Senior citizen crashed

Smart watch and baby monitor for people with dementia

Smart watches are a simple aid for discreetly monitoring people with dementia(Bild: ballball14 - stock.adobe.com)

When people with dementia start to "ghost", become nocturnal and leave their home unnoticed, this can have serious and even fatal consequences. This recently happened in Gmunden, where a 78-year-old with dementia fell from a balcony. Dementia experts advise patients to wear a smartwatch on their wrist or at least use a baby monitor.

He was lying outside in pain, helpless and hypothermic: A 78-year-old man from Saalbach (Styria) fell over a balcony railing onto the terrace below in Gmunden on Thursday night. The Slovakian caregiver (60) of the dementia patient had noticed at around 4.30 a.m. that he was no longer in his bed. From the balcony, the woman saw that the senior was lying around four and a half meters below and immediately alerted the emergency services.

A smart watch with a GPS transmitter has often proved its worth when people with dementia start to wander.

Karin Laschalt, Bereichsleiterin bei der MAS Alzheimerhilfe

Access was blocked
Access to the terrace was blocked, so the emergency services used a stepladder to climb up to the seriously injured man. He was taken to the local hospital. The caregiver - probably a 24-hour caregiver - is not under investigation.

Carer is innocent
Karin Laschalt, Head of Department at MAS Alzheimerhilfe, explains why this is the case: "24-hour carers are of course allowed to sleep at night and are also entitled to their own room. But they have to be on call." In principle, it is not surprising when people with dementia suddenly change their behavior and start to "ghost" at night, for example, says Laschalt.

What can help? 
Modern technology is a blessing in such cases: smart watches are usually equipped with a GPS transmitter, which is useful if seniors wander off. And many products also have a fall sensor that sounds the alarm in the event of an accident. A very simple form of discreet monitoring for people with dementia is a baby monitor. And there are also touch-sensitive floor mats that can be placed in front of the patient's bed, and the seriously injured 78-year-old was admitted to hospital in Gmunden.