Are they much of a muchness, like key safes ?
After a very recent episode, spending several hours trapped between her bed and cabinet on t’floor, it’s time I equipped my 93yo mum with one. And a key safe for the emergency services…the medics told me it was a good idea.
I’ve just undertaken a risk assessment at her place, and hope she can continue living independently a while longer.
TIC. She’s shaken not stirred and the 911 will have to wait a little longer.
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My MiL, early aged early 90s till she died aged 97.
Useless - she fell a few times but never had ir round her neck.
Next door neighbour - he had a wrist band - never hand it on.
They both had TVs that did not work - next door took 2 mins to fix - MiL took 15 mins there & 15 mins back - it could even be broken again before I got home.
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My Mother who died in 2017 aged 92 had one. On neither occasion when she fell and broke her femur was it to hand. She was found either by her cleaner or my sister. But that might just have been bad luck; grandchildren hugging her set it off more than once.
Key safes are good provided all those likely to be involved know the code. Mum had one and as she has her marbles until the end it wasn't an issue. Mrs B's mother, who had Alzheimers, was locking herself out of her flat on her regular basis. She'd go downstairs to use the communal loo rather than the one in her own flat. Obvs she couldn't remember the code and we'd get a call to say was locked out (but laid back about it).
Lost time of how often I biked up there and sorted her.
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My mum was 91 when she died, similar experience as above, she rarely wore her alarm despite being nagged regularly to do so. It resulted in her spending six hours on the floor after a fall and it could have been a lot longer had my brother not just moved back in after getting divorced.
Elderly neighbour has one and keeps setting it off accidently resulting in her son having to come out in the middle of the night to see if she is ok. They couldn't get him last night and she had the police there at 2am and the fire brigade a few hours later.
Old age is pure crap.
Last edited by: Robin O'Reliant on Wed 14 Jul 21 at 16:06
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I think personal alarms are ok as long as the user A, Wears it all the time. B, Knows how to use it.
Sounds a lot simpler than it is
My sister in law had CCTV cameras installed for her elderly father in law.
They are able to keep their eye on him via their smartphones.
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MIL had one and after one scare wore it religiously. She'd set it off accidently now and then, it was linked to her phone and the monitoring centre could call her up on a speaker. they didn't seem to mind the odd false alarm and would check about once a month. It would scare her when this voice came bellowing out.
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The woman across the road is having a bed sensor fitted on Friday. This is activated when the carer puts her to bad at night and if she gets out of bed during the night and does not get back in after a certain time it sends a signal out to the call centre who will then call either her son or the police. She will still have a personal alarm during the day.
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>> The woman across the road is having a bed sensor fitted on Friday.
My Mother out Law was in a Care Home after she could no longer manage independently in her flat. As she was prone to getting up and wondering in the night the home managers put a pad under her bed side mat so they know if she got up.
It didn't work 'cos Ann was very fastidious so picked it up, folded it into four, and put it in her wardrobe.
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My mother had one. Its called 'Lifeline' round here.
Never bothered with it until a fall then carried it religiously. Once activated the telephone becomes a live microphone and speaker. The operator can offer a little reassurance.
Whilst I was top of the list to respond I recall on one occasion they had difficulty getting any one to respond.
Not a pleasant task attending, reassuring and sorting out someone who has had a fall as things are not going to get any easier.
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My father, who made to it 100, had a necklace alarm and pull cords at several places round the flat. The pull cord in the bathroom triggered the most false alarms, from visitors who got confused! The pendant was used several times, the biggest problem was the help centre who seemed incapable of organising contact list management.
In the end we had fitted 2 cameras, but for his final fall he managed to pick the one 1m blind spot between the lounge and bathroom. We were on the point of fitting a third camera, and an infrared movement sensor in Bathroom. I am now the the owner of additional technology waiting to be fitted here.
The most useful addition would have been be a 'non' movement alarm. This could then be set to monitor movement trigger alarms from the cameras or infra red sensors so a visual camera check could be done.
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Thanks for replies.
Credit where it’s due, the ambulance team were brilliant. The old girl is extremely forgetful and has no idea how many hours she lay trapped between the bed and tall bedside wardrobe before she managed to get hold of the bedside phone and call 999. They attended for over 2 hours and checked for breakages before relocating her.
We discussed her general health, housing options etc whilst they ran tests and arranged for the “fall team” to attend. Which they did a few hours later. Another long discussion with them, and with the addition of more grab rails, removal of rugs, relocation of furniture, fitting of short bed rails ( today) we decided she’s ok to continue living independently.
Despite negative comments on the emergency neck pendants, I’ll get her one, and fit a key safe this weekend.
I needed a beer last night...Leeds Pale in a very sunny beer garden with friends.
