A problem relating to growing old or caring for the elderly
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".
As people grow older they often become somewhat forgetful. We start to worry about questions like “Did I leave the water running?” How do we make it so these sorts of questions are not things that we need to worry about?
There is a lot written about how important it is to get a good night's sleep. But how do we measure our sleep in the first place, so we can monitor whether it is "good", and whether any things we do to improve it actually make a difference?
Having the right lighting in the right place at the right time is a very important detail for both safety and quality of life. Think burglars, or being able to read, for example.
But some older adults, as they become forgetful, or develop mobility issues, can end up with the lights turned off when they should be on, or the wrong lights for the “job at hand”. We wanted some “smart home” solutions that can help with this.
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.
I am setting up Alexa for my parent who lives at a distance. I am unsure what features to include, or how to set it up so it is as useful as possible.
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!
In my Dad’s nursing home everybody has their TV blasting, including My Dad. Sometimes he can’t even hear me calling on a video chat request on his Alexa Show.
My Mom jumps up to answer the doorbell every time it rings. I worry about two things. I worry she opens the door to strangers without knowing who they are. I worry she does not always hear the doorbell and might miss out on someone she actually wants to talk to.
Once or twice a month I leave the stove on after fixing breakfast. Most of the time I realize that I have left the stove on but it may be an hour or two after breakfast. I worry about what might happen as a result of this forgetfulness.