I'm new here - best door chime to know when parent is leaving the house?
We think a door chime system would be better at alerting our mother that our father is leaving the apartment.
I envision something that would play a tune for an adjustable 10 - 20 - 30 seconds when a door is opened? And with several speakers playing throughout the apartment
(longer than just a ding dong since if our mom is doing something loud at the same time the ding dong goes off, she might not hear it). And speakers in each of the 4 rooms to be sure she hears it and with several speakers, any one speaker doesn't need to be so loud to be heard through the apartment and that it annoys them and neighbors.
Any recommendations on brand / source to get something like this?
And if you see flaws in my thinking, please let me know!
Thank you and stay safe!
Mike
Comments
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That sounds like a whole lot of technology to solve a problem that could be remedied with a simple sliding door bolt mounted at the top of the door and perhaps a dark mat at door.
As dementia progresses, visual processing glitches often cause PWD to perceive dark floor mats as holes to be avoided. They generally don't look up, so placing a simple lock above his head may be enough to keep him in the house.
A friend (she and her DH are both engineers who enjoy all things tech) installed a motion detecting floor mats next to her mom's bed and installed a security system that alerted her smartphone. She admits that while waiting to install them, a bear bait trap worked really well- she placed a kitchen chair with pots, lids and metal bakeware at the front door which alerted her when mom was attempting to elope.0 -
We tried a door chime, but we ended up like harshedbuzz suggested - added a sliding bolt at the top of the door. He never looked up. Worked great for us.0
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We used simple knob covers that my mom was unable to figure out. Easy fix. We had a much bigger issue later on after a couple falls with being alerted when she got up out of her bed or chair. We tried different alarms none of which really worked well.0
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Do you mean like the door knob covers they use when "child proofing" a house? I am familiar with those0
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So, the simple sliding door lock at the top worked well at night? My mother lives with my stepfather in a remote area on a lake. Eventually I think he'll need something like this as I am worried she'll wander off at some point.0
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The knob covers were a big fat fail for us.
Dad (PWD) was strong enough unintentionally make them function and worse- mom (caretaker with arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome) was not able to. He wasn't a wanderer, although he did sometime rummage through the contents of the garage and attic when mom ran out for a few minutes or napped in the middle stages.
I would make sure they work before counting on them to keep her safe.
HB0 -
Thank you all. Not encouraging though : ( that there isn't something out there to accomplish this - getting a heads up when someone is (trying) to go out the door and not be all that obtrusive / interfere with normal use of the door.
harshedbuzz - whole lot of tech? I have seen gadgets - a transmitter / door switch, and then a wireless chime receiver. Not all that high tech in my view.
Just a chore to try to see if that will:
1) allow long chimes - the caregiver might miss a 'bing'. If it plays longer, they will be less likely to miss it / ignore it
2) allow several receivers around the apartment to play the chime at a not absurdly level but still be heard.
Interesting to hear about the black mat, but he's not that far along. and not foolproof.The chair and pots idea is cute. But for the 99% of the time when normally using the door, that's too much of a chore to set up / expect the caregiver to 'reset the trap'.
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MikeRenna wrote:
harshedbuzz - whole lot of tech? I have seen gadgets - a transmitter / door switch, and then a wireless chime receiver. Not all that high tech in my view.
IME, there is no device that is as effective at keeping a PWD safe and functioning as a human caregiver. I'm no Luddite, but sometimes people try to find solutions like flip phones, pill dispensers and senior channel remotes and find they don't work as well as promised.Just a chore to try to see if that will:
1) allow long chimes - the caregiver might miss a 'bing'. If it plays longer, they will be less likely to miss it / ignore it
I could totally see where that would be handy in any household. I wonder if you could retrofit a door chime that plays a preset tune. Or find a chime that is intended for a place of business to alert staff someone has come in.
Door Alarm with Chime Adjustable Volume Sanjie Wireless Door Chime When Door Opens for Home/Business With 1000 ft Long Range 55 Melodies, 5 AlarmsSensor+2 Plug-in Receiver,White - - Amazon.com2) allow several receivers around the apartment to play the chime at a not absurdly level but still be heard.
