Canary Care provides 'peace of mind' for families of vulnerable elderly living alone

Canary Care is a discreet, unobtrusive and easy-to-install monitoring and notification system that provides round-the-clock reassurance for family members whilst allowing an older or vulnerable person to stay in the home they love.

Canary uses sensors to capture the movement of a person, the ambient temperature in the home and whether carers have visited during the day.

The information is recorded and sent via text message or email to a family member’s phone, laptop or computer in an easy to read chart, respecting privacy and without filming.

Stuart Sheehy, director and co-founder of Canary Care, said: “We have a massive challenge in the UK with a rapidly growing elderly and vulnerable population, but we do not have the necessary resources, whether money or trained people, to tackle the problem.

“We all want to do more for our older family and it’s hugely exciting to be able to launch a service that can make a difference to the lives of people trying to get on with enjoying life.

“We at Canary are trying to do just that; the technology is the simple part and the fascinating challenge is bringing families closer together and strengthening the support networks around our families to make life that little bit easier.”

Peace of mind

provides peace of mind to both the older person and their family that help is never far away. Families can decide together when notifications should be sent, depending on the particular areas of concern.

Canary also helps people to feel safe and secure in their own home – happy in the knowledge that a loved one is keeping a discreet eye on them.

The innovative product offers peace of mind for daily tasks which family members often question, including:

• Is my loved one safely in and out of bed?

• Are they visiting the bathroom regularly?

• Have they taken their medication?

• Have they visited the kitchen for mealtimes?

• Have they gone out today and safely returned?

• Are they keeping to a routine?

• Are visitors leaving and arriving as expected?

• Are they warm enough?

• Have they had a fall?

Calling-circle

Melanie purchased Canary Care to help look after her mum, who had been diagnosed with vascular dementia, so she could remain independent in her own home.

Melanie believes it is a great way to have peace of mind about a loved one whilst maintaining their dignity. She commented: “My mum was diagnosed with vascular dementia and we were looking for something to give us peace of mind about how she was. We tried various things such as telecare and cameras but we found these to be intrusive and not very dignified.

“We came across Canary Care which seemed like the perfect fit. One of the great things about Canary Care is that you can set reminders, so we have a reminder set up if the temperature in my mum’s house falls below a certain level, or if she’s up in the night or if she doesn’t get up in the morning.

“You can also set up a calling circle of people that get notified, so my sister gets a notification as well as me. We can also log in and see what mum’s been doing during the day as well. This was really helpful because it gave us an insight into the fact that mum wasn’t actually eating in the evening. As a result we have been able to get her some care and help.”

Daily patterns and routine

Similarly, another Canary Care user believes her whole family have ‘benefitted hugely’ from the system, as it provides a view of her father’s regular patterns and daily routine.

She said: “As a family we live quite far away and Canary has given us peace of mind that Dad is okay, particularly when we can’t reach him by phone.

“It’s a quick and easy way of finding out that he is up in the morning and it has prevented a lot of unplanned trips to check up on him.

“The temperature readings are also really helpful. They alerted us that Dad's heating was broken so we could get someone in to fix it.

“It’s a helpful system for all the whole family on a daily basis. Phone calls are now more about a nice conversation and catch up rather than checking in.”

Alerts tailored to circumstance

Reassurance for the whole family is particularly important if there has been a recent event such as a fall or a spell in hospital, a bereavement or following a diagnosis of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.

At these times Canary offers a solution that means older and vulnerable people can continue to maintain the independence they desire with the added reassurance that family members will be notified if anything out of the ordinary occurs.

The Canary package contains a visitor card, which can tell if a visitor (domestic, personal care or meal delivery) has called at the expected time.

If the situation changes, it can also help to clarify if any additional support is needed and the right time to provide that support.

Discreet sensors monitor movement

The discreet Canary sensors detect movement by using passive infra-red technology. Sensors are placed in the rooms used most often, as well as on both internal and external doors to monitor movement in and around the house.

There are also temperature and light sensors within each unit to provide more information about the conditions in the home environment.

The unique design of Canary Care allows family members to create rules for each individual sensor for notification if something does not appear as it should, such as, if there has not been any movement outside of the bedroom after 9am.

Canary uses all UK networks and has a built-in mobile connection. In order to have access to a Canary account, relatives are required to have access to the internet.

Canary Care conform to the Data Protection Act 1998 and ensure the collected data is only accessible to those authorised for access.

Christopher Curry, inventor of Canary Care, added: “I’ve been interested in the quality of care for older people for a long time now and, as a serial entrepreneur, I am completely focused on developing products and services to help people stay in their own homes for longer.”

For more information visit: https://www.canarycare.co.uk/