My elderly mother just started living alone and I'd like to create some kind of passive wellness monitor using presence and motion sensors that will trigger if neither has detected either motion or presence for 6 hours during the day. Has anyone else done similar? She has cats so that might complicate things.
I have a C5 sitting in a drawer and am planning to purchase a few PIR motion sensors and mmwave radar presence sensors.
I'm interested in the same. Great post!
I considered using Echo dots with motion detection for my mother. The plus would be all of the other benefits the Echo offers. But I never did test this idea.
Nothing specific but you could also use some pressure sensors embedded in her bed, chairs & floor mats to monitor movement or lack thereof.
Most likely would require building the sensor yourself as I don't know of any commercial IOT versions.
Dan (w/Hubduino) did one for his bed.
Don't need to go that far yet
I thought about that but I wasn't sure how it would then notify me. I googled an echo and it doesn't have any kind of "no motion for 6 hours trigger" either
I've been thinking along the lines of @kuzenkohome 's idea --add some tried-and-true sensors to the array. Maybe contact sensors on her bedroom and bathroom doors, fridge door, and kitchen cabinet. Flow sensor on the water main. I'd suggest switches but my guests hate smart switches.
How are you planning to report lack of activity and send notifications? Something like Bptworld's Device Watchdog app (no longer supported) might get close to compiling the report but notification?
Device Watchdog'
Create Activity reports based on number of hours since the device checked in.
Not entirely sure what you fear might be happening if she’s not moving around but if she could be comfortable wearing an Apple Watch, that is a useful tool. Fall detection, panic button, vitals can be shared. Biggest drawback is having to recharge it every couple of days.
Multiple motion/presence sensors set up as a motion zone. A few rules for notification if there as x amount of time with no activity. Maybe a multi sensor that does temp taped to a hot water line under a sink(s) that notifies a rule when hot water is run.
I like it!
The Aeotec / SmartThings multipurpose sensor does contact, temperature and vibration. I use one on my sump pump discharge line - vibration and on my hot water recirculating pump line -temperature for a few different rules. Both taped to pipes.
You would use Hubitat to notify via the echo device, either with the Echo Speaks app or Voice Monkey, sent from an automation. With Echo Speaks, each echo device become a device in hubitat, with many custom device commands, one of which is speak("text"). Voice Monkey is free and lets you make an Echo do things with a web request.
Connect your Alexa account to the hub you set up for her, to have your home echo speak in your house.
Another option is to make a routine in Alexa that says a phrase you want to say. Then use a virtual contact sensor in Hubitat to trigger the routine for Alexa to say the phrase, without needing Echo Speaks or a web call to Voice Monkey.
Use Rule Machine or Webcore for your motion/presence logic. Then set a string for what the Echo should say with a custom command to Echo Speaks, a web request to Voice Monkey, or change a virtual contact sensor to open to trigger a speak routine in Alexa.
Ultimately, there are a menagerie of options. The cost could be prohibitive if there is a desire to closely monitor an adult parent. All of which will require a learning curve, possibly steep. And then there is the regular maintenance/upgrade/upkeep. My mother's dementia was not that severe when the siblings decided that she would fair much better in assisted living. Granted, the cost of assisted living is far more than the smart monitoring options we have discussed here. But I would have been the only one capable of installing and maintaining those systems. And if you live a good distance from your parent, it becomes an even more time-consuming headache. The cost/time are exponential with the amount of observation/monitoring one desires. Just my 2 cents.
I have two cats. If you position the motion sensors properly and set the sensitivity (provided the sensor has such settings), then the cats should not trigger the sensors. Place motion sensors in every room. You might also want to place switches on the exterior doors so you will know if she goes out.
You might want to set up different times during the 24 hour period based on her typical activities. If she normally gets up at 7:00 am, for example and no movement has been detected by 8:00 am, that is concerning and you should be alerted.
If she take a nap in the afternoon, you might want to ignore periods of non-movement during that time. Also nighttime can be a period of non-movement.
I have a couple of stories to tell. Years ago m\y grandmother had a massive stroke in the middle of the night. My mother went off to work and returned the next evening to find her mother unresponsive in the bed. Although my grandmother lived another six months, she was essentially in a coma during that time.
When my mother lived with my wife and I, she collapsed in our kitchen floor while we were both at work. She had internal bleeding. My wife found her when she returned from work and called 911. My mother had a medical alert system, but was not able to trigger it. In this instance, my mother recovered and lived another few years. If I had the home monitoring capabilities I had today, I would have been able to monitor my mother more closely.
I had a similar situation several years ago and ended up w/the following:
She was fine w/the cameras (only myself and my brother had access).
Worked really well...her daily life always gave me enough motion/contact events (via Pushover) regularly enough to know that she was up/around and OK. If I was worried I could get a quick look via camera. If any smoke/fires I would get notification via Nest app. If she fell or needed help she had the keyfob thingy. I really think cameras ended up being the most important for me...no substitute for being able to quickly take a peek and see she was OK. Luckily she was fine w/cameras, I get it that everyone wouldn't be.
If I was doing it again I'd add mmWave sensors to get her presence when not moving around.
You'd think that would be the perfect solution but my mom and her infernal stubbornness refuses to wear it. So, I'm also super curious to see what others have come up with.
Plan for this. Don't ask me how I know. That's why I focused on passive sensors (contact|flow sensors) rather than active (switches). I would have needed a system totally out-of-sight-out-of-mind like @danabw 's above less the cameras & fob and maybe even the motion sensors.
I like the Third Reality motion sensors as they are inconspicuous when placed next to the frame of a door or window. They also use AAA batteries so you can keep a few in your pocket when visiting your loved one and replace them quickly and easily with minimal fuss. They are also inexpensive, so you can install a plethora of them without breaking the bank.
Some monitoring cameras are quite small allowing you to place them in places where they will be unlikely to be noticed, such as on a shelf among knickknacks or photos. If she likes watching TV, place a camera beside the TV aimed at her favorite chair. In the kitchen, a camera on top of the fridge is unlikely to be noticed as they tend to be about 6 feet high, well above eye level of most people.
related:
Buy a bunch of those rechargeable plug-in flashlights that come on if the power fails and stick them pretty much everywhere. My mom actually liked those.
Download the Hubitat app
