Cameras indoor

marianHW

Hi, does anyone have a suggestion on indoor cameras? My mother is living alone for now and I put a camera in kitchen & one by her favorite chair & on patio. These cameras follow movement and also have a red light and she notices them and unplugs them. I’m not sure if they make a camera without the red light coming on or not and I’ve bought and tried several different types. Thanks for any help!

fmb

Welcome to the forum, though I am sorry that you have a reason to be here. You have come to a good place for information and support along the journey.

To answer your question, have you tried putting the cameras high up on a wall where she can't reach them? Or would she try to climb on something to get to them? Rechargeable battery operated cameras might be an option if she is unplugging them. Something tiny, like a nanny cam that is meant to be hidden.

In the larger scope of things, is your mother still safe living alone? Executive function is one of the first things to be lost in dementia. Just the fact that she does not understand the purpose of the cameras and is unplugging them is cause for concern. The biggest question is whether she would know what to do in an emergency. Ask her what she would do if there was a fire. If the answer is anything other than get out immediately and get to someone who can call 911, then she should not be living alone. Telling her what to do is not going to work because she is incapable of learning new things.

marianHW

Thanks for answering, I did not put them up high because I don’t want her standing on a chair to get them down. I think if they did not move she probably wouldn’t notice, but they follow her around room. Does anybody have a brand they use and like that maybe more discreet? Thank you

RGott35

Hello. I am new to this forum myself. But have you thought about an Alexa Show. I bought one for my dad to be able to check on him when he was in a nursing facility during Covid. He even learned how to "drop in" on mom's Alexa Show and they would watch movies together. My dad was recovering from a brain infection that revealed late stage dementia so it was quite a surprise when he was able to call us.

Now it is in my mom's living room. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer's just a few months after my dad died. I can see her favorite sitting spot where we have it placed as well as into the kitchen area. It also acts as a video phone for my sister who lives out of state to have "coffee" with mom. It does require an internet connection and the only issue we have is when she accidently turns off the internet when she fiddles with it. I also installed Ring doorbells that use batteries at the front and back doors and I just failed to tell mom that they have cameras. So I get notices every time motion is detected.

I have found the Alexa Show and the Ring doorbells to be great devices. I wish you the best in caring for your mom.

Victoriaredux

If your loved one doesn't understand what the internet router is - they could also fiddle with something that is more dangerous .

Safety is forward looking not retrospective like a photography exhibit. All the cameras would do is document something that could be not good to tragic. They stop or alter nothing.

Alzheimers is progressive , so you need to be AHEAD of the disease, not behind.

Tetonman

Cameras are a great idea. When I am away I have a camera for the great room that I can check when away. She spends 90 percent of awake hours on the couch. The door bell camera showed she left the house at 2:00 in the morning. Didn't go far but it was odd. Hasn't happened again, yet.

NizhoniGrrl

I used an Arlo motion activated camera. It does not physically move. The little light can be covered with tape. I put it by a clock and other doodads so she really didn’t seem to notice it. I think it is all about placement. It was very revealing. I saw all of the odd hours she was keeping, how little she got out of her chair, and most importantly the caregivers we hired we not doing what we were being billed for. It also increased my anxiety in some ways because I felt like I had to keep checking on her. Since I moved her into AL I no longer feel the need to set up a camera, which is a great relief.