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>> fitting of short bed rails
SWMBO is now back home after a spell in hospital including while there ,10 days in isolation after being exposed to Covid in A & E.
The first time I had seen that all the wards on her floor had no pay TVs.
There appeared to be no stimulation for dementia patients.
She now has an "Hospital bed at home. I requested bed rails.
No, was the amswer. We dont do bed rails for demential patients. I guess a single solution for all sorts of dementai patients ????
We can supply a crash mat.
So it appears that it is OK to let her fall out of bed and then sort out the effects.
My experience with the hospital was not good.
Not allowed to talk to A & E doctors.
If they had a patient they could not verbally communicate with then a translater would be found.
I am the translator for SWMBO but rules is rules. Go home and have a kip.
Doctors screwed up on several fronts. I told them they were wrong and eventually they confirmed I was right. So much for databases. All were well meaning but wasted lots of time cos they did not ask / talk to me first.
I do not need alarms as SWMBO now rides in a hoist rquiring two carers to use it.
I am now in pay the big care bills phase.
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>> Despite negative comments on the emergency neck pendants, I’ll get her one,
If you want a subscription free one, then I can recommend the SureSafe Personal Alarm.
www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00WIFPMBW/
>> and fit a key safe this weekend.
Unless they have changed the lock design, DON'T fit a Master Lock key safe.
eg, this type of one.
www.amazon.co.uk/MASTER-LOCK-Safe-Medium-Mounted/dp/B000JTIX3S
These can be easily unlocked with a thin piece of metal in under a minute, without causing any damage.
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The keyboxes whilst offering a convenient ease of access have very poor security, and need to be out of sight for casual passers by. Difficult for a corridor accessed flat!
I believe that many of the 4 digit wheel boxes will accept any combination sequence of the 4 digit number. Since the most frequently chosen code is year of birth, it reduces the security even further by 2 orders of magnitude. I suspect that under the 5th pebble in 4th flower pot from the left is probably more secure!
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Waste of time, as said above they never have them to hand at he time its needed.
The only way to monitor safety is pro active. Daily (or twice daily) phone* calls or a Webcam.
* phone needs to be big and heavy so it doesn't fall over or get knocked off hook.
Key safe, put your mobile number on the outside for those who need to get in.
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>>phone needs to be big and heavy
PLUS pre-programme numbers - small photo & button number to help on table
The daughter/ or son / A trusted near neighbour etc etc
My MiL had quite big phone bills dialling premium / wrong numbers
Her Virgin Box has parental control number so she did not buy films etc
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Virgin box? Take it out. BBC1 and ITV is all they need or remember. The rest just adds confusion.
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She watched Sky Sports - football was the highlight - maybe "gone in many respects" but the football was her treat that I paid for.
Widow for 35 years we took her pension & paid everything - we spent £500+ per month spent over and above her total pensions.
We never bothered about the money in/out every month but found out after her death as we had a bigger surplus every month in our bank account.
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>> Key safe, put your mobile number on the outside for those who need to get
>> in.
>>
That's a good idea - but whose number when the box is for me?
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That's a good idea - but whose number when the box is for me?
I have been exploring " what happens if I need help?"
Apart from the alarm approach what happens if I fall and block the front door or the bolt is on?
To avoid breaking the door down etc...
Keys for side gate ( has a unusual bolt lock that has a key operation on both sides) then a key to the kitchen and French doors.
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Really good point about about providing an alternative method of entry to the property if possible.
Often the person you are trying to help may be laid across the designated access door.
I recall visiting Mother once after moving her nearby. As soon as I entered I heard her shouting my name and was clearly in distress. As I tried to open the door to the living room she shouted in pain. I pushed again and her choice of language was somewhat fruity. The more I pushed the more she swore.
The resistance seemed to be at the handle side so I pushed against the hinges and dislodged them and removed the door.
I wasn't ready for what I found. She used a trolley type thing for a walking aid, not that it was, and as she approached the door something went array and she ended up bent double over the trolley with the back of her head up against the door. It was a good job I'd made a random visit she could have been there for hours.
In hindsight if I'd looked through the window i would have seen her predicament but in any event the patio door key was not in the outside key safe.
There is one thing for certain with ageing also come the loss of dignity.
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>> >> Key safe, put your mobile number on the outside for those who need to
>> get
>> >> in.
>> >>
>>
>> That's a good idea - but whose number when the box is for me?
I cant believe you are allowed out without a responsible adult
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My father had a wrist band, to all intents and purposes it looks like a smart-watch. It detected falls, if activated the tele-care company would try to speak to him over a speaker - if he was ok, there was no further action, if not they'd call an ambulance, the ambulance service had the key-safe number, my sister normally beat them to it. All in all a very good service
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Personal alarms - Falkirk Bairn
