Tech Question: Setting up a webcam in my resort room.

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

I kinda feel like the 15 or so previous trips I've made with her, over the seven years that I've been her full time caregiver, (and, I haven't kept strict notes, but my suspicion is that on every single one of them, she has been left alone in the room, at least once, for a few minutes. Whether it's to go downstairs and get a pair of Mickey mouse ice cream bars, or to take several items of her clothing to the laundromat in the next building), gives me kinda a clue.

(Half the staff at Chef Mickey's knows her name. Several of the characters recognize her.)

But yes, I do understand your point.

Yeah, now that you mention that, I've noticed that, myself.

(When I take Mom to Contemporary, I spend most of the day laying in the hotel room, with the curtains pulled, in the dark, while she sleeps. Trying to get Netflix over the Disney WiFi is often spotty. Sometimes I switch off WiFi, and let it eat into my phone's data plan.)

OK, I bet this is a weird one.

Traveling to Contemporary, in March. We're actually going to have two rooms, but the question only concerns one.

I'm the caregiver for my mother, who has Alzheimer's and very bad arthritis. She basically can't get out of bed without me to help her. But she thinks she can. And there's a chance that she might try it. (Although it's probably been two years, since the last time she tried.)

Here at home, I've set up several web cams in her bedroom, so that I can watch her, when I'm out, and make sure that she's not sitting up in the bed, or anything that makes me concerned that she might be about to attempt to stand. It allows me to go grocery shopping and things, while still being able to look at her every five minutes or so.

Well, there's a slim chance that I might want to step out of the room at Contemporary, this trip. Maybe eat a meal or something with my new relatives who are flying in to stay in the other room.

It would be really nice if I could set up a web cam in our Contemporary room, so that I could check on her, while I'm sitting in California Grill.

Anybody tech savy enough to "speak geek" to me, and tell me how to do this, at Contemporary?

Being left alone in the room for "a few minutes," is vastly different than going to a table service restaurant.

Calculate how long it would take for your mom to hurt herself.

Then calculate how long it would take for you to notice she is making a move that could lead to an injury, excuse yourself, walk to the elevator, ride it to your floor, walk to your room and save her.

Obviously you realize that you are trying something different this trip. Otherwise whatever you have done for the past 15 trips would work.

If the CMs at Chef Mickey's know your mother, why not dine there? With your mother? Rather then trying to set something up, somewhere else while leaving her in the room?

 

[hops&dreams]

So, to answer your question about webcams... Do you have a laptop with a webcam on it? Is it stable enough to work on wifi? How stable is the wifi at the resort? If dependable, just set up your laptop with the webcam pointed toward your mother. Then initiate a Skype call or and keep it running the whole time you're away. If your restaurant isn't that far from the room, then you should have plenty of time to get to her in time if you go to her when she starts stirring.

You can do this with facetime (prop up an ipad?) or Skype... I don't see any issues with this, other than having to depend on the hotel's wifi, which may be spotty or not provide enough (or consistent enough) band-width to support a prolonged Skype/facetime call. Best to do a dry run when you arrive.

As for the Alzheimers - I'm sorry you have to go through that and bless your heart for the care you give. My dad was diagnosed at 62, and now just 2 years later sometimes doesn't know who I am anymore. It's a cruel, cruel disease, but good for you for being able to still get down to Disney as much as you are (both of you!). Even if she might not remember the experiences later, the fact that you're able to experience enjoyable moments with her is wonderful!

Good luck!

 

[Trekkie]

Yeah, I used to have the notion that I was creating a memory that she would look back on, later. Even had fantasies that she would be grateful towards me, for giving her that.

Obviously, that's not going to happen. Now days, when we leave the park, I ask her if she had a good time, and her answer is that she doesn't know.

But, still. I take her to Chef Mickey's, and she admires all the happy kids. And the characters come around, and she smiles for the camera. (And all of the distractions help her eat more, too).

And I know she's not going to remember it, a half hour from now. But I probably have a thousand pictures of her with a character. And she doesn't remember it, but I can look at it and think "I made her happy. For a few minutes."

 

[tarak]

Trekkie, your last post just breaks my heart. I've never been in that situation, so I can only applaud your desire to make these memories for your mom, even if they don't last. Have you considered a sitting service? Or would your mom be too confused being left with a stranger?

 

[rethciR]

From the technical side of things, this probably isn't possible using the resort network/wifi. External (from a phone or tablet) access to a webcam usually requires certain ports to be opened on the router or firewall. These are things you will not have access to configure...

 

[Trekkie]

Yeah, I'm aware of that problem. One of my existing home webcams, I had to to that. (Set up a static NAT in the router, to allow communication to be initiated from outside.)

But I have two other webcams, (I have multiple cams, because none of them are perfectly reliable. Therefore, redundancy.), that don't require opening anything in the NAT.

I assume that the way these work is, the webcam initiates communication with a server that's owned by the manufacturer. (Belkin and DLink, respectively.) Since communication is initiated from the LAN, it creates an opening in the NAT, for return communication. (And permits the DLink server to know what my translated, public, IP address is.)

The client software, on my phone, initiates communication with that same server. Logs in with user name and password, and the DLink server then connects me to the camera, which is already in communication with said server.

I say "I assume that's how it works", because that's the only way I can think of, that it could work. But I freely admit that "I can't think of another way" does not in any way mean that's the only way.

 

[KonaKaiTom]

I'm not judging, but having been in your shoes and having to put my mom in a nursing home within the last year (same issues, dementia and severe arthritis), I will note the following things that shocked me. In Connecticut, leaving my mom alone, and I admit I did, in similar situations is a criminal offense. I recently had relatives investigated by the police - three sisters were caring for their mother 24/7. One was running late and she told her sister, who had to get to work, that she would be there in 30 minutes so she should leave. When she arrive, the police were waiting as the nosy neighbor noted that mom, who has alzheimers, was left alone. They had to hire an attorney and they were eventually exhonerated. Their mom is now also in a nursing home.

This is totally offpoint here, but listed below are the 5 Basic Activities of Daily Life that one can use as an indication of the need for skilled care:

Bathing and showering (washing the body)
Dressing
Self-feeding (not including chewing or swallowing)
Functional mobility (moving from one place to another while performing activities)
Personal hygiene and grooming (including brushing/combing/styling hair)
Toilet hygiene

According to my mom's long term care insurance, if she is not capable of any 3 of the above, she's beyond neeing in house care and needs skilled care. Mom was incapable of 5 of the 6.


Back on point, although it might not have been a problem in the past, Disney would be extremely unhappy in the situation you described. They would use the same rule of the thumb that our local police department used with my relatives -- in the event of a fire, is your mom capable of getting out of her bed/room without assistance?


Sorry to be blunt, but having been a caregiver and trying to work fulltime for the past 6 years -- I was a LOUSY caregiver when it came right down to it. There would be nothing wrong with having your mom stay in a nursing home for respite care while you are down in WDW on vacation, but I suspect there are more long term concerns you need to consider.

Tom