When an elderly person lives alone, he or she is susceptible to falls that can lead to serious injury. Nighttime trips to the bathroom or moving about the house performing daily tasks can sometimes cause accidents that leave the senior citizen unable to move or call for help. One solution to this problem is to subscribe to a service similar to QuietCare®.
QuietCare® is an emergency notification system that helps caregivers and family members monitor the health and activities of an elderly loved one. The device operates on a continuous basis, using small wireless sensors that track the movements of the senior citizen as he or she moves about the home. These special sensors detect patterns in the daily activities of the senior citizen and may even serve as a warning sign for potential health problems.
Motion sensors are positioned in various rooms throughout the elderly person's house, including sensors in the kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, and living room. Information is transmitted 24 hours a day to a base station that transfers the data to the QuietCare® computer systems. If the notification system determines that there may be a problem, QuietCare® employees immediately notify caregivers or family members through telephone, email, pager, or text message. Caregivers can even access a website to receive information about the elderly person.
The wireless sensors used by QuietCare® can alert caregivers to potential problems before the problems occur. Without using video cameras or audio equipment, the device tracks the daily activities of the senior citizen. It monitors whether the senior citizen has been in the bathroom for an unusually long amount of time. It can also detect if the senior citizen has opened the refrigerator recently or when he or she has emerged from the bedroom in the morning. The device even knows if the senior citizen has opened the medicine cabinet to take his or her daily medication.
QuietCare® devices are small and attach to the walls of the home. The receiver is about the size of a deck of cards. A communicator, about the size of a book, is attached next to the receiver or on the floor. It is plugged into the phone jack or wall socket. The installation of the equipment is tailored to the needs of the elderly client. Since the sensors are positioned about shoulder height, the movement of pets throughout the home will usually not trigger the sensors.
Using a service similar to QuietCare® may help a senior citizen keep his or her independence. It can provide peace of mind for both the elderly person and his or her caregivers. The device is unobtrusive and does not infringe on the senior citizen's privacy since no video or audio is involved in the tracking.