away from home. They can also work as in “intercom” so if I see him struggling with something, I can touch the button to talk and give some direction even when I am not with him. I can also set it so if he goes out one of the doors it gives me an alert.

I also use the “find my phone” on our iPhones and share locations. He lost his wallet a few months ago ( we eventually found it in a pair of pants in the closet) so I got an AirTag for his wallet but we haven’t had to use it since we got it.

I also purchased a large digital display on Amazon that states the day, date, time and whether it is morning, evening or night. This was fairly inexpensive and very helpful for him.