In case of an emergency to caregivers

charley0419 · April 23

what can I get in case something should happen to me , caregiver, when with my wife alone and she needs to get in touch with 911? It needs to be the simplest thing to use , remembering to dial or 911 is not an option. Any thoughts as every second of delay could be life threatening

sandwichone123 · April 24

You need automatic technology, such as an amulet or watch that senses a fall and calls 911 or a relative automatically. You cannot depend on her learning a new technology, no matter how simple, or recognizing and emergency and responding to it.

Jgirl57 · April 24

You might need to use a wearable for yourself. Does your wife still know the address? My HWD no longer knows our address or know how to talk to 911 operator so I recently purchased a smart watch for me to wear . It is scary knowing they are not able to assist in an emergency .

charley0419 · April 24

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/comment/241521#Comment_241521

my issue I’m worried about is if I render unconscious how would she be able to call or get help. If I can’t call 911 how would she ????

harshedbuzz · April 24

@charley0419

I'm going to be blunt.

There is no technological device that 100% replaces a human in the event of an emergency. Full stop.

A pendent you wear could summon EMTs if you are conscious and actually have it on your person. An Apple Watch can detect and fall and send help even if you are unconscious, but it can't help if you have a heart attack in bed.

What you need is a daily well check from a reliable human being. Perhaps a family member or neighbor can check on you daily by text or phone or even a signal like blinds opened by a certain time in the morning. At worst, this will limit your time on the floor/wife alone unsupervised to 24 hours assuming a regular schedule of well checks.

The above is what I do. I call mom daily to check her unless I will be actually seeing her in person. She also wears an Apple Watch (most of the time); I do get an alert if she falls. She had a Medical Guardian, but she never wore it in the 2 years she had it. I also have her registered with Smart911 and have a lockbox on her front door so that first responders can enter the house without breaking down the door.

Mom and I have both accepted the risk that comes with this arrangement. FWIW, a move to a hospitality-model AL would likely only offer a well check every 24 hours. My aunt had a fall in her AL apartment and was on the floor with a broken hip for about 18 hours.

HB

Jgirl57 · April 24

What would be your plan once she passes and you are living alone ? The Apple Watch would detect a fall and call for help, but as HB said, nothing will help if you get ill or pass in your sleep. I have toured several assisted living locations and they all offer a 2nd person rate and everyone gets a wearable of some sort. These are all difficult scenarios.

charley0419 · April 24

to be honest my concern is if she has to get help for me. Sometimes I play a game with her that I get ill and unconscious what you do , by the time out, if she does I’d be gone. That’s my worry

ARIL · April 25

You are not living in a safe situation. You know this already. I agree with others that a human checking in on a daily basis (at least) would be the best approach if you are going to remain in your current living situation. You may also want to start thinking about alternative options.

SDianeL · April 25

this is the device the VA gave us. If you fall it automatically calls you. If you don’t answer it sends help. You wear it around your neck or on a clip on your belt. She won’t be able to use any device because she doesn’t understand what an emergency is. She wouldn’t know to push a button. You would need to wear the device. You can shower in it. You should still have someone check on you every day. https://www.medequipalert.com/veterans/

JDancer · April 26

She cannot call for help. You cannot expect her to. Get a device that detects falls and set up a daily check in system with others. Leave your wife out of the equation. As caregivers, we have to fend for ourselves

JeriLynn66 · April 27

@charley0419

Charley,

With great respect, you need to get yourself a fall detection device and you need to have your children check in with you daily and you need to see a Certified Elder Law Attorney for planning purposes.
Your dear wife cannot help you- this isn’t safe for either of you. We care about you.

Respectfully, JeriLynn

Colacho10 · August 13

I am a caregiver for my dad, and I looked at some of the simple medical alert buttons, but a lot of them require him to wear a pendant, which he would forget. Others were just a button on a wall, but they weren't always in a place that was easy for him to reach in an emergency. They also had a slight delay sometimes, which can be life-threatening, as you said.

Then, a friend of mine recommended the Jubilee TV box, since he used it for his parents. My specific situation is that my dad spends most of his time in the living room, where the TV is, and this device connects to it. It has a very simple remote and a camera on the box. The key feature that helped us is the "one-touch" or "auto-connect" video call function. If my dad presses a button on the remote, it automatically connects a video call to the TV. Also, I can start a video call from my app, even if the TV is off.

There is no dialling, no remembering numbers, and it has an option to add a family member, in case something happens to me. I can see through the video what the problem is and get to him or call 911 if it's needed.

I'm not sure if your wife spends most of her time in one room, but there is also a feature that detects if someone is in front of the TV, if they've left the room, and how long they've been away. I can control the TV completely from the app, set reminders for her meds and check on my dad whenever I want, which is very useful when I am not at home.

This is what worked for us. I'm not saying it is the right choice for everyone, but it's an option to consider.

In case of an emergency to caregivers

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