Music for Person with Dementia
Your loved one would like some personalized music, but they are unable to speak the commands to play music on an Amazon Echo Dot, or manage conventional sources of music.
Impact Theme: Smart Home, AI, Robots, Internet of Things
Our Longevity Explorers have been brainstorming about what they want Smart Homes, Artifical Intelligence (AI), Robots, and the Internet of Things to do for them in the future.
We have generated lots of ideas we hope innovators will find helpful as they design new products and services. And we have been evaluating a variety of new products and sharing what we learn.
How to Use Amazon Omni Fire TV for Video Calls
For years I have been experimenting with different ways to make TV easier for my elderly relatives. You can see one example of how I did this here: Making TV Useful For My 94-yr-old Aunt However, as new gadgets come to market I am always interested in trying them out, and this article is about … Read more
Button to Trigger Alexa Routine
In my DIY solutions to the challenges of my older relatives, I often use a “Button” to trigger an Alexa Routine. It keeps things simple, and avoids them needing to remember a specific “phrase” to speak. However, it is not so easy to find the right button. This solution explains the options, and which buttons I prefer.
Inadvertent Screen Touches and Button Pushes
One of the Longevity Explorers found a problem when her mother (in a nursing home) kept inadvertebtly touching the screen of her Echo Show, disrupting the video call. Here is my solution to that problem.
Smart Plug with Auto Shutoff
Isn’t there a simple solution using a smart plug with Alexa to turn the plug off after a fixed time? Yes, and this describes how to set it up.
Forgot to Turn Off the Iron, Hotplate, or Heater
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.
Dementia Door Minder
The Dementia Door Minder is a solution to the problem that arises when a person with dementia gets up at night, leaves the house, and wanders off.
Dementia Bed Minder
This solution notes when a person with dementia gets out of bed, and can guide the person to the bathroom, remind them to return to bed if they stay up longer than desired, and alert a caregiver if they stay up too long, but avoid unnecessary alerts if the activity is within parameters set by the caregiver.
Nocturnal Wandering by Dementia Patient
For those of us caring for a loved one with dementia, nocturnal bed exits can be an overwhelming problem. The problem gets even worse if the person with dementia leaves the house at night without anyone knowing.
Detect Water Leaks, Shutoff Water, Alert Me
I wanted a solution that not only “detected” when there was a water leak at my elderly parent’s house, but also could automatically shut off the water in certain situations before major damage occured. Here is my DIY solution, using sensors and a controllable valve.