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There are reasons you might want an Apple smartwatch, but don't expect someone with dementia to be able to use it.
My DH, who has dementia, had hearing aids that were adjusted through an app on his Apple phone. Pairing an Apple watch with his phone provided another way of monitoring his hearing aids, but he couldn't do it. I had to,
The smartwatch also had features that checked his blood oxygen, heartbeat, and recorded an ECG. We used those, but he couldn't learn how. It was also a tracker, so when he wandered I was able to find him. When he fell, the watch asked him if he was okay, and it notified me that he'd fallen. That was very helpful. If he hadn't been okay, the watch would have called 911 to come to his location.
I have the exact same model smartwatch, so I could communicate with him through our watches. All in all, it's a wonderful tool, but I'm the one who had to respond to it, set it, turn it off when there was a false alarm, etc. He never could learn how to operate any part of it but enjoyed the pretty pictures on its face.
I found it helpful for both of us to have one. It was an important part of my caregiver's kit at a time when his dementia was developing fast and I needed all the help I could get.
I completely agree with this post. If you are familiar with Apple products it is a great help. If they are comfortable with apple products even the better. My 85 year old mother uses her Apple Watch to answer the phone and see who is texting her and if it is important. She then reads the text on her phone. The biggest thing is she likes to walk in her garden and has fallen. You can’t see her from the road. When she fell the watch asked her if she was ok. We had it set up to call me and she let it. I was able to contact a neighbor to help her. She has also used the Hey Siri on the watch to text and call me. She wears it all the time and charges it while she is in the shower. I have it set up with the find my app so that I can locate her even if she forgets her cell phone. It is very dependent on your ability with apple items and the seniors ability. Could be great but might be frustrating. My in-laws are also mid eighties and have the watches but only wear them for falls and location. They are not as good at integrating it into their use of their phones. Being in a different state than them I am appreciative of the location and fall alerts and feel that is worth every penny. All 3 are rather independent. My father with Alzheimer’s would not be a candidate for using an Apple Watch as it would just frustrate him.
Chances are they will forget why they have it on in the first place and will either remove and misplace it or just not remember to put it on.
A person with cognitive decline can't even remember how to work appliances that they've used for decades. They won't be able to learn something new, especially technological.
I got my Aunt one of those medical alert pendants to wear around her neck and it usually wound up in the basket of her walker or she'd take it off before shower so it wouldn't get wet. I cancelled the service. She didn't even have dementia.
I’d say no. I have had one for maybe 6 years now? I’m tech saavy and don’t find it as easy to use as I think it should be. I use it to tell time and to occasionally track a work out or get an alert about a message that goes to my phone. Is that worth the cost? Probably not. It’s heavy and bulky enough that I don’t wear it unless I have a reason to. My parents (dad had dementia, mom has helplessness) weren’t able to figure out the jitterbug smart phone with a lot of hands on training by me. My dad used a computer before dementia. I still have some of his emails …. It seems easy enough, there’s just one button after all, but if it were good for this purpose I think Apple would be marketing it as such and we’d all be buying them for our elderly parents! Save your money. If you have one of your own, put it on your person and see how they react to it / if they’re curious about it. There is also the matter of it needing to be charged pretty much every night.
Yes, an Apple watch is too complicated for a person with Alzheimer's and will be a spectacular waste of good money getting them one.
Instead of cameras and an Apple watch to elder-sit your LO, hire an actual human caregiver/companion to do it. You'll get resistance and complaining no doubt, but do it anyway. Tell your LO that you've hired someone (at your expense because seniors will complain endlessly about having to pay for anything) to come in and clean for you during the holidays while you get other stuff done. Also, so your LO can go shopping or to appointments, etc... Allow no discussion on it.
When the caregiver/companion comes to work their hours, you be there the first shift and the three of you get to know each other. Then you go. I did this kind of work for 25 years and am now in the business of it. Trust me, the right caregiver/companion will become a friend in time if they're good at their job and if they are the personality type that can keep a situation well in hand. You'll see.
