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| Hello.
I look after my aging mom. She has several health conditions. She is still independent. We are in a rural area that does not have much as resources.
The local health department let their Medicare certification expire, so now any home services must come from 60 miles away, so it's expensive, but luckily she
can do most things herself.
So, I have had to resort to "technology" to help. I have got her a lively medical alert. $25 a month, plus $10 for auto fall detect...it works. It's cellular so it works everywhere, not just at home. I like this group, since it has a person on the other end, and they try to help the person. They don't automatically call 911. If the power is off, or something like that, you can push the button, and tell the operator what is going on, and they will call me, or say on the road, you can push, and tell the operator to call some people on the list to help, or if they just get scared, the person on the other end of the line tries to calm them down. Usually the 911 dispatchers need lessons to talking to humans...I used to be involved in EMS.
We now have a dexacom to monitor her blood sugar, and it goes out via the internet, and I get alarms on my smart phone.
She does not like the phone anymore, so we have an alexia, that she makes calls on, and I can do a video chat at any time, again, on internet.
She does have a flip phone, but hates it, and it's shut off most of the time.
We have a little trouble with the meds, and I am going to get a "pill Drill", it is a newer type of medication monitoring system. You put the pills in little bottles that have a scan tag on it, so when she takes stuff, it lets me know, or if she missed a dose. It is unique in that it comes with extra tags, so when she takes her insulin, she just scans the kwick injector over it, and it lets me know (but does not tell me how much she took)...also alerts me if she did not take it. There is also a card with a label on it that says meal, so when she eats, she just scans it, so I have an idea on that, handy when working with insulin.
Part of the problem is, that the internet is not dependable, so looking at adding a "failover" system, that has a cellular backup. So far looking at a peplink b1 plus,
about $300, plus yearly upkeep of $50 and data (1T a year) for $40....so that will keep the data going when everything is down.
Problem will be if the internet gWe oes down, she is watching her streaming tv, and it kicks over to cellular data........but...might have a solution for that.
I am looking at simple safe security system, it's main thing is internet, but has cellular backup, the cost for the full monitoring is $20 a month, but you can do self monitor for less per month...I will add the smoke and co detector, temp, water detectors, also I can add up to 10 in home cameras, that I can connect to at any time, and see what is going on, and also hold a conversation. It will also alerts me is the internet goes down, or the internet is down.
Also, going to add a device from the alz store, its a device that if you are cooking, and it starts to smoke, and the smoke detector goes off, it will automaticlly cut the power or turn the gas off to the stove, $199...works good with the simple safe, since I would get an alert when any of the sensors go off, and I can look in, and decide if the fire department needs to be called.
The last thing I'm having a problem with is a system that will auto log vitals, and let me know what the vitals are. She does not like to chart anymore (she used to be a nurse), so a system that would auto log, when she weighs and takes her blood pressure and temp, I would get a text of what it is, and also would document it, so a copy could be given to the doctor....can't really find a good fit for a system that will do that. Also, she has a pacemaker, and these scales that tell you about body fat and etc, can't be used, since they apply an electric current to the body, and that can get the pace maker all upset.....plus, getting something that will forward the data to me.
There really is no local support....there is a nursing home, but they charge $300 a day for restbit care, and over $6000 a month to stay there. Nurse from health department will come out, but it is private pay (since they are no longer medicare) and it's $75 or more per visit....really no neighbors, since they are the same age, and she is better off than they are.
We do have meals on wheels, but no special diets, such as low sodium, diabetic or renal......so that is making it hard. have to have things fixed so she can eat, and go to the store and only buy items that will work on her diets.
Hope, if you are in a similar situation, maybe some of these things might help you out, or if you have experience on the vitals and having it forward to me, it would be good.
Thank you
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Electronic devices to help take care of mom
