For a number of reasons I may or may not be at liberty to discuss in the future, I was introduced to a nurse from the local hospice outfit a few towns over. During my introduction via someone we both knew, I was questioned about something I had implemented recently. It was about a wireless doorbell and a baby monitor.

The idea was a simple one. When someone bed bound needs assistance, yelling for help was not the most practical approach. So I had brought in a wireless doorbell to be part of a two part system of devices to enable the person bed bound to feel a bit more secure. Why a doorbell?

1. While intercom systems are fine, they do little good for many hospice patients that are frankly in no position to try and speak clearly into a speaker to ask for assistance.
2. It’s cheap and duplicable. Even better, many models work from 50-300 feet, depending on the dollars being spent.

Unfortunately, there was also an issue of knowing when someone might need help but not be in a position to press the button. This happens sometimes. So this is where the noise canceling baby monitor came in. The idea is not to provide a means of voice communications, rather to hear a fall/cry for help/or other instances where a caregiver really needs to be on scene ASAP.

With both devices in play, in the matter of the first three hours, both solutions were immediately seen as a hit.

1. In the first instance, the doorbell was used a number of times to gain assistance for basic stuff.
2. Then after sleeping aids were given, the baby monitor caught the sounds of someone attempting to try to make it to the commode despite being told that they really need to call for assistance. Impaired judgment meets technology and an injury is avoided.

The baby monitor itself is fairly high-end. Being able to hear the person’s breathing patterns without hearing tons of white noise is a real bonus.

Interestingly enough, I have been told by a nurse that the baby monitor is common practice for many hospice patients. The doorbell however, is simply so perfectly obvious, that it is a wonder more people are not using it.

Those of us who are “well” might think it redundant to have both devices in play. But I can assure you that it is proving effective to use both. Clearly, the patients win this round and they are being heard loud and clear in wishing to have access to both technology solutions.

The entire thing came home for me when I was told that by introducing the idea of wireless doorbells to be used in conjunction with the baby monitor, I was both empowering the patient’s care along with making life easier for the caregiver. They key is solving these problems with technology that is both affordable and duplicable. Well that and making sure you invest enough to prevent any outages due to cheap equipment.

While you can skimp on the quality of the doorbell, be sure to get baby monitors that offer both self-adjust channels, but also provide two handsets. Why? Because hospice care is sometimes, something that means day and night assistance. Relying on a single portable unit is not good here, having a backup charging at all times is the only way to go.