Susan is 61 years old and lives independently. Her daughter Ellie relocated to Lancashire, several years ago. Susan has occupied her flat for over 20 years and was recently diagnosed with mild dementia, and she has not been eating and drinking regularly and wandering outside her home. This has made Ellie very anxious, so she made an enquiry about using Assistive Technology through Sunderland Care and Support.

The team worked with Ellie and recommended:

• Sensors fitted to the kitchen cupboards, the fridge and freezer which contained Susan’s food and drink.
• Smart plugs attached to the kettle and microwave.
• Motion sensors placed strategically around rooms in the flat.
• A contact sensor fitted to the flat door, to alert when the door was opened.
• A GPS device to monitor if she left the property.

This allowed Ellie to monitor her mother’s welfare by looking at her smartphone app, to make sure her mother is accessing food cupboard, using the kettle/microwave and if was moving around her flat normally, all whilst she is still in Lancashire.

Ellie said “It would not have been possible for my Mother to continue living alone without this equipment, this has helped me feel close to her even when we are far apart.”