Home Care in Loudoun VA
As seniors get older, they will face increasing challenges, not just with their ability to take care of themselves, but also with regard to safety. Wandering is an issue for some seniors that can be extremely dangerous.
Take, for example, somebody who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. If they walk outside because they are confused about where they are, what the season is, or have every intention of simply going for a walk, they can quickly become disoriented, lost, and that can be a life-threatening situation.
Even seniors who don’t have Alzheimer’s or some other form of dementia may be susceptible to confusion and anxiety. They can also get lost easily if they have difficulty keeping track of directions.
One way to help curb safety risks for seniors at home is to use alert devices and monitoring systems.
Many people think about alert devices as something the senior can depress if they fall that can signal emergency services to be on their way to them. However, alert devices can be affixed to doors and other structures throughout the house and on the outside that can tell a monitoring service when somebody gets up, moves around, steps outside, or does something else.
For example, if the senior gets out of bed in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and doesn’t return for 15 or 30 minutes, depending on what the time limit is set at, a motion sensor can determine this, signal a monitoring station that the senior has not returned to bed when expected, and that can trigger a call to emergency services to do a welfare check.
Alarms and other devices can be affixed to doors as well.
These alarms can go off right away if the senior opens a door, such as during the middle of the night or during a cold spell, and it can single family members, friends, or even emergency services that the door has been opened and the senior may very well be stepping outside.
How much can this impact safety?
It can have a significant impact on safety for these seniors in more ways than one. For starters, it can help people stay on top of what’s going on at the senior’s house. Of course, the senior has to offer full consent for these devices to be in use, as long as they are lucid enough to make those decisions.
When it comes to safety, technology is helping to improve that for seniors from all walks of life, with all sorts of physical conditions, and with varying risk factors.
If you or an aging loved one are considering home care in Loudoun, VA please contact the caring staff at Assisting Hands today. (703) 982-0050.
