United KingdomUnited KingdomThose living independently at home who have memory difficulties, or a diagnosis of dementia often need a family member to support them, which can cause stress and anxiety if family cannot be there all the time. One of the most worrying activities for families is when the service user leaves the home as it can be common for those with dementia to arrive at a destination and be unable to navigate back home safely.
In one of the pilot homes, Joan lives with moderate dementia. Her daughters are extremely supportive and have tried a variety of different technologies, such as a GPS tracker, which they have attached to her handbag to support her when she leaves the home. Unfortunately, Joan often leaves home without the handbag leaving the family with constant anxiety as to whether she is safe at home.
Since the installation, Joan’s daughter has been able to use the Beanbag Care system’s easy-to-use app which has provided essential information about when her mum leaves and returns home. Joan’s daughter is now prompted to check the GPS tracker when the app shows that her mother has left the home, enabling her to monitor her mum’s location. If Joan doesn’t take the tracker, her daughter is still able to check that her mother has returned home safely, thanks to the Beanbag Care app.
This will enable Joan to stay active and independent at home for longer as her daughter can be reassured that she is ok, monitoring from a distance, reducing the potential for more restrictive solutions such as care provision or care home placements. This also gives Joan’s daughter peace of mind, as she does not need to constantly worry or go to check on Joan in person to make sure she is safe.
This highlights that both technologies are working together, without the need for integration and have provided support to the family and helped to reduce anxieties without being restrictive to Joan by stopping her leaving the home.
Please note all names used in this case study have been changed to protect the identity of the service user. This highlights that both technologies are working together, without the need for integration and have provided support to the family and helped to reduce anxieties without being restrictive to Joan by stopping her leaving the home.
Please note all names used in this case study have been changed to protect the identity of the service user.