Reddit reviews LogicMark Freedom Alert Emergency System

This is difficult. One of the first thing this disease takes is the ability to understand your own limitations. My partner hasn't been able to do much of anything on his own in a few years, but still believes he needs no help. Some days he is sure he is not very effected by Alzheimer's at all. As Alzheimer's effects the ability to make new memories they forget all of the mistakes and dangerous situations and remember the lifetime of being self sufficient.

Others may have different advice, but here is mine. You can not get him to comprehend the level of care he needs. Move forward by providing it in any way that he will accept. When I'm not caring for my partner we have a hired caregiver. She pretends to be the "housekeeper". My partner accepts this, though logically it makes no sense as she hardly leaves the room and assists him with showers and other bathroom needs. It gives him a bit of pride and makes him comfortable.


The companion may have to be crafty to make your father comfortable. When he wants to walk alone they can say they are going to check the mail, get something from their car, have a cigarette etc and will walk out with him. There is a good chance that once they walk out of the house they can distract him by asking questions and he won't realize they are walking together when he wanted to walk alone.


Trackers can be helpful, maybe someone can chime in with more experience with them. They seem to need to be charged regularly so I haven't used one.


A home alert system might be a good idea. We use this one that is not a monitored one. It calls 4 programmed numbers and is basically a one button cordless phone using a home phone line. You can program it to call 911 if none of the 4 calls are answered. We switched to this from a monitored one as my partner had some false alarms resulting in paramedics showing up. Now he uses it for everything, he needs a drink, time for the bathroom, wants to get out of bed etc. this may give your mother a bit of piece of mind while working. You can set it to call the companion and then your mother if there is no answer.


In a separate but equally important issue it seems as though your mother may be at a breaking point. It is hard to separate the person you loved and cared for over the years with the person afflicted with Alzheimer's. Add the stress of being a caregiver and attempting to work at the same time and it's not hard to find your breaking point. To be a good and caring caregiver she needs the ability to spend time on her own. This is almost impossible while working and caregiving without help from friends, family and hired help. Offer your help when you can and insist your mother spend that time doing something for herself. It will be hard for her at first, but she will become comfortable soon. An afternoon or evening a week would allow her to run personal errands, take herself out for a meal, have her haircut etc. I try to take one vacation a year. It's hard to plan, and expensive to provide care while I'm away, but I come back patient and caring instead of stressed and frustrated. Keep in mind that when someone has dementia that all of their needs become immediate. They can't plan ahead. This means the family member attempts to plan ahead for themselves and the person they care for. This ends up with the family member dropping their own needs either on purpose or by forgetting. After all what is that errand compared to what someone with Alzheimer's needs? At one point I realized I hadn't been to my doctor in over a year. I didn't realize this on my own, but when the office firmly told me that it had been over a year and for prescriptions to be safely refilled again, I needed to visit the physician. I had no clue it had been so long. During that same time I alienated friends, hadn't spent much time or money on myself in any way as it always seemed both of those were needed urgently to caregive. I needed to create boundaries and it took a near breakdown to bring it to my attention.

I'm sorry you and your family are going through this. It is a terrible disease. There is no right or wrong way to deal with it, you must find a way that works for you.

You might want to talk to local hospitals and even nursing homes or senior communities about what is a used around you. Though there are some stand alone options so you don't have to go through a service and pay monthly fees.

My grandma has a stand alone unit (SilverCare Personal Safety Emergency Alert Device (discontinued)) and she has a fairly large wrist watch (she calls her Dick Tracy watch) it has 2 buttons, one for 911 and another for 5 programmable numbers (it dials the list in order until someone picks up) The watch acts as a transmitter and receiver so she can communicate with whomever she needs. She lives in a large senior apartment complex and the reception for the watch works everywhere in her building (and she lives on the 6th floor)

this is a similar type of unit

Until you decide on a system that works for her encourage her to keep a cellphone on her at all times, having it around her neck via lanyard is IMO better than in a pocket where it can be forgotten when changing or fall out when sitting down.