If your LO is getting to the point where they cannot be left alone at all, you should probably start looking at memory care facilities and get them on some waiting lists.
Happy to share our experience with our FIL. He would have been totally overwhelmed by the Apple Watch, but we were also concerned about him falling when nobody was around to help him. He would also not wear a medical alert pendant.
A BIG caveat regarding the Apple Watch that nobody seems to talk about: If a wearer falls and is not entirely immobile for an entire minute, the auto fall detection activation to 911 is disabled. That really concerned us - we could envision him falling and being dazed and spasming and then the Apple Watch would do nothing.
What did we do, we got him a medical alert watch. After a bunch of research, including on Wirecutter, we chose the Kanega Watch. Fall detection has worked multiple times as advertised and, equally important, he doesn't have to take it off to recharge (the watch tells him when he needs to swap out the rechargeable batteries).
All in all, this product has given us a ton of peace of mind. That said, do your own research (the Kanega Watch seems like the best in the industry, but it is not cheap) and I hope you find a solution that gives you similar peace of mind when you are away.
An Apple Watch for someone with Alzheimer's is not a good idea. His brain is broken and cannot learn how to use this technology. The watch requires daily recharging too, so without its working battery, the GPS will not work.
What is your goal with the Apple Watch? To tell time? There are other less complicated watches. To make a phone call? Can they use a regular cell phone? A "smartphone"? How good is the eye sight? I sometimes have problems seeing my phone if the font mysteriously gets smaller (after an "update") the watch is much more difficult to see. Has this person used Apple products before? I have to tell you I have tried. I am an Android, I have never been able to use Apple.
If it is for tracking them there are other ways to track someone.
I am used to my Apple phone and when I tried an Apple Watch with the intention of giving it to my mother and I found it confusing! To top it off it is small enough that if she tried to do pretty much anything on it she would have problems even seeing the buttons or keys, let alone being able to use the keyboard. I ended up buying my mother a RAZ phone which is made for people with disabilities.
Hello kartyjb..From my experience w dementia parents, I would suggest putting momentum cameras around the house, then you can view him on your phone..
I tried phones, land lines, med alert, all to no avail..Mom would take off med alert, then could not find it..Dad managed a flip phone for a couple of months then lost his ability to use it..
I do hope this helps..I would do Momentum for myself, when my time comes, & tell my kids to go have fun-live their Life! 🙏🏼 to you & all..
National Council on Aging has a recent article on this: https://www.ncoa.org/article/apple-watch-as-medical-alert-system-what-to-know/ I think it’s important to know what each device offers and what it doesn’t, how it needs to be managed, etc. I live alone and wanted something only for fall detection (eases my children’s minds too!), Since I already use an iPhone, Apple watch SE seemed the best choice for me. For a partner with dementia, there would be a lot more to consider. If he would keep it on, and if there was someone to make sure it got charged daily, that might be worth it to you.
I am not sure it is true that no call would be made if there is any movement after the initial alarm (stated by another commenter). My instructions say that if I don’t dismiss within 30 seconds, it will call EMS and notify my contacts.
By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington.
Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services.
APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid.
We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour.
APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment.
You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints.
Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights.
APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.
I agree that:
A.
I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information").
B.
APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink.
C.
APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site.
D.
If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records.
E.
This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year.
F.
You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
My DH, who has dementia, had hearing aids that were adjusted through an app on his Apple phone. Pairing an Apple watch with his phone provided another way of monitoring his hearing aids, but he couldn't do it. I had to,
The smartwatch also had features that checked his blood oxygen, heartbeat, and recorded an ECG. We used those, but he couldn't learn how. It was also a tracker, so when he wandered I was able to find him. When he fell, the watch asked him if he was okay, and it notified me that he'd fallen. That was very helpful. If he hadn't been okay, the watch would have called 911 to come to his location.
