Kate - early intervention

Kate is 62, lives alone and has early onset dementia. She is very active and frequently goes out for walks. As she began to find it hard to distinguish between day and night time there were concerns she was leaving the house at night and early in the morning when care workers would visit to help her with breakfast and taking medication. With her consent the care team that supports Kate installed motion sensors to track her activity. They also provided a recorded 'memo' that was set to activate between 8pm and 8 am to remind her not to go out. However this caused her anxiety and she was unable to recall what it was for and would turn it off so it was removed.

The motion sensors, which are compact and silent, did not cause any anxiety and showed the pattern of Kate's activities. This information allowed care workers visits to be timed more effectively. It also reassured Kate's family as it showed that she was not leaving the house after 4pm. As a result Kate was able to go on living in her home for several months.