fall detection and reporting system for older family member

[Anonymous]

Hello, our mom lives alone in a two-story home with a motorized chair for the stairs. She recently fell and is planning to move back home after recovering. We want to use technology to help improve her safety.

Can anyone recommend a system that would:
- allow her to easily call a family member for help if she falls and can't get to a phone
- detect falls and alert family members
- call 911 only as a last resort - if no family members reply within a designated time period (we do not want EMS breaking down the door)
- easy video calls with family members


We are thinking of a combining (1) a smartwatch with fall detection, (2) a voice assistant, and (3) a Grandpad. Are there less expensive options that would cover the same requirements? We would be grateful for any suggestions from fellow caregivers. Thank you!

[Anonymous]

OP here - I meant to add that a requirement is supporting her privacy. We do not want to put Ring cameras all over her house, for example.

[Anonymous]

I have been there done that with dad and it gets exhausting FAST. It also becomes taking advantage of neighbors and other family members and it can burn you out. You are probably thinking there may be an occasional fall and you won't have to burden anyone more than once. You are assuming the person will be fully clothed, there will be no blood and someone can just help the person up, maybe take the elder to urgent car if needed, but otherwise assume all is well.

With age the elderly can fall often. These falls can often occur in the bathroom or around shower bath entry exit in various states of undress even in a home that is "elder proof". Sometimes you walk into a gruesome scene with blood. Almost every time you will need to call 911 because you don't know what damage was done and nobody should be lifting someone up who may have a broken neck. Plus, how would you feel if another family member did in her back lifting your parent? You need to know if there is a concussion. Often they don't quite remember what happened with the fall, but even if they do there can be damage. So you really want to put neighbors through this and do you want to keep doing it? I still am dealing with the trauma of all the emergencies.

[Anonymous]

I forgot to add another factor. Almost every fall occurred upstairs. You cannot have a person who just fell get into a chairlift. Most likely they need to be evaluated and then often the decision is made the person needs to be seen in the hospital. So the EMTs then have to carry your loved on on a stretcher down steps which can get dicey with a chairlift in the way.

[Anonymous]

inside cameras can be set to a privacy mode to blur images. At a minimum, I'd put them in a hallway or someplace that the family member uses often. Even outside a bathroom door so you can see if they've entered but not exited. Having these cameras in place really reduced what would have been been unnecessary visits and emergency calls for us. In our case the elderly family member had poor hearing and would not always respond to phone calls, so gave us an additional layer of monitoring.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hello, our mom lives alone in a two-story home with a motorized chair for the stairs. She recently fell and is planning to move back home after recovering. We want to use technology to help improve her safety.

Can anyone recommend a system that would:
- allow her to easily call a family member for help if she falls and can't get to a phone
- detect falls and alert family members
- call 911 only as a last resort - if no family members reply within a designated time period (we do not want EMS breaking down the door)
- easy video calls with family members


We are thinking of a combining (1) a smartwatch with fall detection, (2) a voice assistant, and (3) a Grandpad. Are there less expensive options that would cover the same requirements? We would be grateful for any suggestions from fellow caregivers. Thank you!

Sorry posting yet again. Once this happens more often people will absolutely have boundaries and not answer the phone and EMS will need to break down the door. Don't alienate the support network. It is much better for everyone involved to have the elder in the right residential setting. Friends and family are much happier visiting and sharing fond memories then they are walking into a horror scene and having to make scary decisions. Often the elder no longer has the empathy, insight and self awareness to realize it's not all about their want to stay at home and you need to think about those you expect to be there for you too. It's hard for them to think about the fact everyone has life stressors, jobs, their own families etc and it can easily turn into taking advantage of others.

[Anonymous]

She needs one of those necklace alert things. My parents have them and a few buttons also in the bathrooms.
If it's pressed, it calls the service which first, speaks through a speaker asking if they need help. If yes, they dispatch it, if no response, they call down 3 prearranged numbers (mom's cell,me, adult dd) and if we can't be reached or are not able to check on them, they call EMS. There is a monthly fee, about $32 I think? Theirs is Bay Area Medical.

My parents also do not want cameras (despite multiple professionals recommending them ...) but the button service does have their garage door opener code so no one will break down the door. OP if she doesn't have one of those, you could put up a lockbox with a code and spare key outside the door and give the button service the code, so the door will not get broken down.

I know the Apple watch has fall detection, but Mom's cell plan doesn't support that and she won't change it so...also the person has to actually WEAR the watch. I really haven't found a good fall detection method.

For video calls, we use Ipads. It's easy for my mom to use (Dad has congitive decline so she does all that).

[Anonymous]

Put the cameras in. You don’t have to monitor them all the time, but if something happens, you want eyes on what is going on.

Put in a keypad lock on the door or garage door. Then a ring doorbell. If EMS needs to get in, you can tell them via the ring doorbell.

Keep in mind, your Mom still thinks she’s a spry 60-something. But she no longer can make good risk analysis. I know you want to treat her like a competent adult, but you need to recognize her mind and body are regressing.

[Anonymous]

OP - Also OP you need to set up a daily reporting in system so that you would at least know is something happened within 24 hours. Like call in by XX time daily on your Mom's end and then perhaps the call to her daily at a certain time to check in could be shared on a weekly basis by siblings. You also need to be sure of what caused your mom's fall - accidental, dehydration, vertigo history etc. Then carefully decide if she really can be on her own.

[Anonymous]

And leave the neighbors out of it. I was added as the primary contact for one of these "help I've fallen and I can't get up" alarms, without my knowledge or okay. The relatives don't live nearby.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And leave the neighbors out of it. I was added as the primary contact for one of these "help I've fallen and I can't get up" alarms, without my knowledge or okay. The relatives don't live nearby.

Where did OP mention anything about the neighbors?

[Anonymous]

I'm moving my mom into a senior living place soon that has the lanyards with the button that they wear around their neck. It has gps notification and you can speak back and forth through it with the senior living management.

I'm also planning on giving her two of my amazon echoes which if tied to my Amazon account will allow me to "drop in" and speak to her if she's in her apartment. I use these in my own house with my family and they are incredible for reaching someone when they won't answer their phone.