I have the exact same model smartwatch, so I could communicate with him through our watches. All in all, it's a wonderful tool, but I'm the one who had to respond to it, set it, turn it off when there was a false alarm, etc. He never could learn how to operate any part of it but enjoyed the pretty pictures on its face.
I found it helpful for both of us to have one. It was an important part of my caregiver's kit at a time when his dementia was developing fast and I needed all the help I could get.
It is very dependent on your ability with apple items and the seniors ability. Could be great but might be frustrating.
My in-laws are also mid eighties and have the watches but only wear them for falls and location. They are not as good at integrating it into their use of their phones. Being in a different state than them I am appreciative of the location and fall alerts and feel that is worth every penny.
All 3 are rather independent. My father with Alzheimer’s would not be a candidate for using an Apple Watch as it would just frustrate him.
Chances are they will forget why they have it on in the first place and will either remove and misplace it or just not remember to put it on.
A person with cognitive decline can't even remember how to work appliances that they've used for decades. They won't be able to learn something new, especially technological.
I got my Aunt one of those medical alert pendants to wear around her neck and it usually wound up in the basket of her walker or she'd take it off before shower so it wouldn't get wet. I cancelled the service. She didn't even have dementia.
Instead of cameras and an Apple watch to elder-sit your LO, hire an actual human caregiver/companion to do it. You'll get resistance and complaining no doubt, but do it anyway. Tell your LO that you've hired someone (at your expense because seniors will complain endlessly about having to pay for anything) to come in and clean for you during the holidays while you get other stuff done. Also, so your LO can go shopping or to appointments, etc... Allow no discussion on it.
When the caregiver/companion comes to work their hours, you be there the first shift and the three of you get to know each other. Then you go. I did this kind of work for 25 years and am now in the business of it. Trust me, the right caregiver/companion will become a friend in time if they're good at their job and if they are the personality type that can keep a situation well in hand. You'll see.
If your LO is getting to the point where they cannot be left alone at all, you should probably start looking at memory care facilities and get them on some waiting lists.
A BIG caveat regarding the Apple Watch that nobody seems to talk about: If a wearer falls and is not entirely immobile for an entire minute, the auto fall detection activation to 911 is disabled. That really concerned us - we could envision him falling and being dazed and spasming and then the Apple Watch would do nothing.
What did we do, we got him a medical alert watch. After a bunch of research, including on Wirecutter, we chose the Kanega Watch. Fall detection has worked multiple times as advertised and, equally important, he doesn't have to take it off to recharge (the watch tells him when he needs to swap out the rechargeable batteries).
All in all, this product has given us a ton of peace of mind. That said, do your own research (the Kanega Watch seems like the best in the industry, but it is not cheap) and I hope you find a solution that gives you similar peace of mind when you are away.
To tell time? There are other less complicated watches.
To make a phone call? Can they use a regular cell phone? A "smartphone"?
How good is the eye sight? I sometimes have problems seeing my phone if the font mysteriously gets smaller (after an "update") the watch is much more difficult to see.
Has this person used Apple products before? I have to tell you I have tried. I am an Android, I have never been able to use Apple.
If it is for tracking them there are other ways to track someone.
I ended up buying my mother a RAZ phone which is made for people with disabilities.
I tried phones, land lines, med alert, all to no avail..Mom would take off med alert, then could not find it..Dad managed a flip phone for a couple of months then lost his ability to use it..
I do hope this helps..I would do Momentum for myself, when my time comes, & tell my kids to go have fun-live their Life! 🙏🏼 to you & all..
I think it’s important to know what each device offers and what it doesn’t, how it needs to be managed, etc. I live alone and wanted something only for fall detection (eases my children’s minds too!), Since I already use an iPhone, Apple watch SE seemed the best choice for me. For a partner with dementia, there would be a lot more to consider. If he would keep it on, and if there was someone to make sure it got charged daily, that might be worth it to you.
I am not sure it is true that no call would be made if there is any movement after the initial alarm (stated by another commenter). My instructions say that if I don’t dismiss within 30 seconds, it will call EMS and notify my contacts.
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