There’s an App for that!

Posted on April 24, 2013

A recent article by Jim Fitzgerald of the Associated Press focuses on a few electronic methods that might relieve some of the struggles experienced by caregivers who try to balance their frantic personal lives with the oftentimes emergent needs of their loved ones.  For the purposes of my article, I am only looking at the type of monitoring put in place by a family member to check on an elderly person’s well being; primarily a family member with Alzheimer’s or other dementia.

Beleaguered caregivers getting help from Apps is an eyeopening look at how Smartphone Apps, and other electronic devices, can provide some sort of relief to lessen the caregiver’s load.  Many of those who are long-distance caregivers, such as I was for my father several years ago, might benefit from being able to monitor their family member’s safety and well-being from a distance.

But does such monitoring invade the loved one’s privacy?  Of course it does; but I guess one could say that the benefits outweigh the disadvantages of such monitoring.  Or do they?  What comes to my mind is the elderly person’s gradual loss of independence – an aspect of life that many of us would equate to being a requirement for our own quality of life.  But I digress.

At best, I think electronic monitoring serves as a stop-gap or interim measure of caregiving before hands-on care is put into place.  The Pillbox App keeps a very tentative watch on whether or not a loved one – say a parent – has taken his medication properly.  If the parent does not have compromised executive function, it’s certainly easy to “fake it” so that the daughter can feel as though all is well ten miles away.  In reality, however, medication mismanagement might be taking place, carried out by the parent.

The Alzheimer’s Association Comfort Zone program requires that a loved one wear a GPS device at all times so that family members can monitor their comings and goings throughout the day.  The system is of no benefit if the person doesn’t wear the pager; and if the person has dementia, there’s a strong likelihood of that happening.  I’m being the devil’s advocate here, simply pointing out that the system is only as good as the cooperation required to use it.  HOWEVER, and this is a demonstrative HOWEVER, it appears to be a very worthwhile system that provides numerous benefits.  Other than taking away ones right to privacy, it definitely serves as a safety net for when mom, dad, spouse, or other loved one, are heading into trouble.

I’m skeptical of Comfort Zone but I’m also its fan.  I’ve linked the Comfort Zone website above so that the reader can determine if such a system is worthwhile in his or her situation.  My skepticism comes about because I wish more attention and financing would be spent on a cure for Alzheimer’s and other dementia so that these current monitoring methods become a thing of the past.  A world without Alzheimer’s sounds just as desirous as a world without cancer, or MS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, to name a few.  More disease control financing = more cures.

One final word: I’ve already experienced two family members with Alzheimer’s and all the caregiving migraine headaches associated with those experiences.  So please know that I’m a proponent of worthwhile practices that ease the caregiver’s burden.  Unfortunately, there is absolutely no fail safe method out there that will give caregivers true peace of mind.  Even placement in a long-term care facility is not a 100% guarantee that mom, dad, sis, or gramps will receive the best care possible.  I’m sorry to burst your bubble – but it’s true.