Would your mom be willing to carry a smart phone? The friend with the bear trap used standard motion detection mats on either side of mom's bed (she'd wake in the night thinking it was time to start the day and once dresses was difficult to redirect to bed and sometimes eloped). If you put a motion detection mat under a standard doormat or entry rug, she would get an alert to a smartphone.Interesting to hear about the black mat, but he's not that far along. and not foolproof.
Have you tried it? I was surprised by how soon dad got to that point. We discovered by accident when mom put a black LLBean "Waterhog" on the light oak floor after it snowed. At the time, dad was still continent, reading and quite verbal.
Sometimes with keeping a PWD safe, it's about layers and buying time.
The chair and pots idea is cute.
Cute? Was that meant as some kind of dig?
As I pointed out, my friend only did this as until the component parts of their security system were delivered and installed. She and her DH are aerospace engineers, so they were able to easily craft something to meet their needs. But they are also scoutmasters and knew the bear bait would keep mom out of the pond at the back of their property.
But for the 99% of the time when normally using the door, that's too much of a chore to set up / expect the caregiver to 'reset the trap'.
They only did this at night. Mom wasn't particularly exit-seeking during the day and they'd set up their deck with a gate which she wasn't able to open.
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The sliding bolt is good for interior doors...like to basement or other level, closets where you might store items LO should not have access to such as cleaning products.
I have a combination deadbolt on the exterior door and if emergency services are required the code is passed to them so they can gain entry (I don't engage the standard door knob lock). A sliding bolt would negate this ability.
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Hi Mike,
When we had our pool installed, the insurance company (I think) required us to have an alarm on any/all doors leading from house to pool as there was not a fence directly surrounding the pool. These were simple magnet sensors that went off LOUDLY until reset. This was 15 years ago, so I'm sure there has been improvements, however, it's a good place to start! I'm thinking of researching the same as my LO lets her dog outside then goes back to bed................sigh.
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We used a wireless motion detector from Amazon. I liked it because I could move it around and place it anywhere in the house that I didn't want DH to enter. Originally used it near the exterior door. Later used it near his chair because he was unsteady on his feet and I could help him when he was on the move. It had two levels of alert and was loud enough to hear anywhere in a 5,000 SF house.
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FWIW, I put these on both the front and back door after I woke up a couple of days running and found the front door standing open.
They are security locks and hold the door pretty well. You will need someone handy with basic tools to install one.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HC3M9HH/
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I wanted to add, in addition to the locks higher up on the door, we installed one of the alarm mats in the hall past the bathroom. It was great for us at the time because it allowed him to roam his room and get to the bathroom but he would have to pass the mat and child safety gate (which he could not figure out) before getting to the stairs.
We did everything with the mindset that nothing was foolproof and only meant to slow him down if he was determined, so we were never more than a minute away from getting to him.
At some point with my FIL he was physically strong enough but cognitively impaired enough to be a great danger to himself. This was the point that roaming became a concern because he was convinced he would not get lost, and he did not want to walk outside with anyone. If I tried to walk with him, he would start running and I was afraid he would fall. I still followed him from a few yards back and inevitably he would get confused and I would be there to turn him around to go back home.
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linuxhitman wrote:I have installed 2 my installs were more complicated but still only a half an hour each. Great locksFWIW, I put these on both the front and back door after I woke up a couple of days running and found the front door standing open.
They are security locks and hold the door pretty well. You will need someone handy with basic tools to install one.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HC3M9HH/
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JJAz wrote:Jazz I have a question? It looks like there is a light on unit, does it light when it senses movement?
We used a wireless motion detector from Amazon. I liked it because I could move it around and place it anywhere in the house that I didn't want DH to enter. Originally used it near the exterior door. Later used it near his chair because he was unsteady on his feet and I could help him when he was on the move. It had two levels of alert and was loud enough to hear anywhere in a 5,000 SF house.
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Tool belt expert,
Sorry, I don't recall
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