A problem relating to growing old or caring for the elderly
Have you ever plugged in a device, turned it on and later forgot it was still plugged in? If this was a device that consumed a lot of energy such as a clothes iron, electric hotplate, coffee pot, tea kettle or a space heater you might have wasted some power or even have caused some damage.
Is your loved one continually misadjusting their thermostat — potentially causing health and financial issues? I wanted a thermostat that would work for people with dementia or impaired vision, or who for other reasons have trouble managing their thermostat.
We have several problems relating to a fridge and a forgetful senior who lives alone. We worry that she will leave the fridge open by mistake and that the food will spoil and make her sick. We worry that she forgets to throw out food as it gets old, and that the food in her fridge includes food that is past its "eat by date".
My mother (with dementia) wakes up often in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and forgets to wash her hands/flush the toilet. She often forgets during the day as well.
My Dad is now in a nursing home, and he can't tell the difference between 4 AM and 4 PM when looking at a clock. When he asks his Voice Assistant, and it says, "It's 4 AM", he thinks it said "4 PM," and he better get dressed for dinner!
As older adults develop physical and mental frailties, they sometimes have difficulty using products they want to be able to continue to use: such as the TV.
For example, physical impairments, like arthritis or tremor, may make it hard to press buttons. And cognitive impairments may make it hard for them to remember the way to navigate to a particular channel or streaming "show".
Who is not familar with this experience?
It’s time to watch TV. Where did you put the remote control for the TV?
My brother-in-law forgets to put the toilet seat down causing my sister to almost fall in once during the night
If you have visited residents' rooms in a nursing home, you will notice that the resident's TV is always on, although the resident is not paying attention. It's mind numbing.