mCare Digital Introduces the conversation series – Episode 1: In conversation with Monty Woolley
Name of Customer: Monty Woolley (son)
Wearer: Ruth Woolley State: VIC
mCareWatch User Since: February 2014
Current Model Device: mCareWatch 241
How long has your mother been using the mCareWatch?
Mum receives guidance from us every day but is fiercely independent. Mum had one of the earlier iterations of the mCareWatch (SMW14), from about 10 years ago, but possibly 12 years as I seem to recall we got it when she turned 80. We had a brief period trying the pendant – for better battery life – but reverted to a newer mCareWatch as she was less likely to put the pendant on; mostly because she felt it was a cow bell. This newest version of the watch has come at the right time with its much-improved battery time.
How has the mCareWatch improved your mother’s daily life?
I would say not improved so much as more like continuing her freedom. It is reassuring to know I can check where she is and call her on it. We now leave the SOS call to the monitoring service; they check she is okay when she bumps her wrist, initiating a fall alert. Occasionally the service will call me or the next brother in the queue if they cannot contact her. In all cases, she has been fine.
What made you choose mCare Digital over other providers?
There was no other similar device at the time. All others I could find were tethered to the home Wi-Fi or land-based phone line, totally useless for an independent lady who walked her dogs at any of the local parks, getting to them by car. Each of her dogs has sadly gone now, and she didn’t want to go through any more heartache with a new pet, preferring to hold onto her memories of them.
Can you share a specific instance where mCareWatch helped solve a problem or made a big difference for you?
Only in the last year or two have we upgraded to full monitoring (24/7 monitoring bureau) for mum as only one brother of the four of us lives a couple of suburbs away from her; one lives overseas, another north of the state and for me, interstate.
There have been many noteworthy instances over the years, but in the latter half of last year, mum had a health issue that caused her an episode of delirium. Only relatively recently have I activated the geofence feature to let us all know (we still monitor her in parallel with the monitor centre) when she goes for her daily drive. Through no fault of her own, her driver’s license was revoked. Once it was sorted, it still required her to re-sit her driving test. This was a low point for her as she could sense the walls closing-in on her. However, quite remarkably, she passed the test.
The incident I recall began when I didn’t receive the 2nd geofence alert advising of her return home, but not until I realised it had been more than 2 hours since she had gone out. I checked her position and previous 20 movements (automatically a 5-minute intervals) and could tell she was lost.
I called her directly on the watch. She said she was ok but was indeed lost. Having done this several times, I had learned to keep calm when talking to her. I said for her to keep driving in the same direction so I could determine which way she was headed by updating her position on my phone; this can only be done once per minute on the one device. I opened the web page version on my laptop to separate these tasks.
I alerted family members as she was clearly distressed but still determined to get herself home. She was bursting to use the toilet. She was refusing to pull over and stop. She was driving in ever-increasing circles from her home. I called my son who was by then half an hour from her, especially as afternoon traffic was building.
I finally convinced her to stop the car. My son eventually got to her via my updated locations for her. She was unable to follow him in her car, her mind wandering due to what was later diagnosed as delirium. I called her to pull over once more. My son parked his car and drove her straight home to where my nephew (an MD) was waiting.
They called an ambulance which culminated in a week in hospital. So determined was this old, trained nurse, she convinced the hospital to release her before she was truly ready. Delerium takes as long to recede as it does to build.
We nursed her back to health. She has since suffered another decline in health and has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease. She failed some basic tests with the geriatrician, compelling him to revoke her driver’s license. This was devastating for her and motivated her to seek reinstatement. Whilst were we relieved that this decision was made for us, we went through the motions of a license test in the hope it would demonstrate to her why she should no longer be driving.
She once again recovered. She attended the interview with the driving instructor and, unbelievably, was deemed fit to sit the driving test; in a dual-control Camry, a completely different vehicle to her own. This would be impossible for her to pass.
Or so we thought.
The instructor determined he could find no reason to fail her! She passed the test, albeit with a further restriction of a 5km maximum from home on top of the already imposed glasses-only, daylight only, and no passengers, restrictions.
She diligently puts on the mCareWatch after her morning shower (despite advising her to put it on when she gets out of bed and wear it in the shower) and we receive the geofence breach alert each day. And again, when she returns home.
Occasionally, we check her heart rate if she has not answered her mobile or home phones, and the pedometer to confirm she is still kicking. We still get the occasional fall alert, but this is always her bumping her wrist on something.
The disconnect for mum is not so much making errors like driving on the wrong side of the road or failing to give way, the disease places breaks in cognition insofar as tasks such as purchasing food she does not need. The local shop is most understanding as we promptly return items for full refund.
Mum refuses to have google maps guide her home. She describes Siri as a dizzy dame.
What’s your favourite feature of your mCareWatch, and why?
The auto answer after one ring from approved contacts. This easily gives you an assessment of the health and surroundings by simply speaking and listening and offering reassurance.
The power of the geofence should also not be underrated, as is too the tracking feature; I have used it to demonstrate her movements to family members who were otherwise busy at the time.
Would you recommend mCare Digital to others? If so, what would you tell them?
Yes, I have and do recommend it. The ability to monitor without being intrusive and controlling.
The reason mum is well into her 90’s is because of her on-going desire for independence. She refuses any help around her home, save for a nephew mowing grass or for the occasional maintenance required for heating, cooling, plumbing, etc.
For some years, she has rejected any attempt from us to introduce formal home help, unceremoniously bouncing out the poor workers. From the Greatest Generation, coming of age in the Great Depression, “Listen here you, I was brought up on a farm with blowflies and dust with a dirt floor in the kitchen… put the vacuum away!” She sees this as an attempt to move her to a “nursing home.”
Her house is not conducive for movements within and around, with its differing levels of steps and slopes here and there; initially objecting to yellow anti-slip tape on all step edges but eventually coming around and announcing how helpful they are. She can be stubborn and exasperating but is mostly happy, which is really all you can ask for.
Quick note
We hope you’ve enjoyed our first episode of our in conversation series, this time in conversation with Monty Woolley. We are planning to release a story each month and if you are interested to read these, please subscribe by using the form below. Thank you for reading until the end. We appreciate you.